For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we have set our trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
These things Paul instructs Timothy to command and teach (verse 11). In order to do so successfully, he must live such a noble life that none will reject him or his teaching because of his youthfulness. Instead he is to become a model believer in his personal conversation, his conduct, his love for God and man, his faithfulness to God’s will, and his spotless moral purity (verse 12).