2 Thessalonians 3:6 - Meaning and Application

The apostle had already praised their obedience in the past and his confidence in their obedience in the future. Now he turns to give commands and guidance about some who were wrong, and to correct what was out of order among them. Even the best Christian community can have faulty people and things that need reform. Perfect holiness is not found in this life, but bad behavior often leads to good rules. The problems Paul heard about among the Thessalonians led to the good commands in these verses, which are useful for us too.

First, Paul points out what was wrong among them. In a general sense, some were walking in a disorderly way, not following the teaching they had received from the apostle, (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Some of the brothers were living without discipline. They were not governing their lives by the rules of Christianity, or by the profession of faith they claimed to hold. If people have received the gospel and say they submit to it, they are expected to live by it. If they do not, they must be counted as disorderly.

More specifically, there were idle people and busy-bodies among them, (2 Thessalonians 3:11). Paul had reliable reports of this, so he had good reason to give instructions about how such people should live and how the church should deal with them. Some were idle, doing no work at all. They were not described as gluttons or drunkards, but their laziness still made them disorderly. It is not enough to say one does no harm. God requires every person to do good in the place and role where he has put them.

It is likely that some had mistaken Paul’s earlier teaching about the near return of Christ, and used that as a reason to stop working. This is a serious misuse of religion, when it becomes a cover for idleness or any other sin. Even if the day of judgment were very near, we would still need to do the work of the day while it is day, so that the Lord may find us at our duty when he comes. The servant who truly waits for his Lord will keep working as his Lord has commanded.

Or perhaps they claimed that the freedom Christ gives released them from the duties of their earthly callings and work. But believers are to stay in the calling where God placed them and remain there with him, (1 Corinthians 7:20, 1 Corinthians 7:24). Faithfulness in our ordinary work is part of our Christian duty. Or maybe the church’s charity toward poor believers encouraged some to live in idleness, since they knew the church would support them. Whatever the reason, they were plainly in the wrong.

There were also busy-bodies among them, and it seems these were the same people who were idle. This may sound contradictory, but it is often true that those who have no proper business of their own, or who neglect it, meddle in other people’s affairs. If we are idle, the devil and a corrupt heart will quickly find work for us. The human mind is always active. If it is not busy doing good, it will soon turn to evil.

Busy-bodies are disorderly people. They are guilty of foolish curiosity and of interfering in matters that do not concern them. They trouble both themselves and others with other people’s business. Paul gives a warning like this to Timothy, saying that some learn to be idle, wander from house to house, and become not only idle, but also gossips and busy-bodies, speaking things they should not, (1 Timothy 5:13).

From these bad habits, Paul draws good church rules. These commands come from the apostles of our Lord, given in the name of their Lord and ours, which means they are really the commands of the Lord himself. “We command you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,” he says, (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Again, “We command and urge you by our Lord Jesus Christ,” (2 Thessalonians 3:12). Paul speaks both with authority and with gentle appeal, because both are needed when errors must be corrected or prevented. Christ’s authority should bring us to obey, and his grace and goodness should draw us willingly.

Paul first gives directions to the whole church about how to deal with disorderly people. They were to withdraw from such a person and later mark him out, having no company with him, so that he may feel shame. Yet they were not to treat him as an enemy, but to warn him as a brother. We must be careful in church discipline. We must not act on mere suspicion, but only when there is enough proof of disobedience to God’s word.

Then we are to admonish the person kindly. We must remind him of his sin and his duty, and this should be done privately, (Matthew 18:15). If he still will not listen, then we are to withdraw from him and avoid familiar company with him. This is for two reasons. One is so we do not learn his evil ways, because keeping company with idle and vain people is dangerous. The other is to shame him, and so help him repent. When lazy and disorderly people see that wise and good people disapprove of their loose living, they may become ashamed and change.

Our withdrawal should come from love to the person, even while we hate his sin. Even those under church discipline are not to be treated as enemies, (2 Thessalonians 3:15). If they are brought back and reformed by discipline, they will recover their honor, comfort, and their rights as brothers in the church.

[2.] Their general conduct was also to match the good example Paul and his companions had given them: “You yourselves know how you ought to follow us,” (2 Thessalonians 3:7).

Those who brought religion to them had already set a good example. Ministers of the gospel should be examples to the flock. Christians must do more than follow the apostles’ teaching and doctrine, they should also follow the good example the apostles set, as far as the apostles themselves followed Christ.

The special example Paul points to is their diligence, which stood in sharp contrast to the disorderly people he has just described. “We did not act in a disorderly way among you” (2 Thessalonians 3:7). They did not waste time in idle visits, empty talk, or useless pleasures. They worked hard in their ministry, preaching the gospel, and also in earning their own living.

Paul says, “We did not eat anyone’s bread for nothing” (2 Thessalonians 3:8). He could have rightly asked the church to support him, because those who preach the gospel may rightly live from the gospel. This is a fair debt that people owe their ministers, and Paul had the right, or authority, to ask for it (2 Thessalonians 3:9). But he gave up that right because he loved them, for the sake of the gospel, and so he could leave them an example to follow (2 Thessalonians 3:9). He wanted them to learn how to use their time well and keep busy with useful work.

Paul also commands those living idle lives to change and get to work. He had already told them this while he was with them: “If anyone will not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The Jews had a saying like this: the one who will not labor does not deserve to eat. The worker is worthy of his food, but what is the idler worthy of? It is God’s will that every person should have a calling, stay with it, and make a real effort in it. No one should live like a useless drone in the world. Such people, as far as they can, try to undo the sentence, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread.”

This was not just Paul’s personal habit, as an active and energetic man who wanted everyone else to be the same. It was the command of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we work quietly and eat our own bread (2 Thessalonians 3:12). People should earn their own living in some honest way. That means there must be work, against idleness, and there must be quietness, against meddling in other people’s affairs. We should aim to be calm and steady, and mind our own business. It is a fine thing, though rare, to be active in our own work and quiet about other people’s matters.

Paul then encourages those who are doing well not to grow tired of doing good (2 Thessalonians 3:13). It is as if he said, “Keep going, and you will prosper. The Lord is with you while you are with him. Whatever good you do, keep at it. Stay on your course, and keep going to the end. Never give up, and never grow weary in your work. There will be time enough to rest when you reach heaven, that lasting rest reserved for the people of God.”