The Idle

The Idle

As Paul brings this letter to a close, he returns to the issue of the “idle” (ataktoi). The word means “loafers,” “freeloaders,” “spongers,” “disorderly,” or “unruly.”  Having already mentioned them in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, he mentions them three times in 2 Thessalonians 3 (vv. 6, 7, 11). This is the third group disturbing the Thessalonian church: * Persecutors (chapter 1) * False teachers (chapter 2) * The idle (chapter 3) Paul does not explicitly reveal the reason for their idleness, but the issue seems to be their belief in the imminence of the second coming which had led them to give up their jobs. Paul told them in his first letter to return to work, but evidently his orders had not been obeyed. What sin does Paul address and how does a church deal with it?

Man of Lawlessness

Persecution wasn’t the only problem plaguing the Thessalonians. They were also facing the problem of false teaching. Misunderstandings regarding the second coming still threatened to shake the church’s spiritual stability. In response, Paul answers five important questions. His answers supplement the teaching from the first epistle and the instruction he gave during his short time with the Thessalonians.

Affliction

The second epistle to the Thessalonians was probably written shortly after the first. Between the writing of the two epistles, while Paul remained in Corinth with Timothy and Silas, the apostle received another report about the church in Thessalonica (3:11). Among other things, he heard that the persecution Paul experienced in Thessalonica continued to threaten the church that he had established (Acts 17:1-9). Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonians begins with encouragement to a group of Christians who are facing serious affliction.

The Day of the Lord

Last episode, we discussed 1 Thessalonians 4, where Paul answers the question, "What happens after death?" This week he answers another, similar question, “What will happen at the end of the world?”

The Second Coming

Because Paul had so little time with the church at Thessalonica, they misunderstood some of the most troubling questions of reality: questions about death and life after death.