SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:15
Así que, hermanos, estad firmes , y retened la doctrina que habis aprendido, sea por palabra, o por carta nuestra.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Verse 15. Therefore, brethren, stand fast] Their obtaining eternal glory depended on their faithfulness to the grace of God; for this calling did not necessarily and irresistibly lead to faith; nor their faith to the sanctification of the spirit; nor their sanctification of the spirit to the glory of our Lord Jesus. Had they not attended to the calling, they could not have believed; had they not believed, they could not have been sanctified; had they not been sanctified they could not have been glorified. All these things depended on each other; they were stages of the great journey; and at any of these stages they might have halted, and never finished their Christian race. Hold the traditions which ye have been taught] The word paradosiv, which we render tradition, signifies any thing delivered in the way of teaching; and here most obviously means the doctrines delivered by the apostle to the Thessalonians; whether in his preaching, private conversation, or by these epistles; and particularly the first epistle, as the apostle here states. Whatever these traditions were, as to their matter, they were a revelation from God; for they came by men who spake and acted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; and on this ground the passage here can never with any propriety be brought to support the unapostolical and anti-apostolical traditions of the Romish Church; those being matters which are, confessedly, not taken from either Testament, nor were spoken either by a prophet or an apostle.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 15. Therefore, brethren, stand fast , &c.] In the doctrine of the Gospel in general, and in the article of Christ's second coming in particular, and not in the least waver about the thing itself, nor be shaken in mind, and troubled as if it was just at hand; and the rather it became them to be concerned that they stood fast in the truth, and persevered unto the end, since there was to be a falling away, and the mystery of iniquity was already working, and antichrist would shortly appear, whose coming would be with all deceivableness, of unrighteousness; and they had the greater encouragement to continue firm and unmoved, seeing they were chosen from eternity unto salvation through sanctification and belief of the truth, and were called in time by the Gospel to the enjoyment of the glory of Christ in another world. And hold the traditions which ye have been taught : meaning the truths of the Gospel, which may be called traditions, because they are delivered from one to another; the Gospel was first delivered by God the Father to Jesus Christ, as Mediator, and by him to his apostles, and by them to the churches of Christ; whence it is called the form of doctrine delivered to them, and the faith once delivered to the saints: and also the ordinances of the Gospel which the apostles received from Christ, and as they received them faithfully delivered them, such as baptism and the Lord's supper; as well as rules of conduct and behaviour, both in the church, and in the world, even all the commandments of Christ, which he ordered his apostles to teach, and which they gave by him; (see 2 Thessalonians 3:6 Thessalonians 4:2). And so the Syriac version here renders it, the commandments: and these were such as these saints had been taught by the apostles, under the direction of Christ, and through the guidance of his Spirit; and were not the traditions of men or the rudiments of the world, but what they had received from Christ, through the hands of the apostles: whether by word, or our epistle , that is, by our word, as well as by our epistle, and so the Arabic version reads; these doctrines, ordinances, and rules of discipline were communicated to them, both by word of mouth, when the apostles were in person among them, and by writing afterwards to them; for what the apostles delivered in the ministry of the word to the churches, they sent them in writing, that they might be a standing rule of faith and practice; so that this does not in the least countenance the unwritten traditions of the Papists; and since these were what were taught them, viva voce, and they received them from the mouth of the apostles, or by letters from them, or both, it became them to hold and retain them fast, and not let them go, either with respect to doctrine or practice.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 13-15 - When we hear of the apostacy of many, it is a great comfort and joy that there is a remnant according to the election of grace, which doe and shall persevere; especially we should rejoice, if we have reason to hope that we are of that number. The preservation of the saints, i because God loved them with an everlasting love, from the beginning of the world. The end and the means must not be separated. Faith an holiness must be joined together as well as holiness and happiness. The outward call of God is by the gospel; and this is rendered effectual by the inward working of the Spirit. The belief of the truth brings the sinner to rely on Christ, and so to love and obey him; it is sealed by the Holy Spirit upon his heart. We have no certain proof of any thin having been delivered by the apostles, more than what we find containe in the Holy Scriptures. Let us then stand fast in the doctrines taugh by the apostles, and reject all additions, and vain traditions.
Greek Textus Receptus
αρα 686 ουν 3767 αδελφοι 80 στηκετε 4739 5720 και 2532 κρατειτε 2902 5720 τας 3588 παραδοσεις 3862 ας 3739 εδιδαχθητε 1321 5681 ειτε 1535 δια 1223 λογου 3056 ειτε 1535 δι 1223 επιστολης 1992 ημων 2257
Vincent's NT Word Studies
15. Traditions (paradoseiv). See on 1 Cor. xi. 2. Not emphasizing a distinction between written and oral tradition. Tradition, in the scriptural sense, may be either written or oral. It implies on the part of a teacher that he is not expressing his own ideas, but is delivering or handing over (paradidwmi) a message received from some one else. See 1 Corinthians xi. 23. The prominent idea of paradosiv is therefore that of an authority external to the teacher. Comp. by word nor by letter, ver. 2.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
2:15 {So qen} (ara oun). Accordingly qen. The illative Ara is supported (Ellicott) by the collective oun as in #1Th 5:6; Ga 6:10, etc. Here is the practical conclusion from God's elective purpose in such a world crisis. {Stand fast} (stekete). Present imperative active of the late present steko from hesteka (perfect active of histemi). See on 1Th 3:8. {Hold the traditions} (krateite tas paradoseis). Present imperative of kratew, old verb, to have masterful grip on a thing, either with genitive (#Mr 1:31) or usually the accusative as here. paradosis (tradition) is an old word for what is handed over to one. Dibelius thinks that Paul reveals his Jewish training in the use of this word (#Ga 1:14), but the word is a perfectly legitimate one for teaching whether oral, {by word} (dia logou), or written, {by epistle of ours} (di' epistoles hemwn). Paul draws here no distinction between oral tradition and written tradition as was done later. The worth of the tradition lies not in the form but in the source and the quality of the content. Paul in #1Co 11:23 says: "I received from the Lord what I also handed over (paredwka) unto you." He praises them because ye "hold fast the traditions even as I delivered them unto you." The {tradition} may be merely that of men and so worthless and harmful in place of the word of God (#Mr 7:8; Col 2:6-8). It all depends. It is easy to scoff at truth as mere tradition. But human progress in all fields is made by use of the old, found to be true, in connection with the new if found to be true. In Thessalonica the saints were already the victims of theological charlatans with their half-baked theories about the second coming of Christ and about social duties and relations. {Which ye were taught} (has edidacqete). First aorist passive indicative of didaskw, to teach, retaining the accusative of the thing in the passive as is common with this verb like _doce"_ in Latin and teach in English.
