2 Timothy 2:13
What does 2 Timothy 2:13 mean?
A plain-English look at 2 Timothy 2:13 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What 2 Timothy 2:13 means
The final line declares: if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. God’s faithfulness is absolute—he is constant to his character, promises, and justice. This is not a permission slip for unbelief; it is a safeguard against thinking our wavering changes God. If we believe, he keeps his promises; if we deny him, he keeps his warnings. His fidelity comforts the weak and confronts the rebellious. For Timothy, this means he can rely on God’s steady nature amid human inconsistency—his own and others’. The Lord will not compromise who he is; therefore, Timothy can stand firm, knowing outcomes rest with a God who never changes.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000if we are faithless, he abideth faithful; for he cannot deny himself.
KJV
King James Version · 1611If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901if we are faithless, he abideth faithful; for he cannot deny himself.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949If we are without faith, still he keeps faith, for he will never be untrue to himself.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862if we are not stedfast, he remaineth stedfast; to deny himself he is not able.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752If we believe not, he continueth faithful, he cannot deny himself.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890if we are unfaithful, he abides faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Context
Concluding the “faithful saying” (vv.11–13), this line affirms God’s unchangeable character, balancing the preceding promises and warnings. It follows the stark statement about denial (v.12) and ensures that Timothy grounds his endurance not in human reliability but in God’s. From this theological foundation, Paul turns to practical church leadership: reminding the believers, avoiding quarrels over words (v.14), pursuing approval before God by rightly handling the word (v.15), and shunning the corrosive talk of false teachers (vv.16–18).
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Romans 3:3
For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God?
- Isaiah 25:1
O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth.
- Hebrews 6:18
that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us:
- Titus 1:2
in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal;
- 2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and guard you from the evil one.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.
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