2 Thessalonians 3:13-Those Living a Disciplined Lifestyle Are Prohibited From Being Discouraged Doing Good

2 Thessalonians 3:12 On the other hand, such individuals, we command, yes in fact, we encourage and exhort by means of the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ that they make it their habit of eating their own bread by making it their habit of working in a manner characterized by an unobtrusive tranquil lifestyle. 13 But in contrast each and every one of you brothers and sisters, who are performing actions, which are characterized as being divine good in quality, do not become discouraged. (Lecturer’s translation)

The apostle Paul issues a solemn prohibition in Thessalonians 3:13, which is addressed to those members of the Thessalonian Christian community who were living a disciplined lifestyle by working to support themselves in a manner characterized as an unobtrusive, tranquil lifestyle.

These individuals are described in this verse as performing actions, which are characterized as being divine good in quality.

The prohibition forbid these obedient believers from becoming discouraged.

In other words, Paul was forbidding them from entering into the state of being discouraged in performing actions, which are characterized as divine good in quality.

As he has done many times in Second Thessalonians (cf. 2 Thess. 1:3; 2:1,13, 15, 3:1, 6), Paul addresses these disciplined believers in the Thessalonian Christian community with the noun adelphos (ἀδελφός), which means “spiritual brothers and sisters.”

This word refers to a “fellow-believer, fellow-Christian, spiritual brother or sister” and expresses the spiritual relationship which these individuals possessed with Paul, Silvanus and Timothy.

The noun adelphos describes those members of the Thessalonian Christian community who were living a disciplined lifestyle as being spiritual brothers and sisters with these three men since they have all been declared justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and thus regenerated by the Spirit.

It denotes that Paul, Silvanus, Timothy and those members of the Thessalonian Christian community who were living a disciplined lifestyle are related to each other and the Lord Jesus Christ through regeneration.

Therefore, this term emphasizes the equality of those sinners declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior (cf. Gal. 3:26-28; Col. 3:11).

This word is of course ascribed to the pastors in the Thessalonian Christian community who would thus take the lead in obeying this command issued in 2 Thessalonians 3:13.

The word adelphos, “brothers and sisters” is functioning as a nominative for vocative of simple address, which is expressing the fact that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy are issuing a “solemn” and thus extremely important prohibition here in 2 Thessalonians 3:13, which is again addressed to those in the Thessalonian Christian community who were living a disciplined lifestyle.

This solemn prohibition in 2 Thessalonians 3:13 stands in contrast with the previous command in 2 Thessalonians 3:12, which was addressed to those in the Thessalonian Christian community who were living an undisciplined lifestyle by not working to support themselves.

This command required that they make it their habit of eating their own bread by making it their habit of working to support themselves financially in a manner characterized by an unobtrusive, tranquil lifestyle.

Therefore, the contrast is between those in the Thessalonian Christian community were living a disciplined lifestyle and those who were not.

The force of aorist tense of the verb egkakeō in this prohibition, not only prohibits the action as a whole, but also possesses an ingressive idea of not beginning to start on a particular course of action.

Therefore, it is expressing the idea of those members of the Thessalonian Christian community who were living a disciplined lifestyle not entering into the state of being discouraged in doing that which is characterized as divine good in quality and character.

The implication is that these obedient believers were not discouraged in performing actions, which are characterized as being divine good in quality.

The participle conjugation of the verb kalopoieō is identifying what those members of the Thessalonian Christian community who were living disciplined lives by making it their habit of working to support themselves in a manner characterized by an unobtrusive, tranquil lifestyle, were prohibited from being discouraged doing.

The verb kalopoieō (καλοποιέω) speaks of doing good for another person or behaving or acting in a good, proper or satisfactory manner.

Specifically, it speaks of performing an action or actions on behalf of members of the body of Christ which are divine good in quality and character.

This means that these are actions are produced by the Holy Spirit through the child of God who obeys the Spirit inspired command to love one’s fellow believer as Jesus Christ loves them (John 13:34-34).

It also speaks of performing an action or actions on behalf of unregenerate members of the human race, which are produced by the Holy Spirit in the child of God who obeys the Spirit inspired command to love one’s fellow human being as oneself (cf. Mark 12:28-31)

Now, in context, when Paul speaks of doing good or in other words, performing actions, which are characterized as divine good in quality, he is speaking in the context of working to support oneself.

By working, they would receive pay, which in turn would enable them to help others who cannot help themselves because of being sick or mentally or physically disabled in some fashion.

Paul teaches the Ephesian Christian community this principle.

Ephesians 4:28 The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need. (NET)

Grant Osborne writes “What Paul has in mind is helping the needy, as in Ephesians 4:28, where Paul commands the saints to “work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” The work ethic in the early church concerned not the accumulation of possessions (as it wrongly does today) but the ability to “do good” for the sake of the needy. There is a double thrust, doing good in general along with specific acts of charity toward the poor.”[1]

This prohibition in 2 Thessalonians 3:13 serves a three-fold purpose.

First, obedience to this prohibition by those members of the Thessalonian Christian community who were living a disciplined lifestyle by making it their habit of working to support themselves in a manner characterized as an unobtrusive, tranquil lifestyle would result in these individuals maintaining their fellowship with the Trinity.

Secondly, their continued exemplary, obedient conduct would enable the Holy Spirit to shame and convict those in the Thessalonian Christian community who were not working to support themselves but acting as busybodies.

This shame and conviction is designed to get these disobedient believers to repent.

This repentance would involve first, these individuals confessing their sins of not working and being busybodies to be restored to fellowship with God.

Secondly, it would involve obedience to Paul’s Spirit inspired command in 2 Thessalonians 3:12 to make it their habit of eating their own bread by making it their habit of working to support themselves in a manner characterized as an unobtrusive, tranquil lifestyle.

Robert Thomas writes “Exemplary conduct serves as a constant reminder to wrongdoers and is an incentive for them to turn from their delinquency.”[2]

Lastly, the prohibition in 2 Thessalonians 3:13 would help those who were obedient to face the temptation to stop being obedient and doing good because of seeing others in their community being disobedient and not doing good.

It would be a great temptation for faithful believers to become discouraged remaining faithful to God and doing good when seeing others in apostasy by their habitual disobedience.

Undoubtedly, though it doesn’t appear in Second Thessalonians, Paul taught the Thessalonian Christian community what he taught the Galatian Christian community that faithfulness to the gospel will result in rewards from the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

Galatians 6:6 Now the one who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with the one who teaches it. 7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, 8 because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith. (NET)

2 Thessalonians 3:13 is not the first time the apostle Paul has touched upon the subject of the Thessalonian Christian community performing divine good in Second Thessalonians since he also addresses the subject in 2 Thessalonians 1:11, 2:16 and 17.

[1] Osborne, G. R. (2018). 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Verse by Verse. (E. Ritzema & D. Thevenaz, Eds.) (p. 208). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [2] Thomas, Robert L. “1, 2 Thessalonians.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Page 335; 11. Edited by Frank Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.