Tag: adelphos

Romans 10:1 – Hate Sin, Love Sinners

Posted on by Will

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation.

Truth to Learn

Paul loved his lost brothers and prayed for them while he proclaimed the Gospel message to them.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “brothers” is adelphos, which is made up of the connective a, implying unity and delphus, meaning “the womb.” Hence, adelphos refers to those who have the same mother. It is frequently used metaphorically referring to those who are of the same lineage, as Paul does here.

“Desire” is translated from the Greek word eudokia, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of dokeō, meaning “to think.” Thus we see that this word literally means “to have good thoughts.” Eudokia is often translated as “desire, delight, kindness, or wish.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous chapter the Apostle Paul expressed his great concern for his brothers in the flesh, the nation of Israel. He was troubled by the fact that so many of them were out of the way of salvation. Here’s how he expressed it in the opening verses of that chapter:

I speak the truth in Christ, not a lie, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, that my sorrow is great and I have continual grief in my heart. For I almost wish that I was accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kindred according to the flesh (Romans 9:1-3)

He loved his fellow Jews and was deeply grieved by the fact that they rejected Jesus as their Messiah, the One for whom they had been waiting for centuries. He went on to show that God has chosen some of them for salvation but not others. He also showed that God has also called some of the Gentiles to salvation over his Jewish kinsmen.

But, you may ask, if Paul truly believed that God is the one who chooses who will be saved, why was Paul so intent on evangelizing the Jews, calling on them to accept Jesus as the Messiah? The answer is in the Great Commission. All Christians are commanded to preach the gospel. We don’t know whom God will choose, but they must believe God’s promise through His grace in order to be saved.

In the first half of the current chapter, Paul will show that the reason why so many Jews were lost is because they tried to earn their way into righteousness by keeping the Law instead of receiving the gift of salvation through faith.

Paul had been accused by some of his countrymen of deserting his Jewish brothers in favor of this new Way called Christianity. He starts off the current chapter with a declaration that not only has he not deserted them, but that he has a strong desire for them to be saved. And, he will show that salvation is to be received through faith, not through works.

 

Application

We are told to hate sin but to love sinners. We are told to proclaim the good news of God’s promise of salvation through the blood of Christ. We do not save sinners, only God can do that. We are to pray for sinners and proclaim the gospel. And we are to be a witness for God by the way we live our lives.

Are you fulfilling the Great Commission?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 8:12 – Indebted to Whom?

Posted on by Will

Therefore, brothers, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

Truth to Learn

We owe a debt, but not to our sin nature.

 

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from the two Greek words, ara oun. The word ara in an inferential conjunction which indicates that the following phrase is an inference, a conclusion, drawn from the preceding thoughts. It is most often translated “therefore.” The other Greek word, oun, is also an inferential conjunction, but it is also used as a transitional conjunction, indicating that a new train of thought is on the way. It is sometimes translated as “then” or “now.” We could translate these two words as “So now” or “Therefore then.” The effect is to introduce a strong conclusion that the writer is emphasizing.

The word translated “brothers” is the plural form of adelphos. This is made up of a, indicating unity and delphus, meaning “the womb.” So, this word indicates someone who has come from the same mother. The word is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament to indicate those who have the same Heavenly Father. Paul uses this term in reference to Christians and Jews alike.

“Debtors” is from opheiletēs, which comes from the verb opheilō, meaning “to owe something to someone else.” Hence, opheiletēs refers to someone who owes something to someone else, that is, a debtor.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we talked how God promises those of us who are truly saved that He will give us the same kind of immortal body that Jesus Christ has right now. That’s part of eternal life, having an eternal body. It will be a body that will not know pain and will not grow old; a body far superior to the one that we now possess.

Now, he makes a very strong conclusion: since we will receive an immortal body, we have no reason to live as debtors to this mortal body. In other words, we should not treat this body as if we owe it anything. We should not satisfy the desires and cravings of this body because not only does it not own us, but it will be replaced by a much better body some day.

We should not live kata sarka or “according to the flesh.” You will remember that we talked a number of verses back about the fact that kata, means “according to” or “with respect to.” We should not conduct our lives in such a manner as to cater to our fleshly desires. We should, in fact, act as if we were dead when it comes to satisfying the desires of our flesh. That’s what Paul will tell us in the next verse.

 

Application

The next time one of those sinful fleshly desires begins to get you into trouble, remember that you are not required to obey it; you don’t owe it anything! In fact, we are debtors to someone else. We owe God a great debt, our lives. We owed Him the penalty for our sins (death), but Jesus Christ paid that debt for us so we now have eternal life. Therefore, we owe Him a debt of gratitude for rescuing us. We owe Him our life!

How are you paying off that debt?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 7:1 – Our Savior, Our Husband

Posted on by Will

Or do you not know, brothers (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has Lordship over a man as long as he lives?

Truth to Learn

Christians are in a marriage relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “brothers” is adelphos, which is made up of a, denoting unity and delphus, meaning “a womb.” Literally it means those who have come from the same womb. In the New Testament it is used metaphorically of all Christians.

The Greek word translated “has lordship” is kurieuō, which we looked at a couple of times in chapter six (verses 9 and 14). It is the verb form of kurios, meaning “master, lord, or owner.” Thus, kurieuō refers to “lordship or ownership.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous chapter, Paul told us that sin should not have lordship over us because we are not under the Law but under Grace (Romans 6:14). When we got saved, we died to sin and now we live to God as our new ruler. In this chapter he will tell us why we are still affected by the Law even though we are not under obligation to it.

The metaphor that he used in the previous chapter was that of the master-slave relationship. In actuality, it is more than a metaphor because God is the Master of all creation and all things are in subjection to Him. In this chapter he uses a different metaphor, the marriage relationship. And once again, it is more than a metaphor, because those of us who are saved are declared to be the Bride of Christ.

Paul now shows how this new relationship is related (or not, as the case may be) to the Law. He starts out this section of his letter with another rhetorical question. He uses the question as an attention grabber. He says that he is speaking to those who know the Law. This certainly would apply to any Roman Christian who had been converted from the Jewish religion. All Jews know the Law. So when he asks, “Are you ignorant, brothers, that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?” the answer is clearly, “No, I’m not ignorant of that fact!” He will talk more about the marriage relationship in the next few verses.

We moved from a master-slave relationship with God to a marriage relationship when we were saved. Marriage is a picture of the intimate relationship that God wants to have with each one of us. One of my favorite proofs of this comes from the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs 3:5,6 we are told:

trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

The word translated “acknowledge” is the Hebrew word yawdah, which means “to know someone relationally and intimately.” It is the same word translated as “knew” in Genesis 4:1:

And Adam knew Eve his wife. And she conceived and bore Cain …

Therefore, we could translate Proverbs 3:6 as, “In all your ways become intimately familiar with God, and He will make your paths straight.” That’s what God wants from each and every one of us who is a born again Christian; He wants an intimate relationship with us!

 

Application

Do you want God to direct your paths? If so, then you need to have an intimate personal relationship with Him? That requires a lot of effort on your part.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 3:15 – Loving Restoration, Not Punishment

Posted on by Will

Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Truth to Learn

Church discipline should be done as an act of love, with the objective being restoration and growth, not punishment.

 

Behind the Words

The word “count” is translated from the Greek verb hēgeomai, which is based on the verb agō, meaning “to lead” or “to go before.” Metaphorically, this word means “to lead out before the mind,” that is, “to regard, esteem, count, or reckon.” Today, we might say “… don’t think of him as …” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

“Enemy” is from echthros, which refers to “someone who is an enemy” or “someone who is hated.”

The word translated “admonish” is translated from noutheteō. It is made up of nous, meaning “the mind” and tithēmi, meaning “to put” or “to place.” Thus, noutheteō means “to place in the mind” or “to warn, admonish, or exhort.” This verb is also expressed here in the imperative mood.

“Brother” is from the Greek word adelphos, which we saw a couple of verses back. As used here, it means “a brother or sister in the Lord,” that is, another Christian.

 

Meaning Explained

The concept Paul is talking about in yesterday’s verse and this one is often referred to as “church discipline.” It is necessary in any organization to have some form of action against those who cause problems. Within the church, it is just as important for such discipline to be done with love and with the end objective being to restore the person to full fellowship with the Lord and with the church. Notice that what Paul is talking about here is not a punishment; it is not to be used as retaliation for their actions, but as discipline with a loving attitude. This is to be done like a parent disciplining a child in order to make him or her a better person.

There are several kinds of behavior that require discipline within the church and each has its own proper response. If a brother or sister sins against you, you are to confront him or her in person, then confront him or her in the presence of two or three witnesses if he or she will not listen to you. Then you are to reveal it to the church if he or she still won’t listen. And, if all these fail, reject that person from the church (Matthew 18:15-17). If someone in the church is teaching doctrinal error, that person should be patiently taught the truth (2 Timothy 2:23-26) and if he or she persists, then the church leadership should rebuke that person (Titus 1:10-14). If a brother or sister is overtaken in sin, then one who is spiritually mature should restore him or her in love (Galatians 6:1-3). If a brother or sister is causing division within the church, he or she should be warned twice and then rejected (Titus 3:10). If someone in the church is living in open immorality, you are not to keep company with him or her (1 Corinthians 5:9).

What Paul is specifically addressing in this letter is the brother or sister who is a busybody and refuses to work. He says that if such a person does not respond to the teaching in this letter, we are not to have fellowship with that person, and we are to warn that person but not treat him or her as an enemy.

 

Application

Whenever discipline is necessary, it must be done with love and humility in order to cause restoration, not as vengeance or retribution.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 3:13 – Don’t Get Discouraged

Posted on by Will

And you, brothers, do not get discouraged in doing good.

Truth to Learn

Work hard for God and don’t get discouraged.

 

Behind the Words

Adelphos is the word translated “brothers.” It literally refers to someone from the same womb, hence, “a brother or sister.” It is used throughout the New Testament as a term of endearment, referring to “a brother or sister in the Lord,” that is another Christian.

The words “get discouraged” are from the Greek verb ekkakeō. This word is made up of ek, meaning “out of,” used here as an intensifier, and a form of kakos, meaning “evil or bad.” It means “to lose one’s courage.”

“Doing good” is translated from the verb kalopoieō, which is composed of kalos, meaning “something that is inherently good or beautiful” and poieō, meaning “to make or to do;” thus, kalopoieō means “to do something good or virtuous.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been writing about people in the church who are not busy doing constructive things but, instead, are depending on others for their daily needs and sticking their nose into other people’s business. As a result, he sternly told the Thessalonian Christians (and us) to work quietly and provide for their (our) own needs.

A natural response from our sinful nature might be “Well, if I can’t depend on others to take care of my needs, then I’m not going to do anything for anyone else either.” Knowing that this is how the human mind tends to work, Paul now addresses this type of response head on. He starts out with, “And you, brothers …” Notice the term of endearment that he uses. He calls us brothers and sisters. Even the great Apostle Paul does not refer to us as being any less important than he is.

He goes on to say, “don’t become discouraged doing good.” In many other translations of this verse we see the words “grow weary” or “become tired,” but the word ekkakeō does not imply tiredness or fatigue; instead, it carries the idea of being discouraged. If Paul were intending to say, “don’t get tired,” he would have probably used the words ekluō (to relax, that is, to become tired or weary), or kamnō (to become tired or faint from working) instead. The point is that Paul is not saying it is wrong to get tired or fatigued from doing what is right. He is saying that we shouldn’t get discouraged from it. Nearly every Christian who gives his all to God and serves Him faithfully gets tired. It’s okay to get tired in the work, but we should never get tired of the work.

In Thessalonica, as in churches today, there was a core group of Christians who carried on the work of the ministry. There were also others who didn’t carry their fair share and who either complained or told those who are working how to do their jobs. This is discouraging to those who are working hard.

 

Application

Let’s all commit ourselves to doing the work that God has given us to do without complaint, even when we get tired. Let’s also encourage others to join us in the work. Remember, it’s all for Him and for His glory, not our own.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 3:6 – Judgment With Love

Posted on by Will

But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

Truth to Learn

There are times when Christians are supposed to judge others.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “command” is parangellō, which we saw back in verse four. It refers to a command given by a superior officer which is passed on from one person to the next.

The word “name” is from onoma, which specifically means “name.” However in the common usage of the first century it usually referred to the title or authority or someone.

“Withdraw” is from a form of stellō, meaning “to set fast,” that is, “to repress or avoid.” In the middle voice, as it is here, it means “to withdraw oneself from.”

Adelphos is the word translated “brother.” It specifically refers to someone from the same womb, hence, “a brother or sister.” It is used throughout the New Testament to refer to “a brother or sister in the Lord,” that is, another Christian.

“Disorderly” is translated from ataktōs, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and a form of tassō, meaning “to arrange in an orderly manner.” Thus, ataktōs refers to a person who is disorderly or neglectful of their responsibilities.

 

Meaning Explained

A couple of verses back, the Apostle Paul expressed his faith that the readers of this letter would continue obeying the commands that he was passing along. He now gives one of those commands, specifically stating that we are to withdraw ourselves from other Christians whose lives are not demonstrating obedience to God.

There are two things that we can learn from today’s verse. The first is that we are supposed to judge the behavior of other Christians. Even though Christ said, “Judge  not, that you be not judged.” In Matthew 7:1, he was referring to not having a judgmental attitude. There are several examples in the New Testament where we are told to make judgments about others and this is one of them. Paul does not tell us here that we are to condemn these disorderly and disobedient brothers and sisters, we simply are to withdraw ourselves from them. The reason for withdrawing from them is two-fold. It sends a message to the disobedient ones that their actions are inappropriate and it keeps us from being adversely affected by their behavior. It’s hard enough to walk the Christian walk without having others affecting our actions by their bad example.

The other thing we need to learn from today’s verse is that we should not carry this teaching to extremes. There are some churches which teach that if a brother or sister is not withdrawing himself or herself from another Christian who is disorderly, then we should break fellowship with them. Carried to an extreme, this isolates such churches from nearly all other Christians. Such churches become very legalistic and completely lose their effectiveness in ministering to others and witnessing to the lost.

 

Application

We need to make judgments concerning other Christians, but we need to do so in love, as our Lord would do. We also need to be willing to welcome them back into the fold when they repent. Let love and mercy guide your actions, not vengeance.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:25 – Humble Prayer Request

Posted on by Will

Brothers, pray for us.

Truth to Learn

We all need prayer so that we can bring glory to God.

 

Behind the Words

The word “brothers” is translated from adelphos, which is made up of a connective particle, a and a form of the noun delphus, meaning “the womb.” Thus, adelphos literally means “from the same womb.” In the New Testament this word is used to refer to people who are of the same family, including cousins and other more distant relatives. It is used frequently by Paul to refer to fellow Christians since we are all children of our Heavenly Father.

“Pray” is translated from the Greek verb proseuchomai. This word is made up of pros, meaning “to or toward” and euchomai, which literally means “to speak out” or “to express a wish.” Therefore, proseuchomai means “to express a wish to someone” or “to speak out to someone.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the first century of the church, there is no one who did more for the growth of the church and the spread of the Gospel than the Apostle Paul. From the time of his conversion until the day of his death, he worked tirelessly to proclaim the good news and build up Christians throughout the known world. And yet, in all of his writings there is never even a hint of selfish pride in what he accomplished. Paul realized that it was God working through him who accomplished great things for the church. He realized he was a sinner; in fact, he thought of himself as the worst sinner of all. Here’s what he said:

Faithful is the Word and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Because he knew that anything he might accomplish was the result of God working through him, Paul prayed a lot and asked others to pray for him. He was not afraid to ask for prayer, even from the very people to whom he was ministering. We see this in today’s verse as well as the following verses:

As to the rest, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified … (2 Thessalonians 3:1)

Continue earnestly in prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us, that God might open to us a door for the word, that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ … (Colossians 4:2-3)

with all prayer and supplication pray at all times in the Spirit, … pray also for me, that utterance may be given to me, in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, (Ephesians 6:18-19)

Now I urge you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf, (Romans 15:30)

 

Application

Given all that Paul accomplished, it is amazing that he was so humble and so frequently asked others to pray for him. Notice that he did not make selfish prayer requests. The focus of his prayer requests was the glory of God. When you ask others to pray for you, is it for your benefit and glory, or God’s?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 3:7 – Focusing On Others

Posted on by Will

because of this, brothers, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith.

Truth to Learn

Paul was concerned about how his own persecution was affecting the faith of others.

 

Behind the Words

“Because of this” is from the Greek words dia touto. The word dia denotes the channel of action, that is, “on account of” or “by means of.” Touto means “this.” Therefore, dia touto literally translates as “on account of this” or “because of this.”

“Brothers” is the translation of adelphos, which is made up of a, indicating unity and delphus, which refers to the womb. Therefore, literally this word means “someone having the same birth origin.” Since all Christians are “born of the Spirit,” we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The word “affliction” is translated from thlipsis, which we saw back in verse three. It means “pressure, stress, trouble, or affliction.”

The word translated “distress” is anagkē, which can refer to “necessity” or to “an oppositional compelling force.”

“We were comforted” is from the Greek verb parakaleō, which we saw back in verse two where it was translated as “encourage.” It is a picture of someone being called alongside to challenge and encourage. In this verse it could be translated as “comforted” or “encouraged.”

Pistis is the Greek word translated “faith.” It is based on the verb peithō, meaning “to persuade” or “to win over by persuasive discussion.” Pistis refers to the state of having been firmly convinced of a truth.

 

Meaning Explained

As we have mentioned before, word order is very important in Greek. The thought or idea expressed first is the most important. In today’s verse, the Greek word order says, “because of this, we were comforted, brothers, concerning you …” You may recall from verses one and five that Paul wanted to know about how the Thessalonians were doing, but he had not heard any word from them. He knew that he and his co-workers had only spent a brief time with these young Christians and he was concerned that the persecution that they were facing might have weakened their faith. So, Paul had sent Timothy to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage them and to see how strong their faith was.

But it was not just the persecution of the Thessalonians that Paul was uncomfortable about. Paul was concerned that the persecution and affliction that he and his companions were suffering might be affecting the faith of his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. This may be only a subtle distinction, but it demonstrates something significant about the Apostle. He was not focusing on himself and his own circumstances, but on how his circumstances might be affecting others.

 

Application

Part of human nature is to look-out for ourselves, to do all we can to ensure that we are safe and comfortable. Pure and undefiled faith in God, however, means trusting God and being concerned about the safety and wellbeing of others. What are you putting your trust in and whose wellbeing are you most concerned about?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:14 – Profitable Works

Posted on by Will

What is the gain, my brothers, if someone should say he has faith and not have works? Is that faith able to save him?

Truth to Learn

There is no evidence of saving faith unless it is demonstrated by works.

Behind the Words

“Gain” is translated from the Greek word ophelos, which is the noun form of the verb ophellō, meaning “to heap up.” James’ question “what gain?” is a rhetorical question as if he is a little impatient with his readers.

The word translated “brothers” is from adelphos which is made up of a as a connective participle and delphus, meaning “the womb.” Hence it literally means those who have the same mother. It is used throughout the New Testament to refer to those who are brothers and sisters in Christ.

The verb “should say” is translated from legō which literally means “to lay forth.” It is used to express a discourse between two people. The word is used here as part of a conditional clause. This is what in Greek is referred to as a third class condition where the if statement (the protasis) is possibly true but not assumed to be either true or false.

James uses the word “works” for the first time in this verse. It is translated from the Greek word ergon, which refers to “toil or work.” This word, as used here, refers to any action which is done for religious purposes.

Meaning Explained

What may appear here to be an abrupt change of topic is really a logical transition. James started out this chapter talking about not showing favoritism based on someone’s appearance, then moved on to telling us that we should love others as ourselves and that our actions should be a demonstration of our position in Christ.

Several verses back James introduced the notion of keeping the law. The actions done to satisfy the law are works and he alluded to the Judgment Seat of Christ where the works of Christians will be judged. So it is a very natural transition for him to now elaborate on Christian works.

But one might then argue that it is not our works, but faith that is central to our salvation. This is what the Apostle Paul teaches us in the book of Ephesians:

For by the grace of God you are, having been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9)

James is not arguing against salvation by faith alone, as it might appear if this verse is taken out of context. He is saying, as we shall see in the coming verses, that our works are the evidence of our salvation, rather than the source of it.

Application

The idea that we are saved by works apart from faith is nowhere taught in the New Testament. We cannot earn our salvation, because we can never measure up to God’s righteousness without faith. But salvation by faith in Christ does not entitle a Christian to live however he or she pleases. Our manner of life (our works) is the evidence of the saving faith that has already occurred.

2 Thessalonians 3:15 – Loving Restoration, Not Punishment

Posted on by Will

Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Truth to Learn

Church discipline should be done as an act of love, with the objective being restoration and growth, not punishment.

Behind the Words

The word “count” is translated from the Greek verb hēgeomai, which is based on the verb agō, meaning “to lead” or “to go before.” Metaphorically, this word means “to lead out before the mind,” that is, “to regard, esteem, count, or reckon.” Today, we might say “… don’t think of him as …” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

“Enemy” is from echthros, which refers to “someone who is an enemy” or “someone who is hated.”

The word translated “admonish” is translated from noutheteō. It is made up of nous, meaning “the mind” and tithēmi, meaning “to put” or “to place.” Thus, noutheteō means “to place in the mind” or “to warn, admonish, or exhort.” This verb is also expressed here in the imperative mood.

“Brother” is from the Greek word adelphos, which we saw a couple of verses back. As used here, it means “a brother or sister in the Lord,” that is, another Christian.

Meaning Explained

The concept Paul is talking about in yesterday’s verse and this one is often referred to as “church discipline.” It is necessary in any organization to have some form of action against those who cause problems. Within the church, it is just as important for such discipline to be done with love and with the end objective being to restore the person to full fellowship with the Lord and with the church. Notice that what Paul is talking about here is not a punishment; it is not to be used as retaliation for their actions, but as discipline with a loving attitude. This is to be done like a parent disciplining a child in order to make him or her a better person.

There are several kinds of behavior that require discipline within the church and each has its own proper response. If a brother or sister sins against you, you are to confront him or her in person, then confront him or her in the presence of two or three witnesses, then reveal it to the church, and if all these fail, reject that person from the church (Matthew 18:15-17). If someone in the church is teaching doctrinal error, that person should be patiently taught the truth (2 Timothy 2:23-26) and if he or she persists, then the church leadership should rebuke that person (Titus 1:10-14). If a brother or sister is overtaken in sin, then one who is spiritually mature should restore him or her in love (Galatians 6:1-3). If a brother or sister is causing division within the church, he or she should be warned twice and then rejected (Titus 3:10). If someone in the church is living in open immorality, you are not to keep company with him or her (1 Corinthians 5:9).

What Paul is specifically addressing in this letter is the brother or sister who is a busybody and refuses to work. He says that if such a person does not respond to the teaching in this letter, we are not to have fellowship with that person, and we are to warn that person but not treat him or her as an enemy.

Application

Whenever discipline is necessary, it must be done with love and humility in order to cause restoration, not as vengeance or retribution.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved