Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 2 Thessalonians 2:15
There is something that bothers me every time I read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. When the prodigal returned home, he was warmly welcomed by his father and, apparently, by his father’s servants. But not by his older brother. Despite his father’s entreaty, the older brother would not so much as go into the house where the welcome-home party was underway. As far as he was concerned, that rebellious younger brother should still be off in the far country. He would be just as happy to never see him again. As we read the story, we find it hard to sympathize with the older brother; his attitude seems too hard and unfeeling. As the Lord Jesus told the story, He made it clear that He agreed with the father, not with the older son. And so should we, as we consider the text under consideration today.
Our text follows directions that disobedient Christians are to be avoided, to shame them into obedience. The expression ‘have no company with him’ makes it clear that such rebellious saints are not to share our fellowship. And yet, even with the putting away of the disobedient, there is the reminder in today’s text that such people are not our enemies, regardless of their attitudes. While we need to bring them under correction, we need to do so in a spirit of brotherly love. The last phrase of the text – admonish him as a brother – does not mean to treat him as though he is a brother, but to treat him kindly because he is a brother.
There is a huge difference between a disobedient saint and a friendly sinner. Regardless of how friendly, the sinner is actually an enemy, a person who is disobedient to the Gospel message, and opposed to the lordship of Jesus Christ. The sinner knows nothing of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and is abiding under the wrath of God. Regardless of how disobedient, the saint is a child of God, and shares the same eternal destiny with faithful saints. Despite his disobedience, he must never be seen as an enemy. That is not always easy to accept, when someone who we have known as a Christian becomes angry at other saints and descends into the depths of the sins of the world. Keeping company with such people becomes impossible. But loving them as brothers and sisters in Christ is still our responsibility.
If we obey our text, we will be more likely to see disobedient saints restored than if we treat them as enemies. – Jim MacIntosh