2 Timothy 2:24 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

2 Timothy 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "servant", "lord", "must", "strive", "gentle", "teach", and "patient". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "servant" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "But foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing..." into verse 25's "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves...", so "servant" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In 2 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "servant" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.