2 Timothy 1:9 (DBY)

Passage

who has saved us, and has called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to [his] own purpose and grace, which [was] given to us in Christ Jesus before [the] ages of time,

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, and of love, and of wise discretion.

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

2 Timothy 1:9 who has saved us, and has called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to [his] own purpose and grace, which [was] given to us in Christ Jesus before [the] ages of time,

2 Timothy 1:10 but has been made manifest now by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has annulled death, and brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings;

2 Timothy 1:11 to which *I* have been appointed a herald and apostle and teacher of [the] nations.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "purpose", "saved", "grace", "holy", "calling", "works", and "given". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "purpose", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony..." into verse 10's "but has been made manifest now by...", so "called" and "purpose" 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 "called" and "purpose" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.