2 Timothy 3:12
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul states plainly that everyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ will face persecution.
What Does 2 Timothy 3:12 Mean?
Paul states a hard truth without softening it. Everyone who is resolved to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will, in some measure, encounter persecution. It is not a sign of failure but a feature of faithful living in a world set against God.
This verse removes a false expectation. Godliness does not guarantee a smooth path; often it provokes opposition precisely because it confronts the darkness around it. Yet there is dignity in this. To suffer for living rightly is to walk where Christ walked and where the faithful of every age have walked. For the reader, this reframes hardship. Opposition encountered for the sake of godliness is not a detour from the Christian life but part of its very shape. The call is to expect it, endure it, and not be shaken when it comes.
In the Original Language
eusebos (εὐσεβῶς), 'godly' -- in a way marked by reverence and devotion toward God.