This is a trustworthy saying:This phrase introduces a statement of significant importance and reliability. In the pastoral epistles, Paul often uses this formula to emphasize key doctrinal truths. It serves as a reminder to Timothy and the early church of the foundational beliefs that are to be held with confidence. The use of "trustworthy" underscores the certainty and divine inspiration of the message that follows.
If we died with Him,
This phrase refers to the spiritual reality of believers' union with Christ in His death. It echoesRomans 6:8, where Paul explains that believers have died to sin through Christ's crucifixion. This death is not physical but spiritual, signifying the end of the old sinful nature and the beginning of a new life in Christ. The concept of dying with Christ is central to Christian baptism, symbolizing the believer's identification with Jesus' death and resurrection.
we will also live with Him;
This promise of living with Christ points to both present and future realities. Presently, believers experience new life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as seen inGalatians 2:20, where Paul states that Christ lives in him. This new life is characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Future fulfillment is found in the hope of resurrection and eternal life with Christ, as promised in1 Thessalonians 4:17, where believers will be with the Lord forever. This assurance of eternal life is a cornerstone of Christian hope and eschatology.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
PaulThe apostle who authored the letter to Timothy, providing guidance and encouragement to his young protégé.
2.
TimothyA young pastor and close companion of Paul, recipient of the letter, tasked with leading the church in Ephesus.
3.
Jesus ChristCentral figure of the Christian faith, whose death and resurrection are the foundation of the promise in this verse.
4.
EphesusThe city where Timothy was ministering, known for its diverse culture and challenges to early Christian teachings.
5.
Early ChurchThe community of believers in the first century, facing persecution and needing encouragement to remain faithful.
Teaching Points
Understanding Our Union with ChristThe phrase "If we died with Him" signifies a spiritual reality that occurs when we accept Christ. This union with Christ in His death means that our old sinful nature is crucified, and we are made new.
The Promise of Eternal Life"We will also live with Him" assures believers of eternal life. This promise is not just for the future but begins now as we live in the power of His resurrection.
Living Out Our FaithOur identification with Christ's death and resurrection should impact our daily lives. We are called to live as those who have been brought from death to life, reflecting Christ's character in our actions.
Endurance in TrialsThe context of this passage encourages perseverance. Just as Christ endured suffering and was glorified, believers are called to endure hardships with the hope of sharing in His glory.
Trust in God's FaithfulnessThe phrase "trustworthy saying" emphasizes the reliability of God's promises. Believers can have confidence in God's faithfulness to fulfill His word.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 2 Timothy 2:11?
2.How does 2 Timothy 2:11 encourage perseverance in your daily Christian walk?
3.What does "if we died with Him" mean for your spiritual life today?
4.How can you apply the promise of living with Christ in your life?
5.How does Romans 6:8 relate to the message in 2 Timothy 2:11?
6.In what ways can you demonstrate faithfulness to Christ in challenging times?
7.What does "If we died with Him, we will also live with Him" mean in 2 Timothy 2:11?
8.How does 2 Timothy 2:11 relate to the concept of resurrection in Christian theology?
9.What historical context influenced the writing of 2 Timothy 2:11?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 2 Timothy 2?
11.2 Timothy 2:11–13 – How does God remain faithful to those who are faithless when the Bible also warns about punishment for unbelief?
12.What does the Bible say about busybodies?
13.What inspires you to live a faithful life?
14.How can you ensure your life is meaningful?What Does 2 Timothy 2:11 Mean
This is a trustworthy sayingPaul opens with a phrase he often reserves for statements that summarize rock-solid truth (see1 Timothy 1:15). By calling it “trustworthy,” he signals that the line to follow is not speculation but certain, as sure as God’s own character (Titus 1:2). It invites Timothy—and us—to anchor our confidence here when opposition or suffering threatens to shake resolve (2 Timothy 1:8, 12).
If we died with HimThe verb is past tense, pointing to an accomplished reality for every believer:
• At conversion we were united with Christ in His death.Romans 6:3-4 says, “all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death.”
• That union means our old self—its guilt, chains, and condemnation—was nailed to the cross (Galatians 2:20).
• Practically, we now reckon ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Daily choices flow from that position: the power of sin no longer holds legal or spiritual sway (Colossians 3:3).
This clause assumes the literal, historical death of Jesus and affirms that, by faith, we truly participated in it.
We will also live with HimBecause death with Christ is real, life with Christ is guaranteed. Scripture connects this promise to three dimensions:
1. Present fellowship
• “Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
• “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:19-23).
2. Ongoing perseverance
• The life He supplies now empowers endurance through hardship (2 Timothy 2:1;Philippians 4:13).
3. Future resurrection
• “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
• “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19).
The promise rests on Christ’s literal resurrection; as certainly as He walked out of the tomb, we will share His immortal life (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
summary2 Timothy 2:11 reminds believers that union with Christ is both decisive and profoundly comforting. Having truly died with Him, we are already free from sin’s tyranny, and we are just as surely destined to experience His resurrection life—now in intimate fellowship, day by day in sustaining grace, and ultimately in eternal glory.
(11)
For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him.--The last sentence ended with the words "eternal glory
"--the goal, the end of the salvation which is in Christ. This it is which the Apostle will help others to win, regardless of any suffering it may cost him; then, with his mind full of the thoughts of the "eternal glory," once more he addressed himself to Timothy. "Faithful is the saying, namely, if we be dead with him," &c. It was as though he said, "Do you not remember that well-known watchword of our own faith, so often repeated among us in our solemn assemblies when the brotherhood meet together?" Many have supposed, from the rhythmical character of the clauses of
2Timothy 2:11-13, that this "saying" was taken from some most ancient Christian hymns, composed and used in the very earliest days of the faith; but whether or no this be the case, there is high probability that the words formed part of a liturgy in common use in the days of Timothy. If not as a hymn--which seems, on the whole, the most likely supposition--we can well conceive them as part of the tapestry of a primitive Christian liturgy, woven in like the introductory sentences in our morning and evening prayer, or like the "comfortable words" of the Communion Service. The expression "If we be dead with Him"--more accurately,
If we died with Him--is well explained by
1Corinthians 15:31 : "I die daily." The Apostle
died when he embraced the lot of daily death. The meaning is still further illustrated in
2Corinthians 4:10, where we read how St. Paul and his companions were "always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus." "He and his faithful companions (was Timothy, to whom he was then writing, to be ranked in this blessed company? ) had given themselves up to a life that involved exposure to sufferings, bitter enmity, cruel persecutions, even death; but if we be thus dead with Him, what matters it? How can we fear even that last agony man can inflict on us--physical death?--for
death with Him involves, surely,
life with Him too: that life endless, fadeless, full of glory, we know He is now enjoying, in the possession of which I, Paul, and some of us have even seen Him, face to face, eye to eye. In that life of His we shall share; we shall be partakers in this life of His
there,but only if we have shared in the life of suffering which was His life
here."
Verse 11. -
Faithful is the saying for
it is a faithful saying, A.V.;
died for
be dead, A.V. Died;
i.e. in baptism (
Romans 6:8), as denoted by the aorist. But the death with Christ in baptism is conceived of as carrying with it, as a consequence, the daily death of which St. Paul speaks so often (
Galatians 2:20;1 Corinthians 15:31;
2 Corinthians 4:10), as well as the death to sin.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
[This is a] trustworthyΠιστὸς(Pistos)Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4103:Trustworthy, faithful, believing. From peitho; objectively, trustworthy; subjectively, trustful.saying:λόγος(logos)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3056:From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.IfΕἰ(Ei)Conjunction
Strong's 1487:If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.we died [with Him],συναπεθάνομεν(synapethanomen)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 4880:To die together with. From sun and apothnesko; to decease in company with, or, similarly to.we will also live [with Him];συζήσομεν(syzēsomen)Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 4800:To live together with. From sun and zao; to continue to live in common with, i.e. Co-survive.
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NT Letters: 2 Timothy 2:11 This saying is faithful: For if we (2 Tim. 2Ti iiTi ii Tim) 
