What does 2 Timothy 2:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Paul encouraged Timothy to meditate on what he had just written knowing that the Lord (probably Jesus, cf. 2 Timothy 2:8) would help him see the wisdom of his words. Paul"s illustrations yield many practical lessons as one meditates on them. [source][source]

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"The apprehension of spiritual truth is not primarily a matter of mental acumen but of spiritual teachableness." ^[1] [source]

Context Summary

Soldier, 2 Timothy 2:1-4 : There is grace enough in Jesus for every need, but we must avail ourselves of it. We can expect nothing less than hardship, since life is a battlefield. Our one aim should be to please Him who chose us to be soldiers. In order to be all that he would have us be, we must avoid entangling ourselves in the conditions around us. We must resemble a garrison in the town where it is quartered, and from which it may at any hour be summoned away. The less encumbered we are, the more easily shall we be able to execute the least command of our Great Captain. How high an honor it is to be enrolled among His soldiers!

Athlete, 2 Timothy 2:5 : Life is an amphitheater, filled with celestial spectators. Probably our worst antagonist is found in our own heart. If we win the crown, we must observe regulations as to diet, exercise, purity, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

Husbandman, 2 Timothy 2:6 : We ought to be working for God in His vineyard or harvest-field; but we are allowed to partake of the fruits. It is imperative that we should be nourished while we labor. In all these positions we must remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. We must draw upon the power of His resurrection, and to do this, we must live on the heaven-side of the Cross. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live," Galatians 2:20. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Timothy 2

¹  Timothy is exhorted again to constancy and perseverance
¹⁷  Of Hymenaeus and Philetus
¹⁹  The foundation of the Lord is sure
²²  He is taught whereof to beware, and what to follow after