2 Thessalonians 3:13-18: a reflection

As Paul instructs the church about how to deal with a member who will not obey, he gives a striking guideline: even one who must be corrected is to be admonished as a brother, not treated as an enemy. Don't count him as an enemy, Paul says, but admonish him as a brother. Even when someone in the community has done wrong and must be corrected, even firmly, the aim is not to treat them as an enemy to be defeated or cast out, but to admonish them as a brother, for their restoration. The correction is to be restorative, aimed at winning the person back, not hostile. This shows that even those who must be corrected are to be treated as brothers, not enemies. Admonish the erring as a brother, not as an enemy. Correction is meant to be restorative, not hostile. Even the one corrected is to be treated as a brother. The aim of correction is restoration, not defeat.

Notice the spirit Paul enjoins even in firm correction: admonish him as a brother, not as an enemy. When someone in the community persists in wrong and must be corrected, even to the point of a kind of separation meant to bring them to shame and repentance, Paul is careful to guard against a hostile spirit. The person is not to be counted as an enemy, treated with hostility, written off, or cast out for good; they are to be admonished as a brother, with the aim of their restoration. The correction, however firm, is to be restorative, seeking to win the person back, not to defeat or destroy them. This is important for how we deal with those who do wrong, whether in the church or in our own relationships. We can treat those who wrong us or persist in wrong as enemies, with hostility, writing them off, seeking their defeat. But the way Paul enjoins is different: even in correction, even in firmness, to treat the person as a brother, not an enemy, with the aim of restoration rather than defeat. Correction rightly done is restorative, seeking to win the person back in love. We do well to correct, when we must, in this spirit: as brothers, not enemies, for restoration. Correct in the spirit of restoration, treating the person as a brother. Do not treat those who must be corrected as enemies. Even firm correction seeks the person's restoration, not defeat. Admonish the erring in love, aiming to win them back.

That is worth taking to heart, for even those who must be corrected are to be admonished as brothers, not treated as enemies, and correction is to be restorative, aimed at winning the person back. We can treat those who do wrong or persist in it as enemies, with hostility, writing them off and seeking their defeat; but Paul enjoined that even one who must be corrected is not to be counted as an enemy but admonished as a brother, for restoration. Correction is meant to restore. When you must correct someone, do it in the spirit of restoration, treating them as a brother, not an enemy, aiming to win them back. Correct those who must be corrected in the spirit of restoration, admonishing them as brothers rather than treating them as enemies, as Paul instructed the church that even a member who would not obey and had to be corrected, even to the point of a separation meant to bring them to shame and repentance, was not to be counted as an enemy but admonished as a brother; for we can treat those who wrong us or persist in wrong as enemies, with hostility, writing them off and seeking their defeat, but the way Paul enjoins is different, that even in correction, even in firmness, we treat the person as a brother and not an enemy, with the aim of their restoration rather than their defeat, so that correction rightly done is restorative, seeking to win the person back in love, and we do well, when we must correct, to do it in this spirit, as brothers and not enemies, for restoration rather than hostility.