2nd Thessalonians Chapter 3

2 Thes. chapter THREE

2 Thes. 3:1, Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you,

"Finally" here indicates Paul was bringing the subject at hand to an end with a variety of concluding exhortations. First, he requested prayer for his situation. Remember, Paul wrote this letter while in Corinth, he and his evangelistic party were having problems there. But notice that Paul's chief concern was not for himself, he was not having a pity party where he was saying. "poor me, look what I am suffering for the sake of the gospel." No, no, his chief concern was that the Word of the Lord (the gospel) might have free course. He wanted to see it continue and spread rapidly. More than anything else he wanted to see the gospel triumph. One of the reasons Paul was able to accomplish what he did for Christ was because of the prayers of God's people. Therefore he often sought the prayers of those to whom he ministered, aware that God's will for his life and ministry would not be realized without the prayers and intercession of fellow believers (cf. Rom.15:30; 2 Cor. 1;11; Phil. 1:19; Col. 4:2; 1 Thes. 5:25).

This spiritual principle is as valid today as it was for Paul in his day. The preacher or teacher needs the prayers of the believers he is ministering to. With faithful intercession by the hearers of the Word, the desires of God will be accomplished, Satan's purpose frustrated and the full power of the Holy Spirit manifested (Acts 4:24- 33). But if all you do when you hear something you don't agree with is talk about it behind the leaders back and tear down the person, Satan's work will forge ahead. When something is said that you don't agree with, approach the leader, and if he is a under shepherd of God he will listen and reason the Word with you. Both of you may have to agree to disagree over certain issues but love and pray for each other so that the work of God can continue. So don't eat the leader for diner, but pray fervently for him.

2 Thes. 3:2, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.

Paul continue by asking the believers to pray that they will be delivered (preserved or rescued) from unreasonable (perverse, twisted) and wicked (evil, malicious) men. His chief concern for asking for this kind of prayer was not mere self-preservation. He wanted more people to hear and believe the gospel.

What about the next phrase, "not all have faith?" Is this a contradiction of Rom. 12:3 which says, For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

This verse says that each one has a measure of faith, the other verse says that not all have faith. How can you explain that apparent contradiction? Who is Paul talking to in Rom. 12? The brethren. Are they born again believers? Yes. So who is it that God has dealt a measure of faith to? Each one who is born again. Is Paul referring to believers when he says that not all have faith? No. He is referring to wicked men. The unsaved do not have faith. Faith is a gift from God that a person receives the moment he is saved by grace, then our salvation is maintained by faith.

2 Thes. 3:3, But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. In spite of the dangers, the evil men, the adverse circumstances, the declaration rings loud, "the Lord is faithful."

Your friends may fail you, your denomination may fail you, your preacher may fail you, but the Lord will never fail you! When believers earnestly pray, and act on God's Word, they can be assured that a faithful God will protect them from the evil of Satan. God will strengthen us to face any circumstance that we may have to face and He will protect us from the attacks of the demonic.

Satan can only win in an attack against the believer by default, by the believer not standing against him in the authority of Christ, using his position in Christ to cause a defeated foe to get lost. If we fight the good fight of faith, not allow Satan to rob us of our faith, we will never be defeated by the devil. We will move from victory to victory because of the victor Christ Jesus.

2 Thes. 3:4, And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.

Paul had no doubts about the faith of the Thessalonian believers. He had full confidence in the Lord toward them. Their relationship to the Lord and the relationship that Paul had to them made him confident that they were doing and would continue to do what he had commanded (instructed, taught) them to do, which included the request to keep praying for him. But it also anticipates what he was about to command them to do.

2 Thes. 3:5, Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

The Amplified Bible says it this way; May the Lord direct your hearts into [realizing and showing] the love of God and into steadfastness and patience of Christ in waiting for His return.

Some people try to tell us that this epistle is not referring to the believer and the rapture. Paul says here to have the patience of Christ in the mists of persecution while waiting for his return. They were told to have Christlike fortitude and steadfastness, this direction would make their way clear by removing the obstacles which Satan had used to obscure their path. According to this verse the Rapture is directly related to the coming.

2 Thes. 3:6, But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.

It seems that Timothy's report had indicated that a number of the Thessalonians considered themselves too "spiritual" to dirty their hands with manual labor. Instead of working they were busybodies, disorderly, and meddling in peoples affairs. This cannot be tolerated in the life of Christians. With the utmost seriousness and severity Paul commanded the rest of the Christians in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ not to associate with any who deliberately lived without working. In the context, Paul is asserting that he is speaking on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ. The very fact that they were Christians, meant the rest of the believers could not ignore the lazy way they were living. The name (person, nature, and character) of Jesus is dishonored by such dereliction of duty. Those who were walking disorderly were people who were loafing, idle, and unwilling to work. They were taking advantage of the generosity of the church (cf. 1 Thes. 4;9-10) and receiving support from brethren who made a living by ordinary occupations (vv.6-15). Paul advocates that the church is to help those in need, he no where teaches that the church should support able-bodied people who refuse to work steadily for a living if work is available (cf. v.10).

2 Thes. 3:7, For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;

Paul could say this to them because he had set an example which the Thessalonians knew they ought to follow, even imitate. Paul could make this bold command because he was imitating Jesus. There was nothing lazy about Paul's way of life when he was among them. He never played truant when there was work to do. Neither did he sit around idly and let others do the work when he could help. Even when he was shipwrecked he was concerned about the needs of others and was the first one out to collect more wood for the fire (Acts 28:3).

2 Thes. 3:8, nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,

When Paul came to Thessalonica to preach the gospel, he did not accept any free meals. He paid room and board, not only for himself but for his entire evangelistic party. He did this by laboring with constant exertion and hardship day and night. His trade of tentmaking was not an easy one. The purpose of all this toil and struggle to earn a living was that they might not be a burden to any of the believers and so that the false teachers could not charge him of being in it for the money.

2 Thes. 3:9, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

By saying he did not want to be a burden to them, Paul did not mean that those involved in ministry should not be supported financially. He had the authority and the right to ask them to give him all the support he needed. But he waived that right for the sake of a greater spreading of the gospel in new areas. No doubt, there were believers who would have been glad to contribute to the support of Paul and his fellow laborers, as the believers in Philippi actually did (Phil. 4:15-16). But he knew the false teachers would use that against him and some believers some would use his example as a pretext for not working. He refused to give them that kind of excuse.

2 Thes. 3:10, For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

In addition to setting an example, Paul had repeatedly commanded the Thessalonians that if anyone was not willing to work, neither should he eat. This work ethic was suggested by the fact that Adam was given work to do in the Garden of Eden and by the judgment on Adam that, "In the sweat of your face will you eat bread" (Genesis 3:19). Rabbis in the NT times insisted that every young rabbi learn a trade, just as Paul had.

2 Thes. 3:11, For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.

Again and again Paul had heard reports that there were those among the Thessalonian believers who were walking disorderly, that is, living in idleness, accepting no responsibility. Instead of being workers, the were meddlers. Instead of taking care of their own business, they were busybodies, poking their noses into everyone else's business.

2 Thes. 3:12, Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

Jesus himself did not encourage idleness among His followers. His parables often called men to work in the harvest field. Paul therefore commanded and exhorted (challenged, encouraged) by the Lord Jesus Christ, that any who were idle or busybodies should go to work. Instead of going around imposing on the hospitality and good nature of other Christians, they were to work in quietness, that is with a quiet restful spirit and with an inner peace.

2 Thes. 3:13, But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

Paul recognized that the majority of believers in Thesalonica were honest, hard working people. The danger was that those who were neglecting their responsibilities might cause the rest to grow weary or lose heart. But whatever others do, Christians must never grow tired of doing what is right, honorable, noble, excellent, and fair to everyone concerned.

2 Thes. 3:14, And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.

Now that Paul has finished with the teaching concerning idleness he turns his attention to the validity of the whole letter. He proceeds to give a strong warning to anyone who does not obey his teaching in this epistle. With regards to doctrines of denominations, every Christian needs to heed the admonition given here. Unfortunately today, some Bible scholars, pastors, and teachers (of various theological persuasions) are strongly inclined to base their eschatology largely on traditional interpretations of a denomination or of a particular theological school of thought, thereby closing their minds to any other view point whether it is Biblically correct or not. When they come to a text whose plain meaning does not fit those preconceived positions, they often Semiticize it (ie. consider it as Hebraism), spiritualize it, allegorize it, culturalize it, or rationalize it--and thereby fail to accurately understand what the passage really means. Unfortunately, holding to preconceived conclusions can have serious consequences. It was rabbinical presuppositions and traditions that kept most of the Jewish religious leaders from accepting Christ as the Messiah.

It was also the disciples' presuppositions to human ideas that prevented them from believing Jesus' predictions of his imminent arrest, affliction, death, and resurrection. It was because of his personal convictions based on traditional teaching about the Messiah that Peter contradicted his Lord face to face, only a few minutes after confessing Him as being the Messiah and Son of God (see Matt. 16:15- 23). No single book in the NT more clearly supports the position that the church will go through the great tribulation and be raptured out from within it before the day of the Lord begins, than Second Thessalonians, a book devoted almost entirely to the timing of Christ's return. Paul begins with the warning, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord, when the Church is gathered together to Him) will not come unless..." (2 Thes. 2:3). With that warning in mind, Paul's statement here in v.14, is of extreme importance in regard to eschatology, which is the overall focus of this letter.

In other words, anyone who teaches doctrine contrary to that which Paul clearly presents in this letter is to not to be kept company with. The reason for the severity of that warning is that any other teaching will be undermined by Satan and will not prepare the believers for what is ahead. Also so that he may see his error and come to a place where they would respect the Word given in this epistle.

2 Thes. 3:15, Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

In withdrawing their fellowship, the believers must not withdraw their love. The disobedient person who persisted in believing the doctrines of men and/or denominations is still a brother or sister in Christ. The warnings must be given in the love of God that would cause the person to be ashamed of believing something else over what the Word says. Thus the call for withdrawal of close fellowship, not a complete shunning or avoidance of the person.

It is time to believe the doctrines of Word of God and not some denomination's doctrine based on a dogma of scripture.

2 Thes. 3:16-18, Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Paul ends the epistle with a prayer that "the Lord of peace" would give them peace at all times and by all means; that is, in every way possible and in all places. He then says, "the Lord be with you all," including those who were still disobedient to the commands of this letter. Listen, if all we do is talk about the time of Christ return, we have failed. Along with our talking about the time of His return we need to LIVE in light of His return. He has given us a work to do, when He comes will He find us doing it. If you are walking the walk then you can talk the talk, but if you are not walking the walk it is better not to talk the talk.

Hopefully God has opened your understanding so you will have a firmer grip on the truth of these letters and apply that truth to your hearts and live your life in the light of these truths.