The Blessed and Only Potentate

The Blessed and Only Potentate

What is a Potentate? A Potentate is a very powerful ruler; one who has complete authority over his dominions. If we think of the word 'potent' it conveys to us a picture of something that is powerful and forceful.

Nebuchadnezzar the King of the Chaldeans, in the Old Testament, is a prime example of a true Potentate. From his capital at Babylon he ruled the known world at that time. His word was law. He had the power of life and death in his hands. Nebuchadnezzar's empire was the first world empire. His story can be found in the Book of Daniel chapters 1-5.

The next world empire of the Medes and Persians saw an enlargement of Nebuchadnezzar's dominions. However these rulers did not have the same power as Nebuchadnezzar. They were constrained by the laws of the Medes and Persians. They had to obey those laws implicitly.

Now that we have some idea of a Potentate; let's look at the Scriptures where we find our blog post heading. We find it in 1 Timothy chapter 6.

1 Timothy 6:13-16

"(13) I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

(14) that you keep the commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,

(15) which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

(16) who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honour and everlasting power. Amen."

Let's have a closer look at these verses. In verse 13 Jesus is identified as the man Jesus who stood before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. He is also identified as the Christ, the Jewish Messiah. Thus we find in the man Christ Jesus someone who is truly God and truly man.

In verse 14 His full title 'Lord Jesus Christ' is acknowledged. The title 'Lord' signifies His Deity as Son of God, God the Son. The title 'Jesus' signifies His perfect manhood and also His coming as the Saviour, Christ the Lord. The title 'Christ' signifies that He is the Messiah of the Old Testament; for the Messiah and the Christ is one and the same person.

In verse 15 He is revealed as 'the blessed and only Potentate' - who is 'King of kings and Lord of lords'. In other words He is the Supreme Ruler on Earth and in the heavenly spheres. All rule and all authority is His by right and Nebuchadnezzar's rule and authority pales into insignificance by comparison.

In verse 16 we see that Christ Jesus alone has immortality. Yes, we as born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will also have immortality; but it is derived from His immortality. We do not have immortality through our own merits. Our immortality comes as a result of Him paying the debt of our sins at Calvary. We also learn that He dwells in unapproachable light which no man (or woman) has seen or can see. We as finite beings can never see the essential being of God who is infinite! But, and it is a big but, the Triune God has chosen to reveal Himself in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that the apostle Paul concludes the verse by stating, "...to whom be honour and everlasting power. Amen."

The blessed and only Potentate is the man Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, the Son of Man, the Son of God, God the Son. Does it warm your heart to know this? - and to know that, "...God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

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