2 Thessalonians 3

Paul was a balanced Christian who had a balanced ministry, and we see evidence of this as he brought his letter to a close. He moved from prophecy to practical Christian living. He turned from the negative (Satan’s lies) to the positive (God’s truth), and from warning to thanksgiving and prayer.

We desperately need balanced ministries today. I have attended Bible conferences where the only emphasis was on what Christ will do with the Jews in the future, to the total neglect of what He wants to do with the church in the present. We must never permit the study of prophecy to be an escape from responsibility today.

Paul’s emphasis was on the truth of God’s Word, in contrast to Satan’s great lie, which Paul discussed in the previous section. Every believer has four responsibilities to God’s truth.

A sequence of responsibilities is logical. Learning and living must go together. If we believe the truth, it changes our lives. We guard the truth and practice it so that we can share it with others. We cannot share what we do not believe (unless we want to be hypocrites), and we can best share that which we have practiced ourselves.

God’s Word is alive (Heb. 4:12); we must let it move freely. Paul alluded here to Psalm 147:15—“He sent forth His commandment upon earth: His word runneth very swiftly.” God’s servants may be bound, but God’s Word cannot be bound (2 Tim. 2:9). As we practice the truth and pray for the ministry of the truth, God’s Word will have freedom to run and accomplish God’s purposes in the world.

The Word of God is glorified in the lives of those who share it and those who receive it. This was Paul’s experience in Antioch of Pisidia: “And when the Gentiles heard this [that they could be saved], they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published [spread abroad] throughout all the region” (Acts 13:48–49).

Too much Christian work these days is accomplished by human plans and promotion, and not by the Word of God. We trust our programs and do not publish the Word of God. The universe was created, and is sustained, by the Word of God (Heb. 11:3). Surely His Word can accomplish His work in this world. But the preaching of the Word in the pulpit has too often been replaced by the entertainment of the world on the platform. Dr. Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury, has said of Christian pastors, “It is their task to feed the sheep—not to entertain the goats.”

It has been my experience in three pastorates that God’s Word will accomplish God’s work. When the sheep are fed, they will flock together in love, reproduce, follow the shepherd—and they can be “fleeced” and will love it. It is when the sheep are hungry that they start biting each other, becoming sick, and wandering away. When the Word of God does the work, then God gets the glory. My good friend Dr. Bob Cook used to remind us, “If you can explain what is going on, then God isn’t doing it!”

Of course, there is always opposition to the Word and work of God. Paul asked his friends to pray that he might be delivered from unbelieving men who were evil and wicked. Just as the Spirit uses dedicated people to share the Word, Satan uses wicked people to oppose the Word. The evil one enjoys using Christian believers to oppose the work of God. He spoke through Peter (Matt. 16:21–23), and he worked through Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11).

Paul had confidence that his readers would not yield to Satan, but would permit the faithful Lord to establish them and guard them from the evil one (literal meaning of 2 Thess. 3:3). We cannot have confidence in ourselves, but we can have confidence in God for ourselves and for others.

It is not enough that the pastor or church officers alone share the Word; each Christian must be a part of this vital ministry. The word command that Paul used in 2 Thessalonians 3: means “a military order passed down from a superior officer.” He used this word in 1 Thessalonians 4:2, and he repeated it in 2 Thessalonians 3:4, 6, 10, 12. Christ is the Captain of our salvation; we are His soldiers (2 Tim. 2:3–4). In a battle, it is not enough for only the officers to fight; every man must do his duty. This is also true in the work of the local church.

What if an army were run with the same lack of obedience, order, and discipline that we often see in the local church? It would never win the war. If soldiers attended drill whenever they felt like it, they would never be equipped to face the enemy. If the recruits disobeyed their officers’ orders the way some church members disobey the Word of God, they would be court-martialed.

A soldier obeys primarily out of loyalty and fear. But a Christian has much higher motives for obedience: God’s love and Christ’s return (2 Thess. 3:5). “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). A commanding officer does not require his men to love him, but if they do, they will respect and obey him with greater diligence. The history of warfare records heroic deeds done by men who loved their leaders and willingly died for them. Our Savior loved us and died for us. Can we not obey Him?

He is coming for us. This has been the theme of Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians, and he related this truth to everyday practical living. As God’s soldiers, we must be sharing the Word, for He will one day return and ask for an accounting of our lives. Do we “love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8)? Will we “be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28)?

Here, then, are four great responsibilities for us to fulfill: believe the truth, guard the truth, practice the truth, and share the truth. If we fulfill these duties, we will experience joy and power in our lives, and growth and blessing in our churches.

Paul had used this powerful word command in his first Thessalonian letter (1 Thess. 4:2, 11), and we met it earlier in this chapter (2 Thess. 3:4). He used it again in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, 12. The word means “a military order handed down from a superior officer.” Paul considered the church to be like an army, and if the army does not obey the orders, there can be no order. Unfortunately, some of the saints were “out of rank” (“unruly” in 1 Thess. 5:14, and “disorderly” in 2 Thess. 3:6–7, 11).

What authority did Paul have to issue this command: “If any is not willing to work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10, literal translation)? He had the authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. At least twenty times in the Thessalonian letters, Paul used this complete title of the Savior. Jesus means “Savior” and is His human name (Matt. 1:21). Christ is His divine title; it means “Messiah—the Anointed One.” Other persons could use the name Jesus (the Hebrew form is “Joshua”); and other persons could claim to be anointed, such as prophets, priests, and kings. But the two names, Jesus Christ, are further defined by the name Lord, “Jehovah God.”

In the four gospels and the book of Acts, our Lord is often called Jesus, but this single name is used very infrequently in the rest of the New Testament. That it is occasionally used should restrain us from criticizing those who call their Savior “Jesus,” but that its use is found mainly during His ministry on earth should encourage us to address Him, and speak of Him with His name of exaltation—Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:11). We no longer know “Christ after the flesh” (2 Cor. 5:16), but as the exalted Son of God and “Head over all things to the church.” His lordship includes our work and money management

What does the Bible teach about manual (or mental) labor? For one thing, labor was a part of man’s life before sin entered the scene. God gave Adam the job of dressing and guarding the garden (Gen. 2:15). Though sin turned labor into almost hopeless toil (Gen. 3:17–19), it must never be thought that the necessity for work is a result of sin. Man needs work for the fulfillment of his own person. God created him to work.

Have you noticed that God called people who were busy at work? Moses was caring for sheep (Ex. 3). Joshua was Moses’ servant before he became Moses’ successor (Ex. 33:11). Gideon was threshing wheat when God called him (Judg. 6:11ff.), and David was caring for his father’s sheep (1 Sam. 16:11ff.). Our Lord called four fishermen to serve as His disciples, and He Himself had worked as a carpenter. Paul was a tentmaker (Acts 18:1–3) and used his trade to support his own ministry.

The Jews honored honest labor and required all their rabbis to have a trade. But the Greeks despised manual labor and left it to their slaves. This Greek influence, plus their wrong ideas about the doctrine of the Lord’s return, led these believers into an unchristian way of life.

Paul recognized the fact that some people could not work, perhaps because of physical handicaps or family responsibilities. This is why he phrased the statement as he did: “If any man is not willing to work.” It was not a question of ability but willingness. When a believer cannot work and is in need, it is the privilege and duty of the church to help him (James 2:14–17; 1 John 3:16–18).

The exhortation of the Word should have motivated these lazy believers to work, but Paul added a second motivation.

When problems are not solved, they grow and become worse. A sliver left in the finger can become infected and cause a toxic condition so serious that surgery may become necessary. If you tell your doctor that you stepped on a rusty nail, he will immediately give you a tetanus shot, even though the wound may appear insignificant to you.

Church problems are like physical problems: if left unsolved, they grow and become worse, and they infect more people. The local church is a body, and what germs are to the physical body, sin is to the spiritual body. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonican church, he warned the idle busybodies to get to work (1 Thess. 4:11). He admonished the church leaders to “warn them that are unruly” (1 Thess. 5:14). The word unruly means “a soldier out of rank.” Apparently these troublemakers did not repent, because Paul devoted the rest of his second letter to this problem.

What was the problem? Some members of the assembly had misinterpreted Paul’s teachings about the return of Christ, left their jobs, and were living off the generosity of the church. They were idle while others were working. Yet they expected the church to support them. It is possible that this group of lazy saints was the source of the false teaching Paul mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:2. They were also spreading gossip about people in the church. They had time on their hands and gossip on their lips, but they defended themselves by arguing, “The Lord is coming soon!”

Misinterpretations and misapplications of the truths of God’s Word can cause endless trouble. History records the foolishness of people who set dates, sold their possessions, and sat on mountains, waiting for the Lord to return. Any teaching that encourages us to disobey another divine teaching is not Bible teaching.

The Pharisees figured out a way to rob their parents and yet obey the fifth commandment:

And He [Jesus] said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that” (Mark 7:6–13 nasb).

Paul expected the whole church to work together in solving this problem. The church in love must deal with its own members and seek to help each one obey God. To assist them in this task, Paul gave four motives to encourage the careless believers to turn from their sins and start earning their own bread.

As an apostle, Paul had the right to expect financial support, but he deliberately gave up this right that he might be an example to the young believers (see 1 Cor. 9:6–14). In this attitude, Paul proved himself to be a mature Christian leader. Selfish leaders use people to build up their support, and they are always claiming their rights. A truly dedicated leader will use his rights to build up the people, and will lay aside his rights and privileges for the sake of others.

He had referred to his example in labor in his previous letter (1 Thess. 2:9). His readers knew that Paul and his associates had not taken any support from the infant church. Instead, they had set the example of meeting their own needs and also helping to meet the needs of others. “You ought to imitate us,” he admonished his readers.

The greatest influence is that of godly living and sacrifice. A Christian leader may appeal to the authority of the Word; but if he cannot point also to his own example of obedience, his people will not listen. This is the difference between authority and stature. A leader earns stature as he obeys the Word and serves His people in the will of God. Authority comes from position; stature comes from practice and example. Stature earns the leader the right to exercise authority.

Every Christian worker has the right to support from the church as he serves the Lord (Luke 10:7; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17–18). We must not use Paul’s example as an excuse not to support God’s servants. But any servant of God has the privilege of setting aside that right to the glory of God. Paul did this so that he might be an example to the young believers in Thessalonica.

Paul’s policy not only encouraged the new believers but also silenced the accusers. In every city there were itinerant teachers who “peddled their wares” for what they could earn. Paul did not want to be classified with them. Nor did he want any unsaved person to say, “Paul preaches only to make money.” As he stated in 1 Corinthians 9, Paul wanted to make the gospel “free of charge”; he would not permit money to hinder the winning of lost souls.

Needless to say, the careless attitude of these believers was affecting the church, so Paul added yet a third motive for their obedience.

Second Thessalonians 3: is the key: “And you, brothers, do not lose heart doing good!” (literal translation). The faithful Christians were discouraged by the conduct of the careless saints who refused to work. “If they don’t have to work, why should we?” was their argument, and Paul nipped it in the bud.

Sin in the life of a believer always affects the rest of the church. As members of His body, we belong to each other and we affect each other. The bad example of a few saints can destroy the devotion, and hinder the service, of the rest of the church.

Paul named the sins of this group. To begin with, they were “disorderly,” or out of order, out of rank. They were disobeying orders, and this brought confusion and division to the assembly. Further, they were “busybodies,” not busy workers. The Greek word for “busybody” literally means “to be working around”; that is, busy but “fooling around” and not accomplishing anything. First Timothy 5: suggests that busybodies meddle in matters that do not belong to them.

Almost every culture has its saying about idleness. The Romans said, “By doing nothing, men learn to do evil.” Isaac Watts wrote: “For Satan finds some mischief still, for idle hands to do.” The Jewish rabbis taught, “He who does not teach his son a trade, teaches him to be a thief.”

Instead of noisily running around, these people should “with quietness … work, and eat their own bread.” Their false views about the return of Christ had worked them into a pitch of excitement. “Your overemotional attitude is wrong,” warned Paul. “Settle down and get to work.” Work is a great antidote to unbalanced speculation and unthinking activity.

But suppose these saints did not obey God’s Word and go to work? What then should the church do? Paul had already taken the first step when he exhorted them in his first letter (1 Thess. 5:14) and warned them that they were wrong. But they had still persisted in their unruly behavior. He now warned them again in his second letter, and then added a further step: if these believers did not obey, the members of the church should personally discipline them.

The subject of church discipline is not discussed much these days. In many churches, once a person is baptized and becomes a member, he is pretty much left to himself. If he commits some gross public sin, he will probably be dealt with by the pastor or the board; but the total church family will not begin to minister to him or exercise discipline over him.

What is church discipline? For one thing, it is not the pastor and official board acting like evangelical policemen to trap a sinning saint and kick him out of the church. No doubt there are churches that have such dictatorial leaders, but this is not what Paul had in mind. Church discipline is to the church member what family discipline is to a child: it is an exercise of, and evidence of, correcting love. When a parent disciplines his child, he is not a judge punishing a criminal; he is a loving father seeking to make his child a better person.

There are various levels of church discipline that must be distinguished.

Personal differences between Christians (Matt. 18:15–18; Phil. 4:1–3). If a brother or sister sins against me (either deliberately or unknowingly), I should go to that person privately and seek to get the matter settled. Only if the person refuses to settle the matter should I bring anyone else in, and the problem must not go to the church family until every other means has been exhausted.

In my pastoral ministry, I have seen many problems of this type. The big mistake Christians make when another believer wrongs them is in telling the pastor or other members, and not going to the person directly. Another mistake is in trying to win an argument instead of trying to win the sinning brother.

Doctrinal error. Determine first of all why the person is teaching wrong doctrine. Perhaps it is because of ignorance and lack of Bible knowledge. In that case, patiently teach him the truth (2 Tim. 2:23–26). If he persists, rebuke him (Titus 1:10–14). Paul had to do this to Peter (Gal. 2:11ff.). If the error continues, avoid him (Rom. 16:17–18), and then separate yourself from him (2 Tim. 2:18ff.; 2 John 9ff.).

A believer overtaken by sin (Gal. 6:1–3). Even the great apostle Peter denied the Lord. And David yielded to lust and committed adultery. When a Christian is caught in known sin, the spiritual members of the church must seek to restore him with gentleness and love. The word restore here means “to set a broken bone”—and that takes tenderness and patience. Too often the church quickly passes judgment on a believer who has sinned, and the damage done causes problems for years to come.

A repeating troublemaker (Titus 3:10). The word heretic does not refer to doctrinal error, but to a proud attitude of one who gets people to “take sides” in the church. The Greek word means “to make a choice.” This leads to divisions and cliques in the local church (see Gal. 5: where heresies ought to be translated “sects, parties”). There is hardly a church that does not have its parties for or against anything—the pastor, the building program, even the color of the kitchen walls. Usually these “heretics” are people who like to be important; they want a following. Often they have deep emotional problems that Satan can use to create spiritual problems in the church. Perhaps they are frustrated at home or on the job, or perhaps they have, in the past, been hurt by some pastor or church.

These “factious people” should be given two official warnings. If they repeat their sin of dividing the church, they should be given a third warning and rejected. “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:10–11, niv).

It is my conviction that such people should not hold office in the church. It is also my conviction that, if they leave the church “in a huff,” they should be restored to fellowship only twice. The third time—they are out!

Open immorality (1 Cor. 5). The church must mourn over the sinner (the same word is used for mourning over the dead) and seek to bring him to repentance. If he refuses, the church collectively should dismiss him (1 Cor. 5:13, where the Greek word means “expel”). If he repents, he must be forgiven and restored to fellowship in the church (2 Cor. 2:6–11).

In the case of the “lazy saints,” Paul told the believers to exhort them, warn them, and if they did not repent, withdraw intimate fellowship from them. This probably meant that these believers were not permitted to share in the Lord’s Supper, and that the church members would not invite them to their homes. Second Thessalonians 3: does not apply to every case of discipline. It applies only to the matter of saints not working for a living.

“Have no company” literally means “do not get mixed up with”; the same word is used in 1 Corinthians 5:9. There is a difference between acquaintanceship, friendship, and fellowship; for fellowship means “to have in common.” For obedient saints to treat disobedient Christians with the same friendship they show to other dedicated saints is to give approval to their sins.

However, Paul (knowing the tendency of human nature to go to extremes) cautioned them not to treat the offenders like enemies. “They are still your brothers in Christ,” he added. Lot was out of fellowship with God and Abraham because he lived in Sodom, yet Abraham rescued Lot from the enemy because Lot was his brother (Gen. 14, and note especially v. 14). It requires much patience, love, and grace to help an erring brother; and this is why Paul added a final motive for earning a living.

No believer can say, “I am not able to obey God’s Word and go to work,” because God has made every provision for us to obey Him. He is the Lord of peace. If He is the Lord of our lives, then we will have peace in our own hearts, and we will help to encourage peace in our church fellowship.

If there is trouble in the church, it is because there is trouble in somebody’s heart. If Christ is Lord, then there is peace in the heart. If there is war in the heart, then Jesus Christ is not Lord (see James 4:1–10).

I recall a Sunday school class that was in a constant state of confusion and competition. We would just get matters settled down for a few weeks when the volcano would erupt again. After much prayer and examination, we discovered that one class member wanted to be the teacher. She was proud of her own spiritual attainments and felt she could do a better job than the devoted lady who was teaching the class.

Even though this class member never openly attacked or criticized the teacher, her attitudes and the things she did not say sowed seeds of discord in the fellowship. When this problem was dealt with, the Lord of peace took over in the class, and God began to bless.

Not only does God’s peace enable us to obey Him, but so does His presence: “The Lord be with you all!” He never leaves us or forsakes us; He is with us to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5).

Finally, Paul reminded them of God’s grace. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (2 Thess. 3:18) was Paul’s official signature to his letters. He mentioned this because of the counterfeit letter they had received (2 Thess. 2:2). If we depend on the grace of God, we can do His will to the glory of God. “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Cor. 12:9).

The soldier who is out of rank and disobedient of the Lord’s command proves that he is not surrendered to his Master. Church problems are individual problems, and they must be solved individually. God wants order in the church. “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40).

Are you a part of the peace of the church or part of a war in the church?

T I M O T H Y1Let’s do what Joshua did and fall at the feet of the Captain of the Hosts of the Lord, that He might enable us to win the victory (Josh. 5:13–15) and fulfill His purposes for His people. M a t t h e w 2 C o r i n t h i a n s M a r k G a l a t i a n s L u k e E p h e s i a n s J o h n P h i l i p p i a n s A c t s C o l o s s i a n s R o m a n s 1 C o r i n t h i a n s