1 Timothy 4:10 (LSB)

Passage

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 4:8 for bodily training is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:9 It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance.

1 Timothy 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

1 Timothy 4:11 Command and teach these things.

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but show yourself as a model to those who believe in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "labor", "strive", "fixed", "hope", "living", "savior", "especially", and "believers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "labor" and "strive", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "It is a trustworthy saying and deserving..." into verse 11's "Command and teach these things...", so "labor" and "strive" belong inside that flow. In 1 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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