With the help of Silas, who I consider to be a faithful brother, I’ve written you this short letter to encourage you and to confirm that this is the true grace of God. Remain strong in it.
And you imitated both us and the Lord Jesus, because even in the midst of terrible suffering, you welcomed our message with the joy that the Holy Spirit gives.
Brothers and sisters, we command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to keep away from every believer who’s lazy and disruptive and who doesn’t follow the teaching you received from us.
Now I want to talk about some other matters, brothers and sisters. We taught you how to live in a way that pleases God, and that’s how you’re living. But in the name of the Lord Jesus, we ask you and urge you to do that more and more.
We also thank God constantly for the way you received his word when you heard it from us. You didn’t accept it as a human word, but for what it is, the word of God. And that word is truly at work in you who believe.
Other people might be your guardians in Christ, but even if there were 10,000 of them, you still wouldn’t have many fathers. I became your father in Christ Jesus by telling you the good news.