Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Parallel translations
- WEB You therefore must endure hardship, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
- KJV Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
- NKJV You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
- NASB Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
- NLT Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Timothy must share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Endurance of hardship is part of faithful Christian service.
Overview
Paul introduces the first of three vivid images, the soldier, to describe gospel ministry. Like a soldier, Timothy must accept hardship as a normal and expected part of his calling. Suffering for Christ is not failure but evidence of genuine service under the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Heb 12:2–3Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Jas 1:12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
- 2 Tim 4:5But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
- Eph 6:11–18Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.
- 2 Tim 1:8So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.
- 2 Cor 10:3–5For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.
- Heb 10:32Remember the early days that you were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering.
- 2 Tim 2:10For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
- 2 Cor 1:6If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which accomplishes in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we experience.
- 1 Tim 1:18Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,
- 2 Tim 3:11my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
- Heb 11:27By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.
- 1 Cor 13:7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
- Heb 6:15And so Abraham, after waiting patiently, obtained the promise.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ Jesus 'abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel' — the risen Lord whose word and kingdom endure to the end.
How 2 Timothy 2:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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