Accountability

Have you ever had an experience like this? It's late and you decide to call it a day by heading off to bed. Prior to making your way into the bedroom, you make one last pass through the house, locking the doors, closing the blinds, and turning off all lights. Upon completing this nightly ritual, you enjoy a restful sleep in the safety and comfort of your home. Refreshed and energized by your good night's sleep, you head out of the house to start your day. Upon entering the garage you discover that while your sleep may have been restful, your home was not secure—you left the garage door open all night! You may have rested well that night, but you did so with a false sense of security.

Paul desired that the Thessalonians find rest in their relationship with Christ. To this end, he sought to warn them and prepare them for a host of exigencies that posed a serious threat both to their peace and to their witness. Throughout his letters, Paul covered numerous topics ranging from their confusion regarding the end times to the sexual purity of each member. He taught them how to rest in the promise of their future glory and how to tirelessly pursue a life of faithful obedience. He encouraged them to look out for one another, and he challenged them to be on the lookout for their enemy. The 248Thessalonians could rest knowing that Paul had fully prepared them to live out their faith.

Yet before he concludes his final letter, Paul does not want the Thessalonians to rest with a false sense of security. So he reminds them of a significant danger to the church. He writes,

Surprisingly, one of the greatest dangers to the Thessalonian church was not a blatant attack from people on the outside, but the carelessness and laziness of people on the inside. Paul refers to these individuals as those who behave "irresponsibly" (3:6, 11). They were the unruly church members who were causing problems for everyone else.

This is not the first encounter with these individuals. In fact, they appeared several times in Paul's first letter (1 Thess 4:11-12; 5:14). Some suggest that these people represent those who have quit their jobs in anticipation of the coming of Christ. Others argue that they were poor members of the church who were taking advantage of the affluent members. Whoever these people were and whatever the reason for their irresponsibility, clearly their conduct and their attitude were adversely affecting the church. Paul clearly sees the need to address this issue. As Gordon Fee observes, although Paul does not mention names, he leaves little to the imagination as to whom he has in mind by using language that is direct and to the point. Fee writes,

In many ways this opening presentation of the issue comes in the strongest language in the entire passage, indeed the entire letter. It is understandably addressed to the community as a whole, since that is the case with the letter as a whole and there would be very little purpose in addressing the slackers themselves in any case. Nonetheless, if they should happen to be present when this letter is read to the whole community, they are about to get an earful. (Fee, First and Second Letters, 326)

Believers have an obligation to hold one another accountable for their actions and to deal accordingly with those who reject biblical instruction. Nothing disrupts unity or undermines credibility like believers who fail to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with biblical truth. As difficult as it may be, the church has a responsibility 249to ensure its own purity by holding those accountable who fail to obey God's Word. This accountability comes in two ways: by exercising church discipline and by providing biblical instruction. This passage includes both, in the form of five admonitions: don't be lazy, don't be a burden, don't be weary, don't be negligent, and don't be forgetful.

Don't Be Lazy

2 Thessalonians 3:6b-10

In his letter to the Colossian church Paul sets forth an all-encompassing pattern for how Christians should conduct their lives:

Because Christ's followers aim to please Him, they seek to live their lives and do their work with passion and excellence. Christians will thus be guided by a different set of convictions about why they work and a different standard for how they do their work.

Although Paul previously taught the Thessalonians these things, some in the fellowship had failed to take his instruction to heart. Even a cursory reading of this passage reveals Paul's deep concern for how their poor work ethic was reflecting on the Lord and His church. As this passage vividly illustrates, Paul had little tolerance for lazy Christians. He tackles this matter head on by drawing their attention to two reasons why they should avoid laziness: the traditions they received and the example he set.

Be Informed by the Truth (2 Thess 3:6b, 10)

"The tradition" refers specifically to Paul's previous teaching on the subject of work. In his first letter Paul gave them the following instruction:

Considering the profound theological instruction found in the Thessalonian letters, we might wonder why Paul would devote such a significant amount of time on the mundane idea of work. For Paul, 250Christianity was worthless unless it found its way into the fabric of life. How the church lived said much about what the church believed. If we take God's Word seriously, then we will take it to work with us. That is, how we do our work will reflect on the One we claim to worship.

So adamant is Paul that Christians should lead by their example that he reminds them of his previous injunction: "If anyone isn't willing to work, he should not eat" (3:10). His use of the imperfect tense of the verb indicates the repetitiveness with which he previously issued this command. In the strongest words possible, Paul wishes to persuade the irresponsible Thessalonians to go to work. Those who refuse this directive must be subject to the discipline of the church.

Be Challenged by the Example of Others (2 Thess 3:7-10)

Added to their reluctance to heed Paul's instruction was their unwillingness to learn from his example. With confidence that his life was patterned after God's standard for how to live and work, Paul challenged the Thessalonians to "imitate" him (3:7, 9). Morris notes the significance of such a claim:

No preaching of the gospel can ever be really effective unless the life of the preacher is such as to commend the message. Those who hear must feel that they are listening to one whose life shows his sincerity and the power of the message he brings. (Morris, First and Second, 254)

The Greek philosopher Aristotle described the preacher's trustworthiness, sincerity, and credibility as ethos (Rhetoric and Poetics, 1356a, 1-21). The audience's receptivity to a message is closely connected to the credibility of the one who shares the message. Paul makes clear to the Thessalonians that his credibility is not in doubt, and he appeals to their personal observation of his life to back this up:

In other words, Paul recognized the vital importance for the matching of his life with his words.

Avoid the temptation to move past these words too quickly. There exists today an unhealthy sense of entitlement among many who claim to 251be called to serve as ministers in God's church. All too often, before considering a new pastorate, the first question many pastors ask is, "What's in it for me?" While churches have a responsibility to care for those who serve (1 Tim 5:17; 1 Cor 9:3-14), those who are called to lead the church can learn much from Paul's example. Paul, Silas, and Timothy provided for their own needs and at the same time poured their lives into the Thessalonians. Their willingness to support themselves and thus not to burden the church reveals much about the depth of their love for God's people. One could imagine their diligent work at their jobs during the day and passionate preaching of the gospel at night. It is no wonder that Paul notes how they "labored and struggled" to keep from being a burden to the church (3:8). Such a commitment had to be exhausting. To have more concern for the people to whom they preached and the message they were charged to proclaim than for their own welfare reveals much about the character and integrity of these men.

Don't Be a Burden

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12

Standing on the platform of his personal integrity and pastoral example, Paul directly addressed the root of the problem in the church: "For we hear that there are some among you who walk irresponsibly, not working at all, but interfering with the work of others" (3:11). As if being irresponsible were not bad enough, such individuals were becoming a burden to those who were seeking to quietly live out their faith. It's one thing to be out of line, but it is an entirely different matter when you become a distraction to the entire church.

With pastoral concern for the health of the church, Paul appealed to the offenders by exhorting them to consider the outcome of their conduct. By spending their time meddling in other people's business, these irresponsible members were actually keeping the conscientious church members from doing their work. Paul uses an interesting wordplay in the Greek language to indicate that those who were not busy were actually being busybodies (3:11). You can imagine the disunity that such persons could cause in a church. Idleness and laziness in the Christian life are never good things. Those who live such a lifestyle will adversely affect the productivity of others.

The appropriate corrective for such a lifestyle is simple: get to work and be quiet (3:12). Those who are not busy must find something to do. 252God does not intend for any believer to be unnecessarily dependent on others. Instead, believers are responsible to care for their own needs and lead a quiet life. Instead of meddling feverishly in the affairs of others, they are to reflect a state of inward peace and contentment.

Don't Be Weary

2 Thessalonians 3:13

As is often the case, irresponsible and unruly believers have the potential to discourage even the most faithful Christians. Knowing that a discouraged church is unhealthy and unproductive, Paul turns his attention to encourage the faithful. His directive is quite simple: "Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good" (3:13). For those who may become discouraged by the wayward members and so be tempted to lose heart or patience, Paul challenges them to keep doing the right thing. The right thing in this instance may be for the faithful members to continue pursuing their work diligently and be an example to others. Or the faithful members may be challenged to come alongside the wayward for the purpose of correcting and disciplining them. Whatever the case, Paul recognized that for the church to be healthy, its members must never tire of doing the right thing (Gal 6:9). Hence, he appears to be challenging the faithful members to hold those accountable who have chosen to live in a manner unbecoming for a follower of Christ.

If you have been in ministry for any period of time then you know how easily the entire course of a church can be determined by a few disorderly or irresponsible members. As is often the case, these disorderly and irresponsible members never seem to grow weary in wearying others. The unfortunate outcome is that the faithful members become easily discouraged and tacitly concede victory to a few recalcitrant individuals. The very ones who have the responsibility to ensure the purity and integrity of the church are the first ones to give up or give in. Sensing perhaps that such an eventuality was possible in Thessalonica, Paul exhorted the church to do the right thing by addressing the problem before it got worse.

Indeed, sin within the fellowship of a church seldom goes away by itself, and it often gets worse. Christians intuitively know this, yet many are reluctant to do anything about it. An example of this is found in Corinth. Because of their arrogance and pride, the Corinthian Christians were not only unwilling to address a serious sin within their fellowship, 253but they had also become so callous that they were tolerating this serious offense as if there were no sin at all. Like a cancer eating away at the health of a physical body, the Corinthians' sin was destroying the health and vitality of their church. Left unchecked, the sin of a few members had the potential to affect every member within the body adversely. Paul could not be clearer in how he expected the church to respond:

Paul expected the church to treat the matter of sin seriously, even to the point of excluding the offender from the fellowship. Pursuing such a course of action was not for the faint of heart. It would require the resolve of the entire church.

Turning back to Thessalonica, Paul's charge not to "grow weary in doing good" may very well be a call for the Thessalonians to have the tenacity and resolve to deal with the busybodies in the church. In verses 14 and 15 Paul calls on the entire church to deal with this matter. A failure to address the issue of sin had serious ramifications for the testimony of the church. The Thessalonians could not abdicate their responsibility to practice church discipline. Greg Wills makes an important point:

The unintended consequences of abandoning church discipline are great. It implicitly condones sin and obscures the church's vision regarding sin and righteousness. It demonstrates a lack of faith in the teaching of the Bible and the explicit command of Christ. And it weakens the testimony of the church to the outside world. (Wills, "Historical Analysis," 270)

Don't Be Negligent

2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15

Sin in the church is a serious matter. God expects His people to take an active role in maintaining the purity and guarding the integrity of His church. He has thus prescribed a means of discipline by which 254the church should respond to sin in its fellowship. Thomas Schreiner explains why God's people cannot turn their backs on the issue of sin:

Discipline is necessary so the church retains its purity and power. If sin is tolerated in the community, the difference between the church and the world is erased. If the church's purity is compromised, then the message of the gospel is diluted, and the message of salvation and the glory of God are besmirched. (Schreiner, "Biblical Basis," 225)

Since the consequences of inaction threatened to derail the ongoing work of the Thessalonian church, Paul called on the Thessalonians to take action. The church could not turn its back on the matter. According to Stott, this section of 2 Thessalonians contains "some of the most important teaching in the New Testament on the subject of church discipline" (Stott, Gospel and the End, 193). In this passage are three key principles of church discipline: hold fast, take note and keep away, and seek restoration.

Hold Fast (2 Thess 3:6b, 14)

The Thessalonians recognized the authority of God's Word as the standard by which believers evaluate everything in the church (1 Thess 2:13). Paul therefore reminds them that the "tradition" and "our instruction in this letter" must be the starting point for church discipline. Those whose lives reflect habitual and willful disregard for God's Word must be made aware of the serious implications of their disobedience. In the case of the Thessalonians, the sin of the unruly and lazy Christians had become public and disruptive, and therefore detrimental to the health of the church. Furthermore, because these individuals remained unrepentant, inaction by the entire church was not an option. God demands obedience to His Word. Scripture is replete with instruction concerning how God expects those who belong to him to obey His Word and with repercussions that result from disobeying His Word (Deut 11:26-28; 1 Sam 15:22-23; 1 Kgs 13:11-26; John 14:15, 21; Jas 1:22-25; 1 John 5:2-3).

Obviously, proper church discipline can only occur within the context of a biblically grounded church. From the outset of his ministry in Thessalonica, Paul exposed the Thessalonians to truth. They were saved by the truth (1 Thess 1:5; 2 Thess 2:14), they were being sanctified by the truth (1 Thess 5:23-24; 2 Thess 2:13), and their future security was resting on the truth (1 Thess 4:13-18; 2 Thess 2:5). He therefore 255praised them for their obedience to this truth (1 Thess 1:6; 2:13), and he corrected them for their disobedience to it (1 Thess 5:14). The Thessalonians could not claim ignorance concerning God's standards for how they were to conduct their lives. It is against this backdrop that Paul instructs them how to respond to the "irresponsible" in the fellowship.

Take Note and Keep Away (2 Thess 3:6, 14)

Although Paul is not specific as to the exact manner by which the church was to approach the sinning members, the implication is that when the church would "take note" of those individuals, they would be served public notice that their unbiblical conduct and lifestyle was unacceptable to God. In the spirit of Matthew 18:15-16 Paul suggests to the church such action that these individuals would experience the shame of their sin and thus repent and be restored prior to any further action. Martin believes this to be the case:

The punishment was not to alienate the person and make him an enemy of the church but to make the person aware of the wrongness of his actions by demonstrating the church's unanimous condemnation of his behavior. (Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians, 286)

Green adds,

The concern that motivated this call to separation is not that the rest of the church will be infected by the behavior of the unruly, but that the unruly will respond to the discipline.... In a society oriented primarily toward the group rather than the individual and in which honor and shame were fundamental motivations for human action, the prescribed social separation that provoked shame would have been a powerful discipline. (Green, Letters, 355)

To underscore the public nature of this discipline, Paul commanded the entire church to "keep away from" the sinning individuals and to avoid associating with them (3:6, 14; see also 1 Cor 5:9, 11). Since his previous attempts to bring them back in line had failed (1 Thess 4:11-12; 5:14), the matter was now before the church. At this point, Paul's desire is that the issue would not escalate to the level of excommunication (Matt 18:17; 1 Cor 5:5). But in order to avoid 256such a fate, the Thessalonians needed to make the difficult choice to withhold fellowship from some of their own. While such an action may sound judgmental and cruel, its ultimate purpose is remedial and redemptive. In fact, the cruelest thing that we can do to a sinning brother or sister is to refuse to warn them of the consequences of traveling down a road that will ultimately lead to their ruin and destruction (Ezek 3:16-21; 33:1-9).

Seek Restoration (2 Thess 3:15)

The purpose of church discipline is never punitive; it is always redemptive. The erring brother or sister is not an enemy of the church. They are a brother or sister for whom Christ died. Believers have the solemn responsibility of holding one another accountable, even to the point of taking the drastic measure of withholding fellowship from an unrepentant church brother or sister. The focus is not on retribution or rebuke but on reestablishing the individual within the fellowship of God's people. As Schreiner so aptly sums it up,

The primary reason for discipline is the purity of the church and hence the glory of God. If the church tolerates blatant sin in its midst, then sin will spread like an infection, and the church will lose its witness to the world. The great deliverance accomplished by Christ in His Passover sacrifice will be compromised. Hence, Paul calls upon the believers to be what they are in Christ. Therefore, they must judge those who are in sin and refuse to repent by removing them from the church. Such judgment does not violate what Jesus said about judging (Matt 7:1-5). Indeed, it fulfills Jesus' instructions on discipline (Matt 18:15-20). Self-righteous judgment violates Jesus' words in Matt 7:1-6. Those who reprove others must be gentle (Gal 6:1) and beware of being puffed up with their own "righteousness." True discipline comes from a humble heart, and the motive of discipline is the salvation of the one who strayed. Those who give way to sin and fail to repent are in danger of final destruction. Discipline is a shock treatment designed to provoke those who are rebellious to return to the Lord. (Schreiner, "Biblical Basis," 220-21)

Clearly, the act of church discipline is not a matter that a church entertains lightly. When handled correctly, we have the opportunity not only 257to "win" your brother or sister (Matt 18:15), but also to convey God's message of redemption to a watching world.

Don't Be Forgetful

2 Thessalonians 3:16-18

This final section marks Paul's fourth prayer in 2 Thessalonians (1:11-12; 2:16-17; 3:5). Throughout his letters, Paul's prayers on behalf of the Thessalonians are pointed and purposeful. He recognized that the Thessalonians were going to need divine enablement to live in the manner set forth in his letters. So, concerning their ability to view their present suffering through the lens of God's greater purpose, he prays that God would endow them with power (1:11). With regard to his challenging teaching on the antichrist and the Day of the Lord, he prays that God would fill them with comfort (2:17). Concerning their ongoing persecution from evil people, he prays that God would enable them to endure (3:5). Finally, knowing the challenges of dealing with unrepentant and recalcitrant church members, he prays for God to give them peace (3:16).

With a final note of peace and grace, the letter ends in the exact way that it began. As Fee observes, considering the weighty subject matter contained within the letter, Paul could strike no more appropriate note on which to conclude:

In light of the preceding content (God's coming judgment on their enemies; the timing of the day of the Lord; and unrest caused by the disruptive-idle), this prayer is precisely what is needed. So quite in keeping with what will become his lifelong habit, the "grace" at the end of the letter focuses altogether on their shalom. And quite in keeping with the overall Christological focus in this letter, the prayer is for "the Lord of peace" to give them peace. (Fee, First and Second Letters, 340)

God's peace and grace keep you firmly planted amid the challenges of living out your faith. Paul places the emphasis on God Himself as the source of your peace. Hence, to have a relationship with God is to know His peace. Even as his world was caving in around him, King David knew that he had the security of God's peace. His words should serve as a comfort to you:

Because God's peace is impossible without God's presence, Paul adds these words to his prayer: "The Lord be with all of you" (3:16). What comfort the Thessalonians could take in knowing that God was not going to abandon them. With God's presence, Jesus' grace, the Spirit's enablement, and reliable words from Paul's own pen (3:17), these young believers had every resource necessary to pursue their mission until the coming of Christ.

Conclusion

A number of years ago I invited some friends to join me on a trout fishing trip in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. On the planned day, we arrived early at the park entrance, unloaded our gear, hiked several miles upstream into the park, and fished our way back downstream to where we were parked. Although we did not catch many fish, we enjoyed the scenery and one another's company. As the day drew to a close we made our way back to the entrance and prepared to load my truck for the journey home. Reaching into my pocket to get my keys, I made the startling discovery that they were gone. After searching all of my pockets I informed my friends of the situation. For the next hour we retraced our steps back up the trail in what would ultimately prove to be 259a futile attempt at finding my keys. I can vividly recall my friends repeatedly asking me if I was sure that I did not have my keys. "Of course not," I replied. "I have searched every conceivable pocket, and besides do you think I would have us search for keys that I knew were not lost?" With the daylight and our hopes fading, we prepared to spend a long cold night under the stars. As we stood alongside my truck discussing our next move for the evening, I reached into my back pocket and removed my billfold. As I did, I noticed that my "lost" truck key was in my pocket behind my billfold. I had it with me the entire time! Needless to say, my friends did not have many kind words for me that evening. But we all learned a valuable lesson: it is fruitless to search for something that you already have.

God has provided every conceivable resource necessary for the health and well-being of His people and His church. Through the inspired pens of the biblical authors, He has given us His completely trustworthy and perfectly reliable Word. Armed with "the tradition" to guide us and His presence within us, He provides sufficient peace and grace to endure any suffering, meet any challenge, and overcome any obstacle. As Peter puts it, God has provided for His people "everything required for life and godliness" (2 Pet 1:3). We therefore don't need to look for something that we already have. Instead, we would do well to obey the commandments and appropriate the resources that God has already given us. When the Thessalonians embraced the gospel, they left behind their gods to follow the one true and living God. They were eagerly waiting for the day when God would give Jesus the command to gather His people. Although that day was delayed, the Thessalonians could rest knowing that God Himself was fully committed to completing the work that He began in them. The gospel was doing its work in them, but the gospel was also doing its work through them. That is what the gospel does. And that is why we don't have to look for anything new. It is more than sufficient.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Based on your understanding of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, what do you think was the sin of the "irresponsible" Christians?
2. What is the connection between spiritual rest in our relationship with Christ and the pursuit of productive work?
3. What are some biblical reasons that Christians should be excellent workers at any job they have?
4. 260Describe how Paul, Silas, and Timothy demonstrated a strong work ethic.
5. Describe a situation in which the behavior of others might make you "weary." What can you do about it?
6. Why do the "strong" church members often fail at holding the "irresponsible" members accountable?
7. What are the consequences of a church failing to practice church discipline?
8. What is the primary foundation for church discipline?
9. What is the ultimate purpose of church discipline?
10. What is the primary purpose of Paul's four prayers in 2 Thessalonians? How can studying his prayers help you to be more intentional in your prayer life?