Without...reproach (423) (anepileptos from a = without + epilambáno = to seize, to lay firm hold) is an adjective which literally describes that which cannot be seized. It is one who cannot be laid hold upon, so to speak, which metaphorically describes one who is inculpable, cannot be criticized (above criticism), inviolable (i.e., not tarnished, eg, as to one's honor, character, etc), unassailable (i.e., not liable to personal attack or question of character), irreprehensible (i.e., not to be blamed or censured; free from fault). The anepileptos individual is one who has nothing in their words, actions or deeds upon which an adversary could seize to make a charge. This person demonstrates conduct which is irreproachable, above criticism, without fault. He has a higher morality on which no blame can be found to base an accusation. Do not attempt to obey this lofty charge in your own strength! Cast off any sense of self reliance and rely wholly on the Spirit of Christ to give you the desire and the power to live without...reproach (cp Php 2:13NLT-note). There are only 2 other uses of anepileptos in the NT... 1Ti 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 1Ti 5:7 Prescribe (paraggello in the present imperative) these things (remember when you see the phrase "these things", stop and interrogate with the 5W/H'S, taking time to check the context for answers) as well, so that they may be above reproach. It should be noted at this point that some commentaries interpret without stain or reproach as actually modifying the commandment rather than "you" (Timothy), so that it is not Timothy per se who should be without stain or reproach, but it would be the commandment that should be so characterized. John Stott comments that... Commentators also differ whether the words without spot or blame apply to Timothy or to the command. Perhaps the Revised English Bible is best: ‘I charge you to obey your orders without fault or failure.’ (Guard the Truth : the message of 1 Timothy & Titus) George Knight comments that... The two adjectives seem to refer to the clause keep the commandment considered as a whole, Timothy’s keeping of the commandment, rather than any one word within it. Aspilos may refer to transgressions of the commandment, and anepileptos to failures in keeping its positive aspects. (Ibid) The Pulpit Commentary has a good argument that the context (the subsequent mention of the appearance of Christ) favors the two adjectives modify a person (Timothy) not the commandment per se... the consideration that the idea of the person being found blameless in, or kept blameless unto, the Coming of Christ, is a frequent one in the Epistles (Jude 1:24; 2Pe 3:14; 1Co 1:8; Col 1:22; 1Th 3:13; 5:23). Comment: In other words the fact of the Second Coming is repeatedly seen as a truth (incentive) which motivates a person to godly conduct (without stain or reproach), favors these adjectives as describing Timothy rather the commandment per se. Newport J D White seems to resolve the difficulty by combining the two ideas explaining that... If Timothy “keeps himself unspotted” (Jas 1:27) and “without reproach,” the commandment, so far as he is concerned, will be maintained flawless. (1Timothy 6 Commentary) Thomas Lea also combines the two interpretations writing... The keeping of the command was to be unspotted by the contaminations of the heretics and was to be a type of obedience not exposing God’s commands to fault or blame. (New American Commentary) Until the appearing - Until is an important "time phrase" in Scripture (Study the section on expressions of time) and deserves our "undivided attention." One should always interrogate (Study the section on interrogating Scripture using the "5W/H'S") time phrases with questions like "What will happen then?", "What difference does this make?", "How should I respond in light of the truth revealed by this time phrase?" "How long would Timothy need to keep the commandment without spot or stain?" Until Christ returned! Conscious contemplation of Christ's coming would help Timothy fight a good fight, finish the course and keep the faith, even as it had motivated his mentor who in his final words declared... I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing (epiphaneia) .(2Ti 4:7, 8) Until means "up to the point in time or the event mentioned." The idea is "up to a stipulated time." What "time" is stipulated by Paul in this passage? Obviously in context the time referred to is the blessed appearing of Christ, Who will return to bring an end to the evil of this present, passing world. Notice the text does not say "when" He will return but clearly promises that He will return. What happens when He appears? Among a number of things that will transpire when Christ returns, the apostle John informs us... BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. (Revelation 1:7-note) Comment by Tony Garland (reference): The OT Scriptures predicted a “coming one” (Dt 18:15-18; Ps. 2:1-12-see Garland's study of "Why do the Nations Rage"; Ps 22:1-31; 118:26; Isa 9:6-note; Isa 48:16; 53; 61:1; Jer. 23:5-8; Da 9:25-note; Mic. 5:2; Zec. 2:8-11; 6:12-15; etc). This was the expectation of those among whom Jesus ministered (Jn 1:21; 1:45; 6:14; 7:40). John the Baptist knew of these predictions and sent his disciples to Jesus inquiring, “‘Are You the Coming One (ho erchomenos = defines a specific "Coming One"), or do we look for another?’” [bolding added] (Mt 11:3; Lk 7:19). Peter and Stephen explained that it was Jesus who fulfilled these predictions (Acts 3:22; 7:37). Yet this Coming One represented a Scriptural enigma. At times, He was said to be victorious King who would reign forever (Nu 24:17; Isa 9:6-7-note). But He was also forsaken, despised, rejected, and crushed (Ps 22:1-31; Isa 53:1-12). How could these seeming contradictions be reconciled? Some chose to apply these passages to two different individuals, a “suffering Messiah” (Messiah ben-Joseph) and a “victorious Messiah” (Messiah ben-David ["ben" is the Hebrew word for "son"]). Others held that the fulfillments were mutually exclusive and which would eventuate depended upon the obedience of Israel. The key which unlocks this mystery is the resurrection of Messiah (Ps. 16:10; Isa. 53:1-12). He would come once, die for the sins of the world, be resurrected back to life, and come a second time in judgment. His First Coming, death, and resurrection are now past. All that remains is His reappearance as described to John here and elsewhere in the NT. It has been estimated that one out of every twenty-five verses in the New Testament refers to the Second Coming. (John MacArthur) THE TWO COMINGS OF CHRIST FIRST APPEARING SECOND APPEARING In Humiliation In Exaltation To be killed To kill His enemies To serve To be served As Suffering Servant As Conquering King The challenge of the book of the Revelation to every person is to... BE READY FOR HIS RETURN! He is coming (present tense) and every eye will see Him (future tense). The grammar places the event on the edge between the present and the future—the futuristic present. It is ‘about to occur.’ It is imminent (See discussion on imminency): The verb form (of "coming" in Rev 1:7) is erchetai (Ed: Parsing of the verb = erchomai which means coming) is an example of the futuristic use of the present tense, the future connotation being provided by the word’s meaning. The idea is that Christ is already on His way, i.e., He is in the process of coming and hence will arrive. This use of the present tense enhances emphasis on the imminence of that coming (Ed: Compare the same verb erchomai in the present tense in Jesus' prophecy that He would return again in John 14:3). This same verb (erchomai) is used directly or indirectly eleven more times in this book in reference to the return of Christ (cf. Rev. 1:4, Rev 1:7; Rev 1:8, Rev 2:5, 16" class="scriptRef">Rev 2:16; Rev 3:11; Rev 4:8; Rev 16:15; Rev 22:7, 12" class="scriptRef">Rev 22:12, 20" class="scriptRef">Rev 22:20 [twice]), seven coming from the lips of Christ Himself (Rev. 2:5, 16; 3:11; 16:15; 22:7, 12, 20). The current verse obviously is the theme verse for the whole book. Comment: In light of the fact that the return of Christ is such a clear key word in the Revelation, what truth (and what application) do you think the Holy Spirit is trying to convey to the church in these last days? May God grant His children, who compose His body, the church, ears that have been opened and hearts that are tender to and tremble at His Word, so that we might be able to hear clearly and obey immediately what the Spirit is saying regarding the imminent appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen (cp Rev 2:7, Rev 2:11, Rev 2:17, Rev 2:29, Rev 3:6, Rev 3:13, Rev 3:22) THE DAY OF HIS APPEARING THE DAY OF RECKONING In the mid-1800's the godly self taught Lutheran saint, Joseph A Seiss penned one of the most literal interpretations of the book of the Revelation (The Apocalypse: Lectures on the Book of Revelation) and in that commentary, he addressed one of the practical aspects of the Second Coming... Brethren, I do not wonder that worldlings and "half-Christians" (Ed: Not sure what Seiss means by this description.) have no love of this doctrine, or that they hate to hear about Christ’s speedy coming. It is the death knell of their gaieties and pleasures—the turning of their confidence to consternation—the conversion of their songs to shrieks of horror and despair. There is a day coming, when “the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of man shall be made low;” [Isa. 2:11-note, Isa 2:17-note] when there shall be "upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;" when "all the tribes of the earth shall mourn;" when men shall "go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth," "into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty;" when men "shall seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." And that day is the day of Christ's coming, and those dismayed ones are such as love not his appearing. Fear and dread shall fall upon the wicked; trouble and anguish shall make them afraid; and men's hearts shall fail them for fear, and for looking after those things that are coming on the earth. The saints will then have been caught away to their Lord. From the same field, the same shop, the same bed, one shall have been taken and the other left. And on those remaining ones, who had not watched, neither kept their garments, nor made themselves ready, shall the terrors of judgment fall, and not a family or tribe of all that live shall escape. (The Apocalypse: comment from bottom of page 57) Why would Paul mention the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in this context? What has he just written to Timothy? Paul had just exhorted Timothy to keep the commandment. Clearly, the fact that Christ will return and that His return is imminent and was imminent even in Paul's day (See discussion of Imminency), serves to motivate one to discipline themselves for godliness and keep the commandment without stain or reproach. If one is continually mindful that they might see Christ at any moment, it will (or should) effect a "high level" of (Spirit enabled) ethical behavior! Hiebert underscores the sense of Christ's imminent return writing... The word “appearing” or “manifestation” emphasizes the visibility and glory of the coming Lord Who is now hidden and invisible to human sight in Heaven. This statement of the termination of the charge shows that the writer did not conceive of the return of Christ as some event in the remote future. Like the other New Testament writers, Paul kept the truth of the Lord’s return in the foreground of his thinking and hopes. While Paul eagerly looked for that event, he never pretended to know the date of the return. The overwhelming magnitude of the Second Coming made it seem near and shrivel up all intervening time, like some vast mountain, which, as it rears its gigantic peak above the horizon, seems near, though actually a long distance away. MacArthur adds that... When the Lord returns to earth in glory (cf. 2Ti 4:1,8; Titus 2:13) to judge and to establish His kingdom (Mt. 24:27,29,30; 25:31). Because Christ’s return is imminent, that ought to be motivation enough for the man of God to remain faithful to his calling until he dies or the Lord returns (cf. Acts 1:8-11; 1Cor 4:5; Rev. 22:12). (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word or Logos) Johann Bengel comments that... Believers, in regulating their practice, used in that day (of Paul and Timothy) to set before themselves the day of Christ as near at hand: we are accustomed to set before us the hour of death. (Bolding added for emphasis) A STRONG INCENTIVE TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENT The appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ - Another way to describe the blessed and glorious the Second Coming of Christ. "The bright, clear, or radiant appearing." (Trapp) The truth that we might see Christ today should be a strong incentive for holy living... When was the last time you seriously considered that Christ might return today? And you did so, not as one those folks who see "prophecy" in everything on the news, but with the idea that an awareness of His return would have a practical impact on the choices you make - what you think about, what you purchase and how you handle your finances in general, what genre and rating of movies or television shows you watch, where and what you search for on the internet, how much time you spend on talking to others on the "social networks" on the web versus how much time you talking to God, how you might demonstrate agape love to others, how you might humbly serve others, how bold you are to share the Gospel with others with whom God gives an open door, how quickly you confess to God your sins against Him, how quickly you forgive those who have offended you, and the list goes on and on...? May God grant us Spirit enabling grace to "filter" all our thoughts, words and deeds through the "grid" of the imminent appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. As Bob Utley agrees that "The Second Coming has always been a strong incentive to live the Christian life." (1Timothy Commentary) Listen to some of the resolutions of the greatest of all American theologians, Jonathan Edwards... Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can. (I would add the prayer Ps 90:12) Resolved: To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be. Comment: Read a longer list of Jonathan Edwards' resolutions - if you dare! They are very convicting! However, be careful! Remember that resolutions must be read with a strong reliance on grace and a trust in the power of the Spirit to obey or otherwise they can become legalistic burdens (cp Ro 7:5-note) In fact read Edwards' prayer that prefaces the resolutions... Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. Preacher's Homiletical Commentary comments that Paul is reminding Timothy that, whatever perils gathered round the warrior for truth, an unseen shield should cover his head in the day of battle. Matthew Henry adds that Paul is saying to Timothy... "Keep this commandment until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; keep it as long as thou live, till Christ come at death to give thee a discharge (Ed: Until you get your "discharge papers" from active service, so to speak! cp 2Ti 2:3,4). Keep it with an eye to His Second Coming, when we must all give an account of the talents we have been entrusted with,'' Lk 16:2. Observe, The Lord Jesus Christ will appear, and it will be a glorious appearing (Mt 24:30, 25:31, 26:64, 16:27, Mk 13:26, 14:62, Lk 21:27, 2Th 1:7), not like His first appearing in the days of his humiliation (Php 2:5, 6, 7, 8). Ministers should have an eye to this appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ in all their ministrations, and, till His appearing, they are to keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable. Mentioning the appearing of Christ, as one that loved it, Paul loves to speak of it, and loves to speak of Him Who shall then appear. The appearing of Christ is certain (he shall show it), but it is not for us to know the time and season of it, which the Father has kept in his own power: let this suffice us, that in time he will show it, in the time that he thinks fit for it. Matthew Poole writes that... there is no motive more powerful to a zealous and faithful discharge of our duty, no excitation more rousing from the security and carelessness of the flesh, than the serious believing consideration of the glorious reward to be dispersed by our Saviour to his faithful servants in that day (of the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ). Gromacki comments that... The mention of Christ’s return rather than the death of Timothy reveals the apostolic expectation that the Savior could have returned during their lifetimes. (Stand True to the Charge: An Exposition of I Timothy)