What does 2 Timothy 1:7 mean?
It means fear doesn't come from God. What God gives His people is power, love and self-control, so fear doesn't have to be in charge.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
What it means
Paul is talking about what God has given. Many Bible teachers think spirit here points to the Holy Spirit, who lives in every believer. Either way, the point is the same: shrinking, timid fear isn't from God. What He gives is power to do what He asks, love for Him and for people, and a clear, steady mind.
It doesn't say you'll never feel afraid. Paul was in chains when he wrote it. It says fear isn't what God put in you, so it doesn't get the final say. You can feel afraid and still do the next right thing.
The verses around it
Paul wrote this letter from prison near the end of his life, to Timothy, a young pastor he loved like a son. Timothy seems to have been timid. Just before, Paul reminds him to fan into flame the gift God gave him. Right after, he tells him not to be ashamed to speak about Jesus, even if it means suffering.
So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.
The lies it answers
The thoughts this verse speaks to, in the words people use for them.
“I'm going to blank out and fail.”
Fear says you'll freeze. In Christ, God has given you power, love and a steady mind.
Bible verses for anxiety before a test or exam“Something bad is coming and I won't be ready.”
Fear about what's coming isn't from God, so it doesn't get to run your day.
Bible verses for worrying about the future
Say it out loud
In Christ, God hasn't given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control. Fear doesn't get the last word.
More Bible declarations like this
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Questions people ask
Is fear a sin according to 2 Timothy 1:7?
No. Feeling afraid is human, and Jesus Himself was in anguish in the garden. The verse says fear isn't what God gave you, so you don't have to obey it. If fear or panic is with you most days, please talk with a counselor or your doctor too.
What does sound mind mean in 2 Timothy 1:7?
Older Bibles say a sound mind. The Berean Standard Bible says self-control. The word means a calm, clear, disciplined mind, the opposite of being ruled by panic.
Who was 2 Timothy 1:7 written to?
Paul wrote it to Timothy, a young pastor who seems to have been timid, to encourage him not to be ashamed of the good news about Jesus. It speaks to every believer, because the same Spirit lives in all of them.
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