2 Thessalonians 2.15-The Thessalonians Must Begin to Strongly Adhere to the Traditions Paul, Silvanus and Timothy Taught Them
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday September 28, 2021
Second Thessalonians: 2 Thessalonians 2:15-The Thessalonians Must Begin to Strongly Adhere to the Traditions Paul, Silvanus and Timothy Taught Them
Lesson # 44
2 Thessalonians 2:15 Indeed therefore, brothers and sisters, each and every one of you begin to make it your habit of standing firm and continue doing so. Specifically, each and every one of you begin to make it your habit of strongly adhering to the traditions which each of you were authoritatively taught whether by oral communication or through written communication and continue doing so. (Lecturer’s translation)
This verse contains two commands, which serve as an emphatic inference from Paul’s assertions in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-14.
The first command required that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community begin to make it their habit of standing firm and continue doing so.
The second required that each of them begin to make it their habit of strongly adhering to the traditions which they were taught in their presence by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy and those which they received through the contents of First and Second Thessalonians.
The second explains what is meant by the first.
Therefore, when Paul commands the Thessalonians to begin to make it their habit of standing firm, he means that they are to begin to make it their habit of strongly adhering to the traditions that he, Silvanus and Timothy taught them in their presence and through the contents of First and Second Thessalonians and continue doing so.
These traditions are specifically their teaching regarding the eschatological day of Lord, which Paul discussed in great length with the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.
These commands are introduced by the expression ara oun (ἄρα οὖν), “indeed therefore” which indicates that these two commands are an emphatic inference from the previous assertions in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-14.
Therefore, Paul is asserting here in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 that there are four reasons why the Thessalonians should obey the command in this verse, which required that the Thessalonians begin to stand firm, by beginning to strongly adhere to the traditions in relation to the eschatological day of the Lord that were taught them by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy while in their presence and through the contents of First and Second Thessalonians.
The first of these reasons derived from the contents of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 is that the eschatological day of the Lord does not precede the rapture or resurrection of the church since the Holy Spirit, who indwells each member of the church and prevents the appearance of Antichrist and thus the seventieth week of Daniel from beginning, must be removed from earth before the Antichrist can manifest himself.
Thus, the Spirit and the church must be removed before the seventieth week can take place since Daniel 9:27 teaches that the seventieth week begins with Antichrist establishing a treaty with the nation of Israel.
Therefore, the Thessalonian Christian community will not experience the wrath of the Lamb during the eschatological day of the Lord.
The second derived from 2 Thessalonians 2:13 is that the Thessalonians are divinely loved by God the Father.
The third derived from 2 Thessalonians 2:13 is that the Father chose them as firstfruits for the purpose of experiencing salvation by means of sanctification through the personal agency of the Spirit and correspondingly, by means of faith in the truth.
The fourth derived from 2 Thessalonians 2:14 is that the Father correspondingly effectually called them through the proclamation of the gospel for the purpose of experiencing as a permanent possession the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This glory speaks of the Thessalonians experiencing the perfection of the salvation in a resurrection body as well as rewards for faithful service at the Bema Seat.
In other words, in relation to the contents of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, this expression ara oun (ἄρα οὖν) in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 indicates that Paul wants the Thessalonians to obey the command here in the latter because the Spirit inspired teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles is that the Christian community will not experience the wrath of the Lord during the eschatological day of the Lord because the rapture will take place before it.
This contradicts the false teaching that the Thessalonian Christian community was being exposed to which taught that the eschatological day of the Lord was already taking place in their day and age.
Also, in relation to the contents of 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, this expression ara oun (ἄρα οὖν) in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 indicates that Paul wants the Thessalonians to obey this command in this verse because the Thessalonians are divinely loved by God the Father, which is manifested by the fact that the Father chose them as firstfruits for the purpose of experiencing salvation by means of sanctification through the personal agency of the Spirit and correspondingly, by means of faith in the truth.
The fact that they are divinely loved by the Father is also manifested by the fact that the Father correspondingly effectually called them through the proclamation of the gospel for the purpose of experiencing as a permanent possession the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This glory speaks of the Thessalonians experiencing the perfection of the salvation in a resurrection body as well as rewards for faithful service at the Bema Seat.
The first command here in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 contains the verb stēkō which pertains to being firmly committed in conviction or belief.
Therefore, this verb is expressing the idea of each of them beginning to make it their habit of being firmly committed in conviction or belief in relation to the teaching of these three men regarding the eschatological day of Lord, which Paul discussed at great length with the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.
The present imperative form of the verb stēkō is an ingressive-progressive imperative which indicates that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community was to begin to make it their habit of standing firm in the teaching they received from Paul, Silvanus and Timothy with regards to the eschatological day of the Lord and continue doing so.
It implies they were not doing this prior to receiving this epistle.
Now, the articular plural form of the noun paradosis, “the traditions” in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 refers to the teachings that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy communicated to the Thessalonians regarding the eschatological day of the Lord while in their presence and through the contents of First and Second Thessalonians.
Specifically, this word refers to the Spirit inspired apostolic teaching regarding the church’s relationship to the eschatological day of the Lord and it is synonymous with the terms “gospel,” “doctrine” and “the faith.”
The second command contains the verb krateō which is expressing the idea that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community was to begin to make it their habit of strongly adhering to Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s teaching regarding the eschatological day of the Lord and continue doing so.
Like, the present imperative conjugation of the verb stēkō, the present imperative conjugation of the verb krateō is also an ingressive-progressive imperative which indicates that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community was to begin to make it their habit of strongly adhering to the teaching they received from Paul, Silvanus and Timothy with regards to the eschatological day of the Lord and continue doing so.
This again implies they were not doing this prior to receiving this epistle.
The conjunction kai is joining these two verbs stēkō and krateō in order to form the figure of hendiadys which indicates that the verbs stēkō and krateō are not referring to two different concepts but rather one.
Therefore, the idea expressed by this figure is that the Thessalonians strongly adhering to the traditions taught them by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy regarding the eschatological day of the Lord is what it means for them to stand firm with regards to these traditions.
Now, this command here in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 is modified by the relative pronoun clause has edidachthēte (ἃς ἐδιδάχθητε), “which each of you were authoritatively taught.”
The verb didaskō speaks of “providing authoritative instruction” in the Word of God in both a formal setting, namely the public worship service and through the contents of First and Second Thessalonians.
Specifically, it speaks of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy communicating in the presence of the Thessalonian Christian community and through the contents of First and Second Thessalonians the teaching regarding the eschatological day of the Lord.
The verb denotes the preservation and communication of this teaching.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 concludes with the disjunctive clause eite dia logou eite diʼ epistolēs hēmōn (εἴτε διὰ λόγου εἴτε διʼ ἐπιστολῆς ἡμῶν), “whether by oral communication or through written communication.”
It presents two possible conditions in which the Thessalonians were authoritatively taught by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy in regard to the eschatological day of the Lord.
The prepositional phrase dia logou (διὰ λόγου), “whether by oral communication” refers to Paul, Silvanus and Timothy communicating their teaching the eschatological day of the Lord while in their presence.
It is also indicating the means by which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy taught the Thessalonians with regard to the eschatological day of the Lord.
The prepositional phrase diʼ epistolēs hēmōn (διʼ ἐπιστολῆς ἡμῶν), “through written communication” refers to written communication addressed to the Thessalonian Christian community from Paul, Silvanus and Timothy with regard to the eschatological day of the Lord.
Specifically, it refers to the teaching of these three men with regard to the eschatological day of the Lord in the contents of First and Second Thessalonians.
It also is indicating the means by which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy taught the Thessalonians with regard to the eschatological day of the Lord.