2 Thessalonians 3:6 6Now we command you, brothers [and sisters], in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you may keep away from every brother who lives irresponsibly and not according to the tradition which you received from us.
Paul gives the Thessalonians another warning about how they should live. This warning is stressed in three ways. First, Paul gives this as a command that they must heed. Next, he uses a vocative address, brothers [and sisters], which often grabs the attention of the reader. Finally, he gives this in the form of a solemn oath in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The effect of these should have caused the Thessalonians to listen in more carefully as the letter was read to them.
This warning focuses upon being watchful for people who do not live according to what Paul and other Christians were teaching. The reference to brother implies that these people were in the church. These kind of people were bad examples and would cause the church to depart from the faith. Keep away (stellesthai) can have a strong sense of shunning or avoiding someone. These people had two problems. They were living (literally “walking,” peripatountos) irresponsibly (ataktōs) and in defiance of the truth. They also rejected tradition handed down through early church leaders. They were going rogue and relied on their own thinking and interpretation. This would lead to many ethical and spiritual problems for them and anyone else who followed them. They were essentially following the pattern of the lawless one of chapter 2.
This is a warning we must heed today with the many false teachings and humanistic interpretations that are around. Church tradition can be a helpful guide for conduct and faith, but even within the church, there can be people who have followed the way of Satan, the great deceiver.
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