2 Timothy 1:8

Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God;

Interestingly enough, Paul did not consider himself Nero's prisoner at all, but "the prisoner of the Lord," a line of thought also in evidence in Ephesians 3:1; 4:1, and Philemon 1:1:9. The meaning of this is that Paul considered it the will of God that he should thus suffer and that he left everything safely in the hands of the dear Saviour.

Be not ashamed ... does not mean that Timothy was ashamed. "Had Paul meant that, he would have used the present imperative, which with the negative forbids an action already going on. Here he used the aorist subjunctive with the negative which forbids the doing of an act not yet begun."[15]

Testimony of our Lord ... This means the true apostolic gospel as delivered to us through the apostles, not the impressions and subjective thoughts of Christians. As Nute put it: "The phrase emphasizes the testimony borne, the message itself."[16]

Suffer hardship with the gospel ... Every Christian should be aware of the doctrine of suffering as it concerns the Christian life. Many people have erred with reference to Christianity through their eternally seeking the easy, convenient, popular or man-pleasing course of action, rather than adhering strictly to what is known to be the will of the Lord.

The problem that precipitated these words was that of the storm of imperial opposition to Christianity following the counterfeit charges initiated by Nero. There were powerful friends of Paul in Asia, such as the Asiarchs of Ephesus, who would have found it very difficult and politically suicidal to have supported Paul in his appearance in Nero's court. Timothy is not to be influenced by such shameful and unchristian conduct.

[15] Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies from the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973), Vol. II; 2Tim., p. 119.

[16] Alan G. Nute, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 518.