Of the blessed God.--The whole sentence is more accurately translated, according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. (Comp. 2Corinthians 4:4.) "The glory of the blessed God," whether as shown in the sufferings of Christ or in the riches of His great mercy, is that which is contained in and revealed by the gospel; in other words, the "contents" of the gospel is the glory and majesty of God. God is called here "blessed," not only on account of His eternal and changeless perfection, but also on account of His blessed gift of forgiveness, offered to all sinners who accept His gospel of love.

Which was committed to my trust.--This precious deposit, this "trust," the gospel of the glory of God, was perhaps, in St. Paul's eyes, his truest title to honour. When we inquire more closely what was exactly meant by "the gospel committed to his trust," something more definite seems to be required than the general answer that he was a minister of the Church, intrusted with the proclamation of his Master's blessed message. If this were all, St. Paul's loved title to honour would have been by no means peculiar to him, but would have been shared by many another in that great company of prophets, teachers, and evangelists of the Church of the first days. St. Paul rather seems to have gloried in some peculiar and most precious trust. Was it not possibly in that Gospel of "Luke," which some of the most venerated of the fathers tell us St. Paul was accustomed to mention as the Gospel written by him? (Irenaeus, Origen, Jerome.) It was, perhaps, this blessed privilege of having been judged worthy to compile, under the direction of the Holy Ghost--or, at all events, largely to furnish materials for--one of the precious records of his adorable Master's earthly lite and work and suffering which St. Paul loved to tell of as his proudest title to honour.

To his own disciples--as well as to those who disputed his apostolic authority--he would now and again refer to this, the highest of all honours bestowed on him by his Master; but there the boasting of the holy and humble man of God ended. Though the blessed evangelist St. Paul knew his work was for all the ages, the true humility of the noble servant of Jesus appears in the substitution of "Luke" for "St. Paul"--the scribe's name in place of that of the real author.

(1) τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ might be a periphrasis for "God," as Romans 6:4, or Exodus 24:16, 17; Exodus 33:18; Leviticus 9:6, 23; Psalm 104:31; 2 Corinthians 4:6; or as "the Name of the Lord" (Proverbs 18:10; Isaiah 30:27, etc.); and as we say "thee queen's majesty," the "king's grace." Or

(2) "the glory of God" might mean Jesus Christ, who is the Brightness of God's glory, the Image of the invisible God, in whose face the glory of God shines (2 Corinthians 4:4, 6). Or

(3) it might mean the gospel which tells of the glory of God, which reveals and proclaims his glory, the glory of his grace (Ephesians 1:6, 12), or perhaps here rather the glory of his holiness, which St. Paul's "sound doctrine" pressed for imitation upon all Christians (see 1 Timothy 6:3); comp. 2 Corinthians 4:4, "The gospel of the glory of Christ." Either the first or last is doubtless the true meaning. The blessed God. This and 1 Timothy 6:15 are the only passages in the New Testament where μακάριος, blessed, is an epithet of God. Elsewhere "blessed" is εὐλογητός; as e.g. Mark 14:61; 2 Corinthians 11:31. In classical Greek μάκαρ is the proper epithet of the gods; μάκαρες Θεόι μακάριος is usually spoken of men or qualities, and especially of the happy dead. It does not appear how or why the apostle here applies μακάριος to God. Committed to my trust; literally, with which I was entrusted. A thoroughly Pauline statement (comp. Romans 1:1, 5; Romans 2:16; Galatians 1:11, 12; Ephesians 3:1-8, etc.).

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