2 Timothy 1:8 (ASV)

Passage

Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God;

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 1:6 For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.

2 Timothy 1:8 Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God;

2 Timothy 1:9 who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,

2 Timothy 1:10 but hath now been manifested by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ashamed", "therefore", "testimony", "lord", "prisoner", "suffer", "hardship", and "gospel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ashamed" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "For God gave us not a spirit..." into verse 9's "who saved us and called us with...", so "ashamed" and "therefore" 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 "ashamed" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.