2 Timothy 2:15 (LSB)

Passage

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:14 Remind them of these things, solemnly charging them in the presence of God not to dispute about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:16 But avoid godless and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,

2 Timothy 2:17 and their word will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "diligent", "present", "yourself", "approved", "workman", "does", "need", and "ashamed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "diligent" and "present", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Remind them of these things solemnly charging..." into verse 16's "But avoid godless and empty chatter for...", so "diligent" and "present" 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 "diligent" and "present" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.