2 Timothy 2 22

2 Timothy 2:22 kjv

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22 nkjv

Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22 niv

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22 esv

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22 nlt

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

2 Timothy 2 verses

2 Timothy 2 22 Meaning

Second Timothy 2:22 provides a clear two-part instruction to the believer, particularly to one engaged in ministry: first, to actively turn away from desires and impulses characteristic of youth that lead to sin, and second, to actively pursue core Christian virtues such as righteousness, faith, love, and peace. This pursuit is to be undertaken in communion with other believers who genuinely seek the Lord with pure hearts, highlighting the importance of both personal spiritual discipline and godly fellowship for maintaining holiness and effectiveness in service to God.

2 Timothy 2 22 Context

Second Timothy 2:22 is embedded within Paul's instruction to Timothy on how to be a faithful and useful servant of God. Chapter 2 outlines the qualities of a good soldier of Christ, a diligent workman, and a clean vessel. Following commands to endure hardship (v. 3), fight lawfully (v. 5), rightly divide the word of truth (v. 15), and avoid godless chatter (v. 16), verse 22 transitions from negative injunctions against ungodliness to specific positive actions Timothy must take. The surrounding verses (20-21) highlight the necessity of being cleansed from impurities to be a vessel fit for the Master's use. Therefore, "fleeing youthful lusts" and "pursuing righteousness" directly address what it means to purge oneself and become sanctified, enabling one to instruct opponents with gentleness (v. 25).

Historically, Timothy was a younger leader in a challenging environment. He likely faced both internal struggles common to youth (impetuosity, pride, ambition, as well as sensual temptations) and external pressures from false teachers (mentioned in vv. 16-18) whose empty debates corrupted sound doctrine. Paul’s instruction is both deeply personal for Timothy and a general principle for all believers aspiring to serve God with integrity. There's an indirect polemic against any notion that Christian liberty negates the call to holiness, or that intellectual pursuits supersede moral purity. The "pure heart" also stands in stark contrast to hypocritical religiosity or arguments driven by vain glory rather than genuine love for God and truth.

2 Timothy 2 22 Word analysis

• Flee (Greek: pheugo - φεύγω): Implies an urgent, deliberate, and decisive turning away; a running away from danger. It's not a casual stroll, but an immediate escape, recognizing the peril posed by the "lusts." This contrasts with merely resisting or casually avoiding.

• Also (Greek: de - δέ): Connects this command to the previous one in 2 Timothy 2:16, where Paul tells Timothy to "shun profane and vain babblings." This indicates that moral purity is as vital as doctrinal purity.

• Youthful (Greek: neoterikas - νεωτερικός): Pertaining to youth. While this certainly includes sensual desires, it's broader, encompassing other characteristic weaknesses or impulses of young people such as impatience, impulsiveness, quarrelsomeness, pride, love of argumentation, seeking preeminence, or a tendency toward arrogance (as possibly reflected in v. 23 regarding foolish and unlearned questions).

• Lusts (Greek: epithymias - ἐπιθυμία): Refers to strong desires or cravings. This word can be neutral, referring to any strong desire (e.g., Jesus desiring to eat the Passover, Lk 22:15), but is often used negatively in the NT for sinful or worldly desires of the flesh that contend against the Spirit (e.g., Jas 1:14-15, Gal 5:16).

• But follow (Greek: dioko de - διώκω δέ): Dioko means "to pursue, chase, press on, run after with haste." This is an active, vigorous, and persistent pursuit, implying zeal and earnestness. It stands in direct contrast to "flee" and demands positive, aggressive action towards the stated virtues.

• Righteousness (Greek: dikaiosynēn - δικαιοσύνη): Right conduct, conformity to God's standard, ethical uprightness. It is both imputed (Christ's righteousness for salvation) and imparted (practical righteousness in living). Here, it's the latter – a life characterized by right standing and right living.

• Faith (Greek: pistin - πίστις): Trust in God, reliance upon His character and word, and faithfulness in keeping one's commitments to Him. It's both belief and loyalty.

• Charity / Love (Greek: agapēn - ἀγάπη): Unconditional, self-sacrificial love, modeled after God's love. This divine love is a cornerstone of Christian character and essential for fellowship.

• Peace (Greek: eirēnēn - εἰρήνη): Harmony and tranquility, both inward (with God) and outward (with fellow believers). It implies absence of conflict and the presence of spiritual well-being.

• With them (Greek: meta tōn - μετὰ τῶν): Highlights the corporate and communal aspect of Christian life. Holiness is not achieved in isolation but in fellowship with other believers.

• That call (Greek: epikalloumenōn - ἐπικαλουμένων): Those who invoke or appeal to the Lord, often implying prayer, worship, or reliance on Him. This describes genuine believers who identify with God.

• On the Lord (Greek: kyrion - κύριον): Refers to Jesus Christ, who is sovereign Lord. This emphasizes their devotion to Him.

• Out of a pure (Greek: ek katharas - ἐκ καθαρᾶς): Emphasizes the source of their invocation and therefore, their walk. Katharas means clean, pure, free from defilement (moral, ritual, or ceremonial).

• Heart (Greek: kardias - καρδίας): In biblical terms, the heart is the seat of intellect, emotion, and will; the inner being, the center of moral and spiritual life. A pure heart is essential for genuine worship and holy living.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "Flee youthful lusts": This phrase combines urgent action ("flee") with a broad category of internal desires or tendencies ("lusts") specifically linked to the inexperience or characteristic weaknesses of a younger person ("youthful"). It commands a decisive, immediate, and continuous break from everything that wars against the Spirit and proper Christian conduct.
  • "But follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace": This forms the counterpoint, the positive command. The four virtues listed are fundamental to Christian living, forming a balanced pursuit of ethical conduct (righteousness), trust and fidelity toward God (faith), selfless concern for others (charity/love), and spiritual well-being/relational harmony (peace). The shift from passive temptation avoidance to active pursuit of virtue highlights the holistic nature of biblical holiness.
  • "With them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart": This specifies the vital context for this pursuit. It emphasizes that this spiritual journey is not solitary but communal, best pursued within the fellowship of genuine believers. The qualifying phrase "out of a pure heart" defines the kind of fellow travelers one should seek – those whose devotion and calling on God spring from an undefiled inner being, reflecting authentic godliness rather than hypocrisy or superficiality.

2 Timothy 2 22 Bonus section

The dual nature of the command ("flee... but follow") in this verse mirrors a consistent biblical pattern, particularly evident in Paul's epistles. It teaches that Christian holiness is not just about abstaining from evil, but even more so about actively cultivating good. This active pursuit indicates spiritual growth and maturity. The mention of "youthful lusts" does not confine the command solely to young people but uses Timothy's specific situation as a paradigm for all believers. Regardless of age, believers are called to flee whatever desires hinder their walk with God and aggressively pursue Christ-like character, making diligent efforts to progress in righteousness, faith, love, and peace. This command reminds us that discipleship is an ongoing, active process that requires vigilance, intentionality, and dependence on the community of faith.

2 Timothy 2 22 Commentary

Second Timothy 2:22 delivers a succinct yet profound spiritual directive. It mandates a twofold response to the call to live a holy and effective life for God. Firstly, it issues an urgent negative command: "Flee youthful lusts." This is an active turning away, not merely passive resistance, from internal desires common in youth—which span beyond sexual temptation to include impetuosity, pride, ambition, or argumentativeness. It's a recognition of the destructive power of indwelling sin and a call for immediate and decisive separation from its allure.

Secondly, and as a complementary positive command, Paul instructs Timothy to "follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace." This "following" (dioko) implies a vigorous and determined pursuit. These four virtues are not arbitrary but are foundational to Christ-like character and ministry. Righteousness signifies living in alignment with God's will; faith embodies trust in God and faithfulness to Him; love is the selfless agape love characteristic of Christ; and peace reflects inner tranquility with God and outward harmony with others. This positive pursuit is essential; simply avoiding sin is insufficient. A void must be filled with virtues cultivated by the Holy Spirit.

Crucially, this spiritual journey is to be undertaken "with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." This emphasizes the communal aspect of Christian discipleship and sanctification. Holiness is fostered and maintained within the fellowship of true believers. The qualification "out of a pure heart" identifies authentic fellow-travelers – those whose relationship with the Lord and their worship of Him originates from a cleansed, unmixed inner being, rather than hypocrisy or defilement. These are the people with whom one can genuinely pursue virtue and uphold sound doctrine. Thus, the verse calls for personal spiritual discipline, active cultivation of virtue, and discerning, intentional fellowship with others who share a sincere devotion to God. It outlines a comprehensive approach to integrity and fruitfulness in service to the Lord.