May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God

2 Thessalonians 3 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; ² and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. ⁴ We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

⁶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; ⁹ not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. ¹¹ For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. ¹² Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. ¹³ But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

¹⁴ If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. ¹⁵ Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

¹⁷ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Many people defend and promote welfare programs as being Biblical. How would these people respond though to the idea of a work requirement for participating in the benefits of that program? Would they say that was unfair, unconstitutional; unbiblical?  In today’s text it says:   Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you;  not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.  Paul says those who are not willing to work should not eat from the labor of others.

There is often a principle in play regarding things like free assistance and welfare programs. It is that if there is no cost for something, it is regarded as having little or no value. There is a natural human tendency to expect more of something that comes at no cost; to appreciate it less because it is free. There is less stewardship of money and things when there is no investment on the part of the recipient. The most successful programs require an investment or at least sweat equity; participation from the recipient. There are some people who regard the grace of God in that fashion, that because it is a free gift, requiring nothing of the recipient, it has little value; it is something to be presumed upon; to expect more of. While the gift of God’s grace is given freely to us, it came at a great cost. Jesus suffered and died on the cross so that we could receive God’s grace. In today’s text Paul says:  May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.  We are not participants in the great cost of God’s grace, but in response to it our hearts should be directed into the love of God and steadfastness in Christ. We should treasure God’s grace and be good stewards of all that He has given us in Christ. In Philippians 2:12 Paul says:  Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.   Ephesians 2:8-10 says: By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.   We don’t work for our salvation, it is given to us freely through the sacrifice of Christ. But in response to the free gift of salvation through grace, we should walk and work out our salvation, doing the good works God has prepared for us and by grace prepared us for.  

The text says:  We command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us…   If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.  Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.   First we must remember that this instruction is regarding interaction among believers not the world. In 1 Corinthians 5:9-12 it says:  I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;  I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges.  It is an unrealistic expectation to think that unbelievers will live free from sin, but just because we interact with and associate with them does not mean that we should tolerate or embrace sin within the church; among believers. We are to admonish unruly behavior among believers. In 2 Timothy 4:2-4 Paul exhorts Timothy saying:  Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.   Our goal should always be not that we cast people away or out of the church, but rather that in love and patience, we restore them to the grace of God; that they may walk and work out their salvation doing the good works of God.

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!   Amen.