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2 Thessalonians 3:6
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6 Now [de] we command [paraggello] you, [humin] brethren, [adelphos] in [en] the name [onoma] of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ, [Christos] that ye withdraw [stello] yourselves [humas] from [apo] every [pas] brother [adelphos] that walketh [peripateo] disorderly, [ataktos] and [kai] not [me] after [kata] the tradition [paradosis] which [hos] he received [paralambano] of [para] us. [hemon] KJV-Interlinear
6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. NASB
The objective of Bible instruction is not to impress with lofty heights of analytical concepts, but to present practical applications for day to day living.
And thus the Bible is filled with practical sayings that teach us the habits that we should follow in our life. We have all heard the phrases, ‘If you play with fire …’ ‘If you run with the wrong crowd …’ etc, etc. And then what happens to you? You get burned or hurt in some way.
And that is exactly what happens to the person who lives within the wrong environment of life.
There are only two environments in which you can live. First, there is the environment of truth, which comes from God. And second, there is the environment that comes from the world. The world environment comes with a mixture of truth, blended in varying degrees, into the vast realm of what everyone believes in life.
Thus all of the philosophies, beliefs, religions, variations of religions, cults and so forth, generally carry with them some form of truth just to make them seem more real or acceptable to those who follow them.
But here Paul teaches that you have only two choices, truth, or anything else.
In life, a wrong thing done in a wrong way, is wrong.
In life, a wrong thing done in a right way, is wrong.
In life, a right thing done in a wrong way, is wrong.
Only a right thing done in a right way, is right.
And of course the right thing in life, is the pursuit, the objective pursuit, of Bible doctrine. Any other blending or compromise, or pretense, or even outright rejection of truth, is wrong.
You cannot mix the world in with truth, and still maintain truth. Once filth is introduced, then the whole batch will eventually rot.
So, Paul commands us here to avoid making associations with people who are obvious rebels against Christ or truth.
Now, use common sense here. You cannot isolate yourself from the entire world. What is Paul talking about?
He is speaking of the pattern of life which you choose to pursue for yourself. Everyone will make different choices, but your choice must be for truth. And you learn truth by engaging in a daily bible study. That is your textbook for life.
Do not pursue the obvious bad habits or lifestyles that are out there. You do not socialize or entertain in your thoughts, the beliefs that others have.
You obviously can hear what people say, see how they live, recognize the things that they believe, but your command here is to follow the ‘traditions’ taught by the Word of God, not the enticements presented by the world.
Command, ‘paraggello,’ is not a suggestion, not an option, but an explicit order. In the military if you disobey an order, what happens? You are shot on the battle field right then and there, for your disobedience.
In the spiritual life, if you disobey, then what happens? You are shot (out of fellowship) so to speak, rendered spiritually inactive, immediately. When out of fellowship, you are dead to your spiritual life. In order to regain your spiritual functionality, you then must confess your sins to God the Father (resume your obedience), and that places you back in fellowship, 1 Jn. 1:9.
But if you continue in your disobedience throughout your life, then what happens? You lose any or all of your spiritual assets. As a believer you are still saved. You can never lose that. But your spiritual growth would be non-existent, as it were, and the blessings that will be associated with that spiritual growth, will likewise fade away, too.
Disorderly, ‘ataktos,’ means to be irregular, disoriented, and this is used in contrast to the order and correct orientation to life that is provided through ones spiritual life.
Withdraw, ‘stello,’ means to abstain, repress, avoid, to detach from.
And therefore, Gods command to you, Gods order to you, is to leave the lies, the disorder, the disorientation of the world, to separate from them permanently, and pursue truth as your chosen source for life.
For in truth, there is correct understanding of everything that goes on in life, complete orientation to everything around you. There is order, security, meaning and purpose, and even more, there is blessing and happiness that is not available by any means, from this world.
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