2 Timothy 2:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Lord 's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

NIV: And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

NASB: The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged,

CSB: The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient,

NLT: A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

KJV: And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

NKJV: And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,

Paul continues his discussion about quarrels from the previous verse and adds, "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome." Paul had previously called Timothy to be a "good servant of Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 4:6). Paul described himself as a "servant of God" (Titus 1:1). The word translated "servant" here is doulos, literally meaning a bondservant or slave. Timothy was to view himself as a slave to the Lord, not quarreling in his work.

In contrast, Paul gave four positive attributes for Timothy to follow. The first three are found in this verse. First, Timothy was to be "kind to everyone." The Lord is kind (Luke 6:35) and expects the same from His servants. Love is "patient and kind" (1 Corinthians 13:4). Believers are to be "kind to one another" (Ephesians 4:32). Kindness can be shown even by unbelievers (Acts 28:2), but is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) that should be true of every servant of Christ. Servants are also to be "able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9), and be "patiently enduring evil," the fourth of six times endurance is mentioned in 2 Timothy (2 Timothy 2:10, 12; 3:11; 4:3, 5).

Second Timothy 2:14–26 contains Paul's instructions to Timothy about leading other believers. Two important themes here are avoiding pointless bickering and holding to sound biblical teachings. Arguments over non-essential issues quickly turn into feuds, poisoning the body of Christ just as gangrene attacks the physical body. Paul names specific false teachers, but brings a note of compassion. Here, he reminds Timothy that gentleness and patience are key. After all, those who do not believe are not our enemies: they are those we are trying to rescue from the control of the Devil!

Paul gives Timothy a clear mandate to defend the truth. This includes both upholding the gospel accurately, and presenting that defense in a gentle and loving way. While truth is important, Paul also notes that there are some issues which are only distractions. He considers these "babble," and arguments over them a form of spiritual disease. Like gangrene, this bickering only spreads and spreads until it becomes catastrophic. The ultimate goal of our evangelism is not to "win" an argument, but to rescue lost people.

In chapter 1, Paul gave Timothy encouragement by reminding him of his heritage and spiritual power. Here, in chapter 2, Paul expands on these commands. Rather than giving minute details, Paul presents a series of examples and tells Timothy to consider them carefully. Paul's instructions here set the stage for the warnings coming up in the next chapter. Timothy—and all believers—need to be prepared and right-minded, because the world is going to become spiritually darker and darker.

Second Timothy is the last New Testament letter written by Paul. Paul writes these words while awaiting execution by Rome. At this time, around AD 67, Timothy was leading the church in Ephesus. Paul writes to Timothy in order to encourage him. Paul is facing the worst of all hardships: his own impending death. So, he encourages Timothy to stand strong in his faith, with a reliance on the written Word of God. This letter echoes many of the themes Paul uses in his other letters.