2 Thessalonians / Question
Paul tells them to “stand firm and hold to the traditions” they were taught (2 Thessalonians 2:15). He specifies these teachings came “by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
In 2 Thessalonians 2:15–17, Paul moves from teaching into a direct call and a prayer. He urges the community to stay steady and keep holding what they already received from him, whether spoken in person or sent in writing. These verses close a larger section where Paul has been correcting confusion and anxiety about “the day of the Lord” and urging calm steadiness rather than panic or drift.
Paul ends this section by moving from instruction to prayer. The main point is stability: the community is not to be thrown off course by fear, rumors, or persuasive claims about “the day of the Lord.” Instead, they are to stay steady and keep what they already received from Paul’s team—teaching that came both in spoken instruction and in written form.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with 2 Thessalonians 2:15, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
15So then, brothers, stand firm, and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word, or by letter.