Paul the
apostle felt “bound to give thanks always to God” for the
Thessalonian church members because “from the beginning”
God had “chosen” them “to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”. They
were “called” by Paul and his traveling companions'
“gospel” and would therefore “obtain the glory”
of the “Lord Jesus Christ”. In chapter two and verse
fifteen of his second letter to them, Paul told the Thessalonians to
“stand fast” and “hold the traditions which have been
taught” where we read:
Therefore,
brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have been
taught,
whether
by word, or our epistle.
The
verse begins, “Therefore, brethren,
stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught,...”
Paul began
with the word, “Therefore”
which means “so then, wherefore, then, accordingly, consequently
and these things being so” “brethren”
which refers to “a brother, whether born
of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother and a
fellow believer which is united to another by the bond of affection”
“stand fast”
or “stand firm, persevere, persist and keep one's standing” “and
hold”
which means “have power, be powerful, chief, master of , rule, get
possession of, obtain, take hold of, seize, do not let go of,
continue and retain” “the
traditions”
which is the Greek word “paradosis”
and means “giving up or over and surrender to that which is done by
word of mouth or in writing” these are “traditions by
instruction, narrative, precepts and rituals” “which
you”, “the
Thessalonian church members” “have
been taught”
or “had discourses in order to instruct, give didactic discourses
and instill doctrine”. Because false teachings by those outside of
the faith were prevalent among the Thessalonians, Paul wanted to
insure the church members followed after the doctrine and teachings
he and his companions taught them.
The
verse continues, “...whether by word, or our epistle.” Paul
went on to add, “whether” which means “if and or” “by
word” which is the Greek word “logos” and refers to
“speech, utterance, decree, mandate or order which include the
moral precepts given by God” “or our epistle” which
means “letter or written message”. Whether the Thessalonians were
privy to the doctrine of the gospel by Paul and his entourage's
speaking or through his previous letter, Paul wanted to insure the
church members kept true to what he and his men taught them.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we begin to understand the
importance of “laying hold of” and “not letting go” of the
true teachings of the gospel. Paul used the word “traditions”
to describe these truths, and since they were directly from he and
his companions through speech and letter, they were the doctrine of
God. We too must “continue in and retain” the truth of the gospel
of Jesus Christ, and should anyone seek to sway us to something other
than the word of God, let us put those ideas away and hold fast to
what God Almighty has given us to believe through His word.
Next
time Paul tells the Thessalonians how God has “given
us
everlasting consolation and good hope through grace”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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