2 Timothy 2:24 (ASV)

Passage

And the Lord`s servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing,

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:22 after righteousness, faith, love, pace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:23 But foolish and ignorant questionings refuse, knowing that they gender strifes.

2 Timothy 2:24 And the Lord`s servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing,

2 Timothy 2:25 in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth,

2 Timothy 2:26 and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "But foolish and ignorant questionings refuse knowing..." into verse 25's "in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves...", so "lord" and "servant" 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 "lord" and "servant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.