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2 Thessalonians 3

Paul joins confidence in the faithful Lord with commands for responsible work, persistent goodness, and correction that preserves brotherhood.

Paul asks the Thessalonian believers to pray for the spread of the Lord’s word and for protection from those who oppose it. He expresses confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness and their obedience. He then addresses reports that some believers refuse to work and meddle in others’ affairs. Recalling his own labor among them, he commands quiet work and explains how the church should correct disobedient members. He closes with a prayer for peace and a handwritten greeting.

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1Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you,
2and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for not all have faith.
3But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
4We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command.
5May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and into the perseverance of Christ.
6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion and not after the tradition which they received from us.
7For you know how you ought to imitate us. For we didn’t behave ourselves rebelliously among you,
8neither did we eat bread from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you.
9This was not because we don’t have the right, but to make ourselves an example to you, that you should imitate us.
10For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: “If anyone is not willing to work, don’t let him eat.”
11For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who don’t work at all, but are busybodies.
12Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness and eat their own bread.
13But you, brothers, don’t be weary in doing what is right.
14If any man doesn’t obey our word in this letter, note that man and have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.
15Don’t count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
16Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.
17I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter. This is how I write.
18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
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Key verses
2 Thessalonians 3:3The Lord’s faithfulness grounds Paul’s confidence that these believers will be strengthened and guarded amid opposition.
2 Thessalonians 3:16Paul closes his instructions about disorder and correction by asking the Lord of peace to give peace throughout their lives.
2 Thessalonians 3:13Amid commands addressing those who refuse work, Paul urges the wider church to keep doing what is right.
Where this chapter reaches

The commands about quiet work share a theme with 1 Thessalonians, while the call to keep doing right echoes Galatians’ warning against weariness in doing good. The closing prayer shares with Philippians the theme of peace that comes from God amid the concerns of church life.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What stands out about Paul’s own work as the example behind his command to work?

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How does Paul’s command to regard a corrected believer as a brother shape your understanding of church discipline?

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Questions people ask about 2 Thessalonians 3

What does 2 Thessalonians 3:10 mean about refusing to work?

Paul’s wording identifies unwillingness to work as the issue. Verse 11 describes people who do no work and become busybodies, and verse 12 commands them to work with quietness and eat their own bread. The passage does not identify inability to work, illness, or lack of opportunity as the problem.

Why does Paul tell believers to withdraw from someone in 2 Thessalonians 3?

Paul tells the church to withdraw from a believer who rejects the teaching received from him, with refusal to work as the immediate concern. Verse 14 states the aim: that the person may feel shame. Verse 15 sets a limit on the response: the person remains a brother to be admonished.

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2 Thessalonians · 3 chapters
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).