Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20020714.htm

2 THESSALONIANS: BLESSING BY RIGHT ESCHATOLOGY
Part IV: God's Peace By Separation From Those With Disorderly Error
(2 Thessalonians 3:6-18)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

There is a move in many Gospel-preaching Christian groups to promote God's love and peace by tolerating even non-Biblical beliefs and parties that function disruptively due to their beliefs:

(1) One month after the September 11 terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists, well-known Evangelical Pastor Bill Hybels of the Willow Creek Community Church shared his pulpit with the Muslim cleric, Fisal Hammouda to promote what he alleged were strong ties between the Islamic faith and Christianity. This cleric then said "that Muslims believe in Jesus, more than [Christians] do in fact . . .'" at which point Pastor Hybels dared to disagree with the cleric! (T. A. McMahon, The Berean Call, March, 2002, p. 1)

Well, are we then to fellowship with ALL Islamics, even those who are INTENT on DESTROYING America's important landmarks until our nation does what the TERRORISTS want? How do we KNOW?

(2) In a seminar in a Church in our part of Connecticut, a former graduate of the same seminary where I graduated in 1976 recently told Christians to "agree on the big doctrines, but agree to disagree on the details" of belief differences. He meant we should agree as Evangelicals that salvation is by faith alone in Christ, but whether we should all agree (for example) that one can lose his salvation or not should be held in unresolved tension among believers. He might hold that as long as people are saved, we should tolerate their fellowship even if they teach one must speak in tongues to go to heaven in addition to believing in Christ.

Well, since we at Nepaug Church hold we MUST teach that once saved, the believer is unconditionally eternally saved, are WE WRONG and UNLOVING not to allow believers to become members of our Church who teach our children they can LOSE their salvation and UPSET them, or proclaim they must speak in tongues to go to HEAVEN that would upset them if they could not DO this "speaking in tongues"? How do we KNOW?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "Though Ephesians 4:3 tells us to uphold the unity GOD produces in the Church in PEACE, IF a believer holds to ERRANT beliefs that UPSET Church GODLINESS, what THEN? If we act NEGATIVELY to the errant, won't that ruin the Church's peace?!"
  1. Some of the Thessalonian believers held to errant doctrine on future events (Eschatology) that disrupted the church's godliness:
    1. Paul mentioned a problem of some Thessalonian Christians who walked in a disorderly manner contrary to the "tradition" KJV or "teaching" NIV they had received from him, 2 Thessalonians 3:6.
    2. Viewing the context, we note this disorderly conduct had risen from a few believers holding to errant beliefs on future events (eschatology):
      1. The word "tradition" (KJV) or "teaching" (NIV) in 3:6 is translated from paradosis and identifies what instructions Paul had (literally) "handed down" to these Thessalonian believers, UBS Greek N.T., p. 718; Ardnt & Gingrich, A Greek-Engl. Lex. of the N.T., p. 621.
      2. This word, "paradosis" is used elsewhere in 2 Thessalonians only in 2 Thess. 2:15 to identify the eschatology, or doctrines of future events Paul taught his readers in 2:1-14 about the PREtribulation rapture (that Christ would take the Church to heaven before the start of the Tribulation when antichrist ruled, Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T.; Moulton & Geden, A Conc. to The Grk. Test., p. 756.
      3. After teaching the rapture would be PREtribulational, Paul had called his readers not to worry about facing antichrist's rule, but to be settled, and function in every good word and work, 2:2, 16-17.
      4. Yet, those who adopted the errant belief they were already experiencing the Tribulation, and would live under the antichrist had stopped working and were living disorderly, 2:15, 6, 10-11:
        1. Paul expressed concern in 3:6 about some who were functioning in a disorderly manner opposite the parodosis he had taught regarding the PREtribulation rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:15.
        2. This had led to their being busybodies and "sponging" off of the goodness of others, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11.
        3. Hence, some had ADOPTED the ERRANT BELIEF Paul mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:2 that the Great Tribulation had ALREADY ARRIVED, and so had QUIT their JOBS, assuming it was useless to work as a Christian under antichrist, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, N. T., p. 713.
        4. This conduct not only strained relationships in the body, but stood to harm the church's reputation and ministry to the world.
  2. Thus, GOD called the GODLY to AVOID CLOSE COMPANY with the DISORDERLY to CORRECT them, 2 Thess. 3:6-15:
    1. The command regarding the proper response to such disorderly believers comes by Christ's strong and direct order, 2 Thess. 3:6.
    2. Hence, CHRIST calls those with correct beliefs and ordered lives (literally) to keep on keeping away from the errant for their own benefit of orderliness' without practicing FULL excommunication so as to shame the errant parties into adjusting their beliefs and lives:
      1. The word rendered "withdraw from" (KJV) or "keep away from" (NIV) in 3:6, stellesthai is in the present middle infinitive, Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T.; The (Zondervan) Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 375.
      2. The middle voice implies an act for the subject's benefit and the present tense the need for continued action, so Paul's readers were to "keep on keeping away for their own benefit of orderliness" from the errant, cf. Machan, N.T. Grk. For Beginners, p. 57, 21-22.
      3. However, this "keeping away" activity was not to be a full-blown excommunication of the errant; rather, it meant not "mixing up together; associating" (sunanamignusthai) with the errant to the harm of one's OWN beliefs and lifestyle, 2 Thess. 3:14-15 (cf. Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T., p. 719; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 792).
      4. This activity would elicit shame in the errant as an effort to warn him to repent to avoid God's discipline, 2 Thessalonians 3:15.
  3. Were they to heed this call for separation, God Himself would give the Church peace "at all times and in every way," 3:16-18 NIV.
Application: (1) For PEACE in the Church, we must first trust in Christ as Savior from sin to have peace with God, John 3:16; Romans 5:1 NIV. (2) Then, we try to keep the unity GOD creates in the Church in the bond of peace in selflessly relating to one another, Eph. 4:1-3. (3) However, IF even a believer adopts error that leads to his INFLUENCING others to DISORDERLY LIVING, we are to WITHDRAW close ties with that party to the EXTENT we need to protect OURSELVES from his sinful influence as a WARNING for the ERRANT to repent. In doing so, GOD will give us HIS peace "at all times and in every way."

Lesson: God has a TRUE PEACE for the Local Church, but it NEVER comes at the price of a TOLERANCE for DISORDERLY SIN; rather, it rises from our being SEPARATE from SIN and its INFLUENCE on us. >

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Recently, I received several e-mails from concerned readers of our web site about the doctrine of Eternal Security.

(1) First, one message came from a teenager in Trinidad who had been taught God predestined him to persevere until the end as He had chosen him to believe in Christ in the first place. Thus, he had believed he was eternally secure based on this Calvinistic belief on the believer's perseverance. Yet, in reading my critique of Calvinism, he saw his eternal security was not based on a God's election as I teach no one is elect to be justified, but that those God knows will be justified are elect unto post-justification themes.

He did not feel as secure as he had before reading my words, and wrote, nervously asking if he still had salvation security in Christ!

What a blessing it was for me to hit the "reply" button and write that he WAS unconditionally secure in Christ because of the SEALING ministry of the Holy Spirit that occurred the instant he believed in Christ's gospel (Ephesian 1:13-14). I told him THAT ministry of the Holy Spirit gave him UNCONDITIONAL salvation security in Christ FOREVER, and that was ALL he needed to be ASSURED of making it to heaven IN THE END!

(2) The second message came in from a man who already knew the Five Points of Calvinism were in error, but who wanted to know he was still eternally secure in Christ even though he was not a Calvinist!

Again, I hit the "reply" button and wrote his salvation was SECURE in the Holy Spirit's SEALING ministry!



Yes, taking that stand had meant opposing the beliefs of other Christian groups. However, if we as a body had decided to "agree to disagree" with other groups on the issue, I would have been forced to write to these concerned people, saying, "Well, WE at Nepaug think you are eternally secure after trusting in Christ, but SOME reputable groups you can go to hell after believing in Christ when you have doubts about Christ 50 years later! I'm sorry I can't make you feel any better about your future!"