2 Thessalonians 3:6-15-The Final Major Section of the Body of Second Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 3:6 marks a transition from the contents of 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5 to the contents of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, which constitutes the final major section of the body of Second Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 marks the transition to this final section of the body of this letter.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 But we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who lives an undisciplined life and not according to the tradition they received from us. 3:7 For you know yourselves how you must imitate us, because we did not behave without discipline among you, 3:8 and we did not eat anyone’s food without paying. Instead, in toil and drudgery we worked night and day in order not to burden any of you. 3:9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give ourselves as an example for you to imitate. 3:10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this command: “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should he eat.” 3:11 For we hear that some among you are living an undisciplined life, not doing their own work but meddling in the work of others. 3:12 Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and so provide their own food to eat. 3:13 But you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing what is right. 3:14 But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note of him and do not associate closely with him, so that he may be ashamed. 3:15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. (NET)

In this section, the apostle Paul then addresses another major problem, namely that some in the Thessalonian Christian community were reverting back to their pre-justification days when they did not work.

He exhorts them to practice church discipline with these individuals (3:6).

Paul then reminds them that he, Silvanus and Timothy taught them that they must work for a living and that they gave them an example to follow in doing so (3:7-10).

He then informs them that he and Silvanus heard from Timothy that some of them were idle and disruptive and were not busy working but rather being busy bodies (3:11).

He then commands them to work for a living and never tire of practicing divine good, which is accomplished by obeying Paul’s apostolic teaching (3:12-13).

Paul closes this section with an injunction to again practice church discipline with those who are unwilling to work in obedience to his teaching (3:14).

When Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to keep away from every one of their number who disobeys his apostolic teaching to work, this separation would be the result of going through the process of church discipline mapped out by the Lord Jesus Christ for His disciples in Matthew 18:15-17.

The contents of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 echo 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and 5:14.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 Also, for your own benefit to make it your habit of making it your ambition to live a quiet life, of attending to your own business, of working to support yourselves with your own hands as each one of us has commanded each and every one of you. (Lecturer’s translation)

1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now, each one of us is authoritatively exhorting and encouraging each and every one of you brothers and sisters to begin to make it your habit of providing the undisciplined with instruction and continue doing so. Each of you begin to make it your habit of encouraging the discouraged and continue doing so. Each one of you must continue to make it your habit of helping the weak. Each of you must continue making it your habit of being patient toward everyone. (Lecturer’s translation)

Now, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-15 reveals that soon after writing First Thessalonians some in the Thessalonian Christian community were living undisciplined lives by not working for a living.

Therefore, the first command in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 appears to be prophetic in that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were warning the Thessalonians that some of them would revert to their pre-conversion, unregenerate lifestyle of not working for a living.

Now, in 2 Thessalonians 3:6, the verb peripateō is modified by the adverb of manner ataktōs (ἀτάκτως), which pertains to not submitting to discipline and order.

It is related to the adjective ataktos (ἄτακτος), which appears in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 and means “those who are undisciplined” since the word pertains to not submitting to discipline and order and specifically, the word pertains to refusing to work for a living.

So therefore, here in 2 Thessalonians 3:6, the adverb of manner ataktōs (ἀτάκτως) means “undisciplined” since the word pertains to not submitting to discipline and order.

Therefore, it speaks of a member of the Thessalonian Christian community living an undisciplined lifestyle, which is identified in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-15 as not working and being idle, which Paul says here in 2 Thessalonians 3:6 is in defiance of his apostolic teaching.

Thus, this word ataktōs speaks of a member of the Thessalonian Christian community living an “undisciplined” lifestyle as a result of rejecting Paul’s apostolic teaching for each member of the Thessalonian Christian community to work and not be idle like many in their culture were doing in the first century who were unregenerate.

There have been several reasons put forth by bible scholars and expositors as to why some in the Thessalonian Christian community were disobeying the apostolic command to work for a living and not be idle.

Paul does not identify the specific reason or reasons as to why some were not working in this community.

Needless to say, there has been no consensus among bible scholars and expositors as to the reason or reasons why some were not working.

Steve Lewis presents several possible reasons, which could answer the question as to why some of the Thessalonians were disobeying the apostolic command and lists the following:

The Character Flaw of Laziness: Some have suggested that the Thessalonians had an inherent character weakness toward indolence which was the cause of their idleness.

The Trauma of Persecution: Another view is that the trauma resulting from the intense persecution of the Thessalonian believers was causing them to despair of their lives, and a corollary effect was that they gave up their normal work activities.

The View of Labor as Degrading: Some have suggested that there was a general prejudice in the Greek mind against all manual labor.

The Self-Proclaimed Authority of Some: Some have proposed that a small group of believers was exercising a self-appointed spiritual ministry within the Thessalonian church, and that they were claiming the right of support from the church as a result.

I hold to the interpretation that some in the Thessalonian Christian community were reverting back to the pre-conversion or pre-justification days in which they did not work but were idle, which was prevalent in Graeco-Roman culture in the first century A.D.

Lewis rejects this view stating that “There is no evidence for the existence of a ‘laboring’ class of Christians from whom a few ‘enlightened’ believers were allowed to gain their livelihood.”[1]

Lewis is right.

However, there is plenty of evidence that Graeco-Roman culture despised work and the Thessalonians were immersed in that culture before their conversion to Christianity.

We must not forget that slavery was an institution in the Roman Empire which enabled many who were freemen and women to forgo working for a living because they had slaves to do that work for them.

Some reject this interpretation by stating that this rejection of labor was predominate in the upper classes in Graeco-Roman society and Paul’s churches, like the Thessalonian church, were not populated with the upper classes.

This is an argument from silence.

Paul does however address those in the Christian community who were wealthy (cf. 1 Tim. 6:17-18) with regards to the use of their wealth.

He also addresses the proper conduct with slave owners who had money (cf. Col. 4:1).

Thomas Constable writes “The Greeks deplored manual labor and relegated it to slaves as much as possible. But the Jews held it in esteem; every Jewish boy was taught a trade regardless of his family’s wealth. Work itself is a blessing and working with one’s hands should never be despised by Christians. A man who is willing to work with his hands demonstrates his love for his brethren by being willing to humble himself to provide for his own needs so that he does not depend on others but provides for himself.”[2]

Warren Wiersbe writes “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.”[3]

Craig Keener writes “The origin of this group of idlers in the church might be the Greco-Roman aristocratic disdain for manual labor, or a mistaken belief that the day of the Lord had come and canceled the need for such labor (2:2). More likely, they may have pursued a philosophic, specifically a Cynic, lifestyle (see comment on 3:11–12). Idlers were known to pass their days in the marketplaces of Greek cities (including Thessalonica—Acts 17:5); some may have been genuinely converted but not given up their previous lifestyle.”[4]

[1] Lewis, S. (2006). Does Pretribulationism Lead to Idleness? A Consideration of 2 Thessalonians 3:6–12. Journal of Dispensational Theology Volume 10, 10(30), 47. [2] Constable, T. L. (1985). 1 Thessalonians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 703). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary(Vol. 2, p. 205). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [4] Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (2 Th 3:6). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.