2 Timothy 2:3
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul calls Timothy to endure hardship like a good soldier serving Jesus Christ.
What Does 2 Timothy 2:3 Mean?
Paul reaches for the first of three images, the soldier. A good soldier of Jesus Christ does not expect ease but accepts hardship as part of the calling, enduring what comes for the sake of his Lord.
Soldiering implies a cause greater than comfort and a commander worth obeying. Paul does not soften the path; he calls hardship what it is and asks Timothy to bear it well. Yet the hardship has meaning because it is endured for Christ. This reframes suffering from something to be avoided into something that can be borne with dignity and purpose. For the reader, the image dignifies the struggles of faithful living. We are not stumbling through random difficulty but standing in the ranks of the Lord, enduring as those who serve a King worth every hardship.
In the Original Language
sustratiotes (συστρατιώτης), 'soldier' -- the related verb pictures a fellow-soldier sharing campaign and hardship under one commander.