2 Timothy 4:7 (ASV)

Passage

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:5 But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry.

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:

2 Timothy 4:8 henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:9 Give diligence to come shortly unto me:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "fought", "good", "fight", "finished", "course", and "kept". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "fought", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "For I am already being offered and..." into verse 8's "henceforth there is laid up for me...", so "faith" and "fought" 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 "faith" and "fought" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.