The word strive in the Bible means to make a serious effort, struggle earnestly, contend, or work hard toward something. But there is an important detail: the exact meaning depends on the verse.
Sometimes the Bible speaks about striving in a good sense. A person may strive to follow God, remain faithful, pray earnestly, or continue through difficulty. In other places, striving describes opposition, rivalry, or fighting against God.
Jesus uses this strong word in Luke 13:24:
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate.”
The Greek verb behind strive in this verse is agōnizomai. It can carry the idea of struggling, contending, fighting, or making an earnest effort. That helps us understand why some Bible translations say strive while others say make every effort.
So, what does strive mean in the Bible? In simple terms, it means to pursue something seriously rather than carelessly. Yet Scripture also reminds us to make sure we are striving for the right things and in the right spirit.
What Does Strive Mean in the Bible?
The biblical meaning of strive can be understood through several related ideas:
- to make a determined effort
- to struggle toward a goal
- to contend or fight
- to persevere through difficulty
- to labor earnestly
- sometimes, to oppose or argue
That may sound like several different meanings for one word, but this is normal in language.
Think about the English word fight. Someone can fight an enemy, fight an illness, fight for justice, or fight to stay awake. The basic idea remains struggle, but the situation changes its meaning.
Strive works in a similar way.
In one passage, striving may describe faithful effort. In another, it may describe resistance against God. That is why we should never build a biblical meaning from one English word alone. We need to read the whole verse and the verses around it.
This is especially important when reading older translations such as the King James Version. Some English words have changed in everyday use, while modern translations may express the same underlying biblical word differently.
Understanding what perseverance means in the Bible can also help here. Biblical striving often involves continuing faithfully even when obedience is difficult.
What Is the Full Meaning of Strive?
In ordinary English, to strive is to try very hard to accomplish something.
Biblically, however, the idea can be stronger than simply trying.
Striving may involve determination, struggle, discipline, endurance, and focused effort.
Imagine a runner near the end of a difficult race. He is tired. His legs hurt. The finish line is still ahead. He does not casually walk away because the race has become uncomfortable. He continues.
That picture comes close to one side of the biblical idea.
The Greek verb agōnizomai, used in Luke 13:24, could describe struggling or contending. Lexical sources connect it with competing, fighting an adversary, struggling through difficulty, and making strenuous effort toward a goal.
This does not mean every Christian life must feel like constant panic or pressure. Scripture also speaks about God’s grace, peace, rest, and strength. The word strive simply reminds us that faith is not meant to be treated with careless indifference.
Some things matter enough to pursue seriously.
Striving Can Mean Earnest Effort
Jesus’ words in Luke 13:24 are perhaps the best-known biblical example.
A person had asked Jesus about those who would be saved. Jesus answered by telling His hearers to strive to enter through the narrow door or gate. The following verses describe a time when the door is shut and people who are outside want to enter.
The setting gives Jesus’ command a sense of urgency.
His point is not that people should merely be curious about God. His words call for a serious response.
There is a difference between saying, “Faith is interesting,” and actually responding to God’s call.
That difference helps explain strive.
Striving Can Mean Struggling
Striving can also describe a difficult struggle.
We all know what this feels like in daily life.
A person may struggle to forgive someone who deeply hurt them. Another may struggle to keep praying when an answer seems far away. Someone else may struggle to resist an old temptation.
The struggle itself does not always mean faith is failing.
Sometimes the struggle shows that you are still refusing to give up.
This connects naturally with what diligence means in the Bible. Diligence means giving careful, steady attention to what matters. Striving often adds the idea that continuing may require effort.
Striving Can Mean Contending or Fighting
There is also a more forceful side to the word.
The same Greek verb used for strive in Luke 13:24 appears in contexts translated with words such as fight or labor fervently.
Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 to fight the good fight of faith. The verse calls Timothy to hold firmly to the eternal life to which he was called.
The wording is different in English, but the Greek word belongs to the same word study.
This shows why studying the original language can sometimes be helpful. One Greek word may appear under several English words because translators are trying to express its meaning naturally in each passage.
What Does Strive Mean Biblically in Luke 13:24?
Luke 13:24 deserves special attention because it is the verse many people have in mind when asking, what does strive mean biblically?
The KJV reads:
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate.”
The NKJV similarly says to strive to enter through the narrow gate, while the NIV expresses the command as making every effort to enter through the narrow door.
These translations are expressing the same serious idea in slightly different English.
The Greek Word Agōnizomai
The Greek word is agōnizomai.
It is related to the idea of contest or struggle. It can describe competing, contending with an opponent, struggling through difficulties, or making an earnest effort to achieve something.
You may notice that the English word agony looks somewhat similar. We should be careful not to define an ancient Greek word simply from a modern English word, but the connection can help us remember that agōnizomai is not a weak word.
Jesus did not describe a casual interest.
He called for earnestness.
Why Did Jesus Use Such a Strong Word?
The verses around Luke 13:24 help answer this.
Jesus speaks about people seeking entrance after the master has risen and shut the door. The picture communicates that the opportunity should not be treated as something that can always be delayed.
This makes the command deeply personal.
It is easy to ask questions about everyone else.
Are many people saved?
Is that person right with God?
What about this group?
Jesus turns attention toward the person listening.
How are you responding to God?
The biblical call to strive encourages sincere response rather than spiritual procrastination.
That does not require us to turn the passage into an argument between Christian traditions about salvation. Christians may explain grace, faith, obedience, and human response with different theological language. The plain point of Jesus’ command remains clear: God’s call deserves a serious response.
Where Else Does the Bible Show the Idea of Striving?
Luke 13:24 is not the only place where this kind of language appears.
Looking at related passages gives us a fuller picture.
Striving in the Fight of Faith
In 1 Timothy 6, Paul tells Timothy to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. He then tells him to fight the good fight of faith.
Notice what surrounds the idea of fighting.
Paul is not encouraging physical aggression.
The struggle concerns faithfulness and godly character.
That matters because the language of striving or fighting in Scripture can easily be misunderstood if removed from context.
Christian striving is not permission to become harsh, angry, or combative with everyone who disagrees with us.
Some of the hardest spiritual battles happen inside our own hearts.
Pride must be resisted.
Temptation must be resisted.
Bitterness must be resisted.
Faith sometimes has to keep moving when feelings say, “Give up.”
That is a very different kind of fight.
Striving in Prayer
Colossians 4:12 gives us another beautiful example.
Paul describes Epaphras as a servant of Christ who was always “labouring fervently” for the believers in prayer. His desire was that they would stand mature and complete in God’s will.
Again, the English words are different, but the underlying Greek verb is part of the same word study.
This teaches something important.
You can strive for another person without arguing with them.
You can strive for them in prayer.
Picture a mother praying faithfully for her child year after year. Picture a friend continuing to pray for someone who is discouraged. Picture a church quietly praying for a family in crisis.
No crowd may see that struggle.
Yet Scripture treats earnest prayer as meaningful work.
Sometimes striving looks less like running and more like kneeling.
What Does Striven Mean in the Bible?
Striven is a form of the verb strive.
In simple English:
- strive describes the action
- strove is a traditional past-tense form
- striven is commonly used as a past participle
So if someone has striven, that person has struggled, contended, or made earnest effort.
The exact meaning still depends on context.
Jacob’s Struggle in Genesis 32
Genesis 32 describes Jacob wrestling through the night with a mysterious man. Afterward, Jacob receives the name Israel.
English translations describe Genesis 32:28 in different ways. The NIV says Jacob had struggled with God and humans, while some more literal English renderings use striven. The KJV expresses the thought with the language of having power with God and men and prevailing.
The wording differs, but the scene clearly involves intense struggle.
This is a good reminder that the Bible was not written originally in modern English.
A reader who searches only for the word striven may miss passages where another translation says struggled, wrestled, fought, or contended.
Striven Against the Lord
Jeremiah 50:24 gives us a very different example.
Speaking about Babylon, the KJV says it was caught because it had striven against the Lord. The NIV expresses the same basic idea by saying Babylon had opposed the Lord.
Here striving is clearly not positive.
Babylon is not faithfully persevering.
It is opposing God.
This passage proves why we should not say that strive is automatically a good biblical word.
What matters is what you are striving for, whom you are striving against, and why.
Does Strive Always Describe Something Good in the Bible?
No.
Striving can be good or bad depending on its object and motive.
A person can strive to remain faithful.
A person can strive in prayer.
A person can strive against temptation.
But a person can also strive against God.
Someone can strive out of pride.
People can compete with each other because they want recognition.
Families can become divided because everyone wants to win the argument.
Church members can even fight about being right while forgetting to behave with love.
The action alone does not make striving righteous.
The direction of the heart matters.
This is why biblical striving should always be considered alongside humility, love, truth, obedience, and peace.
You might ask yourself:
What am I fighting so hard for?
That question can reveal a great deal.
Am I fighting to protect my pride?
Am I trying to defeat another person?
Am I refusing correction?
Or am I sincerely pursuing what is good?
Scripture does not praise effort simply because effort is intense.
A person can run very fast in the wrong direction.
What Does Strife Mean in the Bible?
This brings us to an important LSI question: What does strife mean in the Bible?
Strife is not simply another spelling of strive.
The two words may look similar, but they do not mean the same thing.
Strive is usually a verb. It describes struggling, making effort, contending, or working earnestly.
Strife is a noun. It usually describes conflict, quarrelling, rivalry, or bitter contention.
The Bible often warns against strife.
Philippians 2:3 in the KJV tells believers not to act through strife or vainglory but instead to show humility toward one another.
That is very different from Jesus telling people to strive to enter through the narrow gate.
One form of striving may be faithful.
Strife between people can be destructive.
Strive and Strife Are Not the Same Thing
| Word | Simple Meaning | Positive or Negative? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strive | To struggle or make serious effort | Can be either | Luke 13:24 |
| Striven | Having struggled or contended | Depends on context | Jeremiah 50:24 |
| Strife | Conflict, rivalry, or quarrelling | Usually negative | Philippians 2:3 |
The difference is worth remembering.
A Christian may need to strive without creating strife.
You may strive to speak truth while refusing to become cruel.
You may strive to repair a marriage without trying to control the other person.
You may strive to remain faithful without treating other Christians as enemies.
You may defend what you believe while still showing humility.
For a deeper look at the second word, see what strife means in the Bible. The related study on what the Bible says about conflict also helps explain how believers can handle disagreement without allowing it to become destructive.
What Is the Difference Between Striving and Selfish Ambition?
This distinction deserves attention because intense effort can sometimes look spiritual while being driven by pride.
Suppose two people serve in the same church.
Both work hard.
Both give time.
Both want the ministry to grow.
From the outside, their actions look similar.
But one person serves because he loves God and people.
The other secretly wants praise.
One rejoices when someone else succeeds.
The other becomes jealous.
The work may look alike, but the heart is different.
Philippians 2 connects the rejection of strife and selfish glory with humility and concern for others.
Biblical striving should therefore never become an excuse for selfish ambition.
We are not called to push everyone else down so we can appear more spiritual.
Faithful effort should make us more obedient, loving, patient, and humble.
If our striving produces constant rivalry, anger, jealousy, and contempt, something needs examination.
Our guide to what contentious means in the Bible explores this difference further.
What Does Strive Mean for Christians Today?
The word may sound old-fashioned, but the idea is deeply practical.
You probably strive for something every day.
You strive to provide for your family.
You strive to learn.
You strive to recover after disappointment.
You strive to build relationships.
You may also strive spiritually.
Strive to Remain Faithful
Faith is easy to speak about when everything feels peaceful.
Faithfulness becomes clearer when life is difficult.
There may be mornings when prayer feels dry.
There may be seasons when you do not understand what God is doing.
There may be moments when obedience costs something.
Biblical striving says, “Do not casually abandon what is good because it has become difficult.”
Keep seeking God.
Keep learning.
Keep praying.
Keep choosing what is right.
Strive Against Sin, Not Against People
This is one of the most practical distinctions we can make.
Sometimes we spend more energy fighting people than fighting the wrong attitudes inside ourselves.
It is easier to notice another person’s pride than our own.
It is easier to criticize another person’s anger than deal with our resentment.
It is easier to win an argument than heal a relationship.
Faithful striving turns some of that attention inward.
Where do I need to grow?
What temptation do I keep excusing?
Whom do I need to forgive?
Where have I become careless?
What truth from Scripture am I resisting?
Those questions can be uncomfortable, but they lead us toward spiritual maturity.
Strive in Prayer
Epaphras reminds us that prayer can involve real spiritual effort. Paul describes him as laboring fervently for others in prayer.
Prayer is not valuable only when it feels emotional.
Sometimes prayer is faithful simply because you return again.
You pray for your child again.
You pray for wisdom again.
You pray for someone who is hurting again.
You bring the same burden before God because you still trust Him with it.
That kind of persistence is not empty repetition when it comes from sincere faith.
It is a form of steadfastness.
Strive With Humility
There is another danger.
Because strive is a strong word, we may imagine that everything depends on our own strength.
But Scripture’s broader message does not teach self-sufficient pride.
Christian effort is not a reason to boast.
Even while we take faith seriously, we remain dependent on God.
We pray because we need Him.
We seek wisdom because we do not know everything.
We repent because we are capable of being wrong.
We persevere because life can exceed our strength.
Striving with humility means giving yourself seriously to what is right while remembering that you are still dependent on God’s grace.
How Can You Know Whether You Are Striving for the Right Thing?
A simple heart check can help.
Ask yourself five questions.
1. Does This Agree With Scripture?
Determination does not turn a wrong goal into a right one.
Before asking how hard you should pursue something, first ask whether the goal itself is good.
2. Is Love Still Present?
You can care deeply about truth and still treat people with kindness.
If your striving constantly produces cruelty, contempt, or hatred, examine your heart.
3. Am I Becoming More Humble or More Proud?
Faithful spiritual growth should not convince us that we are better than everyone else.
Maturity recognizes both truth and our continuing need for grace.
4. Am I Persevering or Merely Refusing to Listen?
These are not always the same thing.
Perseverance remains faithful to what is right.
Stubbornness refuses correction simply because admitting error hurts our pride.
5. Is My Effort Producing Faithfulness or Strife?
This may be the easiest test to remember.
Strive for what is good.
Avoid needless strife.
Those two ideas can exist together.
A Simple Biblical Definition of Strive
If you need one short definition, use this:
To strive in the Bible means to struggle, contend, or make an earnest and determined effort, with the exact meaning depending on the context.
Luke 13:24 shows striving as serious effort in responding to Jesus’ call.
First Timothy 6:12 shows the related idea through fighting the good fight of faith.
Colossians 4:12 shows it through earnest labor in prayer.
Jeremiah 50:24 shows that striving can also be wrong when it means opposing the Lord.
Together, these passages give us a balanced picture.
What Biblical Striving Teaches Us About Faith
So, what does strive mean in the Bible?
It means more than trying a little harder.
The biblical idea can describe serious effort, struggle, perseverance, contention, or opposition. The surrounding passage tells us which meaning is intended.
Jesus’ words in Luke 13 remind us not to treat spiritual matters casually. Paul shows that faithfulness sometimes feels like a fight and that prayer can involve earnest labor. Jeremiah reminds us that not every form of striving is good. A person can even strive against God.
And the word strife gives us one more lesson.
We can be serious without being quarrelsome.
We can persevere without becoming proud.
We can stand for truth without enjoying conflict.
We can work hard while still depending on God.
Perhaps that is the most practical lesson of all.
There are things worth striving for: faithfulness, prayer, righteousness, truth, love, and a life that responds sincerely to God.
But there are also things worth laying down: pride, rivalry, selfish ambition, and needless conflict.
Faithful striving is not about proving that you are stronger than everyone around you.
It is about refusing to treat what matters most as though it does not matter at all.
Dr. Rachel is very smart and knows a lot about the Bible. He helps us understand the Bible better by talking about the old texts in a simple way.
