Reading through the epistles of Paul, one thing comes across strongly – his aversion to treating any constituted authority with disdain or disloyalty. To the Romans he wrote: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” (Romans 13:1 NKJV). At the risk of being called a slave master, he even told slaves to be subjected to their masters. He said that to the Ephesians as well as to the Colossians. To counterbalance that, he enjoined masters to be just and fair, considering that they also have a Master in heaven. Now to our text, he sent warning to those who were unruly in the congregation. As in all human assemblies, you would expect to find different people parading different shades of character and levels of spiritual development. The church at Thessalonica was no exception. There seemed to be some people who did not subscribe to the instructions of the leaders. Paul’s word to the brethren was to warn those who had such disposition.
The warning must have been informed by the possibility that those who were guilty of the offense may not even realize it. By warning them, such people can see the error of their ways and amend. Warning the unruly is also essential because of the potential danger it carries. What began as little disobedience, if left unchecked, can degenerate to big time criminal behaviour. The seriousness of the subject is better appreciated when we realize that this was the original sin of the devil. He threw off the authority of God over him. Disobedience is an insidious thing; it requires keen personal observation not to fall victim. You could drive to church and neglect the sign of the traffic control, choosing to park where you like. As small as that appears, it could be a pointer to a deeper tendency of being unruly.