2 Thessalonians 2:15 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Therefore, brethren, stand fast In your adherence to the truth and possession of the grace of the gospel; and hold Without adding to or diminishing from them; the traditions which ye have been taught The instructions which have been delivered to you; whether by word When we were present with you; or our former epistle He preached to them before he wrote, and he had written concerning the things which he wished them to hold fast in his former epistle. The name traditions is here given by the apostle “to the doctrines and precepts of the gospel, on a double account; first, because they were delivered by Christ and by the Spirit to the apostles, merely on the authority of revelation; and, secondly, because the apostles delivered them to the world on the same authority, without attempting to prove them by any other argument. And this precept, hold the traditions, applies to no instructions or directions but those which the apostles and other inspired teachers delivered to the world as revelations from God. And though the inspired teachers, to whom these doctrines were revealed, communicated them to the world first of all by word of mouth, they cannot now be known to be theirs, but by their holding a place in those writings which are allowed to be the genuine productions of these inspired teachers. The traditions, therefore, on which the Church of Rome lays so great a stress, are of no manner of value.” Now our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father Here again, as in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, prayer is addressed by the apostle to Christ as well as to the Father, and in the same words; who hath loved us As a father loves his children; and hath given us everlasting consolation Hath opened to us the sources thereof in his gospel, or furnished us with the means of it; and of good hope That is, a well-grounded hope, namely, of the glorification of both our bodies and souls; through grace 1st, Justifying us, and entitling us to that felicity; 2d, Sanctifying us, and preparing us for it; and, 3d, Strengthening us, and enabling us to withstand our spiritual enemies, and do and suffer the will of God to the end, and thereby bringing us to it. Comfort your hearts Under all the afflictions you endure for the gospel; and establish you in every good word and work That is, in every good doctrine and practice, in opposition to all the efforts of your enemies to seduce you, whether visible or invisible.