2 Timothy 1:9

Context

2 Timothy has traditionally been regarded as a letter that Paul wrote to his disciple Timothy while imprisoned in Rome, although some scholars do not regard Paul as the author of the Pastoral Epistles. In chapter 1, Paul recalls Timothy's faith. He then urges Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord or of Paul himself as a prisoner, but to share in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God (2 Timothy 1:8). Verse 9 gives the basis for this exhortation by describing the God who gives the strength to endure suffering: "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (KJV). Verse 10 continues by saying that this grace has been made manifest by the appearing of Christ. Because verses 9–10 are structured like a brief confession, some scholars hold that they reproduce an early Christian confession of faith.

Interpretation

Many denominations share a common core understanding of this verse: the starting point of salvation and calling is not human works but God's purpose and grace. Differences among traditions arise over how to understand the grace given "before the world began" (literally, "before eternal times").

• Reformed reading: The Calvinist tradition, including Presbyterians, reads this verse as a proof text for the doctrine of predestination, the teaching that God determined beforehand those who would be saved. This tradition holds that God chose individuals before the foundation of the world, irrespective of their works.
• Wesleyan-Arminian reading: Traditions shaped by Wesleyan theology and Arminianism, such as Methodists, the Holiness churches, and the Church of the Nazarene, understand what was established before the world began as God's plan to save people in Christ, and they read this grace as received through faith. They agree that salvation is not by works, but they do not read the verse to mean that the salvation of particular individuals was determined in advance.
• Meaning of "an holy calling": Some read the phrase as a calling issued by the holy God; others read it as a calling to a holy life. The latter reading connects with interpretations that emphasize sanctification, the process of growing into a holy life.

Debates

Both sides in the debate over predestination and free will appeal to this verse. The point at issue is how to understand "in Christ Jesus." Some interpret it as God's election of individuals one by one; others interpret it as a corporate election of all who are in Christ.

In Korean translation, the New Korean Revised Version renders the word for "calling" as somyeong ("vocation") rather than bureusim, and renders "from before eternal times" as "from eternity." A literal rendering of the Greek original is closer to "before eternal times."

In the Korean Church

The verse is cited in sermons on the theme that salvation and calling originate not in human merit but in grace. It is also used in sermons on vocation, that is, God's calling.

Related Passages

• Titus 3:5
• Ephesians 2:8-9
• Ephesians 1:11
• Romans 8:28-30
• 2 Timothy 1:10