In I Thessalonians 5:14, Paul gave some critical teaching for all Christians. He stated that Christians are to “be patient toward all men,” they are to “uphold the weak,” and they are to “comfort the fainthearted.” However, the first responsibility he urges is to “warn those who are unruly.” This responsibility, in addition to the other duties, is for all Christians—it is not just the responsibility of preachers or elders.
What does the term “unruly” mean? Thayer, in his Greek Lexicon, defines the word translated unruly as “disorderly, out of the ranks, (often of soldiers); irregular, inordinate…deviating from the prescribed order or rule: I Thess. 5:14, c.f. II Thes. 3:6” (page 83). The rendering of the term in II Thessalonians 3:6 is “disorderly” (KJV), and here we see Christians must withdraw from those who are disorderly. The word was originally a military term (as the above definition indicates), and it expressed the idea of soldiers who did not keep their ranks but would break out of line.
Who are the unruly? They would be Christians who do not keep the ranks and are neglectful of duty. These are Christians who do not keep God’s commandments. It would be hard to have a capable army if the soldiers kept getting out of line and leaving the ranks. It would also be difficult for a church to be effective when its members are rebellious towards God’s Word.
The commandment is that wayward members are to be “warned.” The word comes from a word in the original, which is also in verse 12, where the rendering is “admonish.” So all Christians must warn or admonish those who are unruly. Christians are to help one another in their walk.
Galatians 6:1 says, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” In addition to commanding the spiritual person to restore those overtaken in a fault, this passage emphasizes the importance of the right attitude by the one doing the teaching. It would be easy for a person to adopt a “better-than-you” type disposition when trying to teach others. This verse says the person doing the restoring must have a spirit of humility.
James 5:19 says, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” One reason to warn the unruly is because God says to do it. However, this passage shows the substantial effect that the teaching of the Christian can have on the soul of the erring. It can save his soul from spiritual death, so a person’s soul is at stake. We can keep an unruly Christian from spending an eternity in Hell.
We need to make sure that we remain faithful ourselves. Also, we must warn the unruly. How about you—do you warn the unruly?
