📖WEB · 2 Timothy 1:7
What does 2 Timothy 1:7 mean?
"For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control."
— 2 Timothy 1:7 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy;
having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you; which lived first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded, in you also.
For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
Therefore don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Good News according to the power of God,
who saved us and 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 times eternal,
but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News.
Explanation
2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that the timidity or fear that so often grips us does not come from God. Instead, God equips those who belong to him with three distinct qualities: power, love, and self-control (sometimes translated "sound judgment" or "discipline"). The verse draws a contrast between two kinds of "spirit" or disposition — one marked by cowardice and shrinking back, and one marked by strength, care for others, and a steady, governed mind. Paul is not saying fear itself never touches believers, but that fear is not the animating spirit God has placed within them.
This letter was written by the apostle Paul to Timothy, a younger man he had mentored and left in charge of the church at Ephesus. Paul wrote it near the end of his life, likely from a Roman prison, awaiting trial and probable execution. Timothy, by contrast, seems to have been struggling with discouragement, perhaps intimidated by opposition to the gospel, the shame attached to Paul's imprisonment, or his own youth and temperament. In the verses just before this one, Paul reminds Timothy to "stir up the gift of God" that was given to him and not to be ashamed of the gospel or of Paul's chains. Verse 7 functions as the theological foundation for that exhortation: Timothy's hesitancy is not because God shortchanged him, but because he has neglected to actively rely on what God already gave him.
Theologically, this verse speaks to the nature of the Holy Spirit's work in a believer's life. The three qualities named are not natural personality traits that
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.