2 Thessalonians 3:15 (KJV)

Passage

Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

2 Thessalonians 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

2 Thessalonians 3:15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:17 The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "count", "enemy", "admonish", and "brother". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "count" and "enemy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And if any man obey not our..." into verse 16's "Now the Lord of peace himself give...", so "count" and "enemy" belong inside that flow. In 2 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "count" and "enemy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.