Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
What are we to do with those who talk about being brother/sisters in Christ, but walk as though they are not? Paul is writing to the churches in the area of Thessalonica and is giving them warnings about idleness and hypocrisy. There were many in the church at that time that so believed that the coming of Christ was so eminent, that they stop working altogether and were living off the church. They were no longer contributing, but were simply idle. They had become som heavenly minded, they were not earthly good. Paul tells the church to have no company with them. But, he then adds the above statement. They should not “hang” with these people but they should not “hang” these people either. The conduct of withdrawing from them was not foreign to Paul or the churches (see 1 Corinthians 5). What Paul wants to make sure is that the church is not complicit with these idle worshippers and not companions with them. But, he also did not want brothers in Christ, who had taken a solid doctrine the wrong way, to become enemies of the church. We are not to treat other believers as enemies. We are of the same body. Note what Paul said in the beginning of this letter:
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
He wanted their love for each other to increase. But, he also knew that there were some who were NOT walking in good doctrine and, even after being corrected, continued to be a burden on the church. These folks were to be admonished like a brother, but not treated as an enemy.
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