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2 Thessalonians 2:15 – Stand Firm and Hold Fast

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Will

Therefore, brothers, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Truth to Learn

We must learn truth and hold fast to what we know is true.

Behind the Words

“Stand fast” is from the stēkō, which is derived from the verb histēmi, meaning “to stand.” As it is used in the New Testament, stēkō means “to stand firm in faith and duty.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

The word “hold” is translated from krateō, which is based on the word kratos, meaning “strength.” Krateō means “to take hold of” or “become the master of.” It implies a degree of force with which one brings a person or thing wholly under one’s power, even when resistance is encountered. It, too, is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

Paradosis is the Greek word translated “traditions.” It is based on paradidōmi, meaning “to deliver teaching.” Thus, paradosis refers to doctrine, instruction, or a tradition delivered or communicated from one person to another (usually orally).

The words “you were taught” are from the verb didaskō, meaning “to teach.”

The words “whether” and “or” are both translated from eite, which is made up of ei, meaning “whether” and te, meaning “and.” This word is used to set items in contrast or opposition to one another. It is used at the beginning of the comparison and again between the two things being compared.

Meaning Explained

You may recall from earlier in this letter that the Christians in Thessalonica were disturbed because false teachers had come to them and taught that the Day of the Lord (the Tribulation) had already come. Some of these false teachers had even claimed that their false teaching had come from the Apostle Paul and his companions.

Now, having taught them about the things that must happen before the Day of the Lord, Paul teaches them how to detect and avoid such false teachings in the future. He starts off with a command to stand fast, that is, to not waver back and forth between good doctrine and bad. He adds to this the command to master the good teaching and hold firmly to it.

Keep in mind that in the first century of the church, the only “Scripture” that Christians had was what we call “the Old Testament.” Paul and others were traveling from area to area preaching the new truths and they and others of the Apostles had begun sending letters to churches teaching the truths of the Christian faith. In some cases it was hard for the people to distinguish between good doctrine and false teaching. Therefore, Paul taught them to hold fast to the teaching that they knew to be genuine. This would help them to identify false teaching from others.

In some ways, it us just as easy for us to be deceived by false teaching. If we don’t regularly read and study the Bible for ourselves, instead simply depending on what we are taught by others, it is easy to accept teaching that is not true.

Now, a quick word about traditions. Just because a church has held to long taught traditions, doesn’t mean that they are the truth. The word here translated “traditions” refers specifically to good doctrine and sound teaching. Again, we must be familiar enough with what the Bible actually teaches in order to distinguish between long held traditions and good doctrine.

Application

In these last days it is especially important to know what the Bible teaches. In 2 Timothy 4:3 Paul warned Timothy that many will not want sound doctrine. Stand firm in the faith and hold on dearly to what you know is truth. Don’t be deceived!

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Thessalonians 2:15 – Stand Firm and Hold Fast

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Will

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Truth to Learn

We must learn truth and hold fast to what we know is true.

Behind the Words

The words “you were taught” are from the verb didaskō, meaning “to teach.”

Meaning Explained

Keep in mind that in the first century of the church, the only “Scripture” that Christians had was what we call “the Old Testament.” Paul and others were traveling from area to area preaching the new truths and they and others of the Apostles had begun sending letters to churches teaching the truths of the Christian faith. In some cases it was hard for the people to distinguish between good doctrine and false teaching. Therefore, Paul taught them to hold fast to, to master, the teaching that they knew to be genuine. This would help them to identify false teaching from others.

Application

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:21 – Living The Truth

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Will

if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Truth to Learn

Christians know the truth and should live as such.

Behind the Words

“If indeed” is the translation of the Greek word eige, which is made up of ei, meaning “if” and ge, meaning “indeed.”

The Greek verb akouō, meaning “to hear” is translated here as “you have heard.” It is expressed in the aorist tense and the indicative mood, indicating real action which occurred at a point in time in the past. A more accurate translation of this word would be “you heard.”

“Have been taught” is from the verb didaskō, meaning “to teach.” It is expressed in the aorist tense, passive voice, and indicative mood, indicating past completed action done to the subject (you). Thus, a more accurate translation would be “you were taught.”

“Truth” is from the Greek word alētheia which means “that which is real and true.” In the New Testament it is translated as “truth” or “reality.”

Meaning Explained

In the opening part of this verse, it may appear that Paul is questioning whether or not the Christians in Ephesus are really saved. The expression “if indeed you have heard Him” seems to imply that they may not have. However, if we look at the Greek grammar of this expression, we learn something entirely different. In Greek there are four types of conditional clauses; however, only three of them appear in the New Testament. They are referred to as first class conditional, second class conditional, and third class conditional clauses. In the first class conditional clause there is an underlying assumption that the “if statement” is true. An example might be, “If you want to live, you have to keep breathing.” The assumption is that you want to live. In the second class conditional clause there is an underlying assumption that it is false. An example of this might be, “If I were you I wouldn’t do that.” The assumption is that I am not you. The third class conditional makes no assumption about the truth of the “if statement.”

Based on the grammatical structure of the “if statement” in this verse (ei used with a verb in the indicative mood), it is a first class conditional clause. In English a close approximation of the first class conditional clause would be to replace “if” with “since.” If we apply this and the translation suggestions mentioned above, this verse would read, “Since indeed you heard Him and were taught by Him, for the truth is in Jesus.”

We who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have heard the truth, and we have believed the truth. Therefore, as Paul said in verse seventeen, we should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk. We are not in the dark, and we are not blinded by Satan; therefore, we should live our lives in accordance with what God desires from us.

Application

When I was a young Christian, I heard a question that really made me think about how I live my life. It is this: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” How about you, would you be found guilty?

In God’s service, for His glory,