2 Timothy 2:10 Meaning: Why Paul Endured for the Chosen
Therefore I endure all things for the chosen ones’ sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
because of this all things do I endure, because of the choice ones, that they also salvation may obtain that is in Christ Jesus, with glory age-during.
For this cause I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which [is] in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Meaning in one sentence
Paul explains why he endures suffering for the elect's sake so they may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Find the meaning of 2 Timothy 2:10.
Context
Paul wrote this letter from a Roman prison, knowing his execution was near. Timothy, his young protégé in Ephesus, faced pressure to soften the gospel and avoid conflict. In chapter two, Paul uses three pictures, a soldier, an athlete, a farmer, to call Timothy to single-minded endurance. Then he reminds him of the risen Christ, for whose sake Paul is chained like a criminal. Verse 10 grows directly out of that: because God’s word cannot be bound, Paul keeps going. The verse is the hinge between Paul’s own hardship and the hope it serves.
Key Words
Three Greek words give this verse its weight. Hupomenō (I endure) does not mean passive resignation. It carries the idea of staying put under a load, the same word Jesus uses for the one who endures to the end and is saved. When Paul says he endures all things, he means every kind of trouble, not just one.
Eklektous (the elect, the chosen ones) points to people God has picked out. Across the New Testament this refers to believers as those set apart by God’s grace. Paul does not explain how election works; he simply calls the church the elect and loves them.
Tugchanō (they may obtain) originally meant hitting a target with an arrow. The elect do not drift into salvation, it is something they reach, through the means God provides. Paul’s suffering is one of those means.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions agree that Paul saw his suffering as serving the salvation of the elect. Reformed readers, like John Calvin and Matthew Henry, emphasize that the elect are secure because God chose them, yet Paul’s endurance is the way God brings them in. Wesleyan and Methodist readers, following Adam Clarke, stress Paul’s free choice to suffer for the sake of those who were not yet saved. Baptist commentator John Gill writes that the apostle was cheerful under hardship because he knew the chosen would eventually obtain salvation. Both streams hold together God’s sovereign purpose and human action, though they accent them differently.
A common misunderstanding
Some think election means salvation happens automatically, without any human effort or suffering. If God has already chosen who will be saved, they reason, then Paul’s hardship is pointless. In fact, Paul insists the opposite. He endures so that the elect may obtain salvation. Election does not make Paul passive; it gives him a clear goal. God’s choice does not erase the need for preaching, prayer, and patient suffering. It fuels them.
Living This Out
You might not be in chains, but you carry something hard this week, a difficult person, a chronic frustration, a job that feels thankless. Paul’s “therefore” connects his hardship to a purpose bigger than himself. What if the difficulty you face is being used by God to bring someone else closer to Jesus? The colleague who watches how you respond, the family member who sees your patience. You do not need to see the result. Paul may never have met the believers who would come to faith because of his prison letters. You endure because God is at work, and the salvation He is bringing about is real and eternal.
Main takeaway: Paul endured every hardship so that the chosen people could obtain salvation in Christ Jesus, and that salvation comes with eternal glory.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Paul was in jail but he did not stop loving Jesus. He knew that God would use his hard times to help other people know Jesus too.
For ages 9, 12
When you go through something hard, you might wonder why God allows it. In this verse Paul says he endures everything so that the people God has chosen can be saved. Your patience in a hard situation might be the very thing that helps a friend or family member see Jesus more clearly. God works through our struggles to reach others.
Questions People Ask
What does 'endure all things' mean in this verse?
The Greek word hupomenō means to remain under a load without running away. Paul used it to describe active, persevering patience, not gritting his teeth, but staying faithful through every kind of trouble, including prison and slander.
Who are 'the elect' in 2 Timothy 2:10?
The elect are believers whom God has chosen for salvation. Throughout the New Testament this term refers to the church as a whole. Paul does not speculate about exactly how election works; he simply calls the Christians he serves the chosen ones and loves them.
If God has already chosen the elect, why does Paul need to suffer for them?
This verse shows that God's choice and human means work together. The elect obtain salvation through means like Paul's preaching and endurance. God's sovereignty does not make Paul passive. It gives him a clear purpose: his suffering helps bring the chosen to faith.
What is the 'salvation with eternal glory' Paul mentions?
Salvation means deliverance from sin and its consequences. Eternal glory is the full enjoyment of God's presence forever. Wesley explained it as salvation being deliverance from all evil and glory being the enjoyment of all good. Together they point to the complete new life believers will receive in Christ.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study