The command to ‘withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us’ (v. 6) is about church discipline. The disorderly must be made aware of their sinfulness and be dealt with in an appropriate way, while those entrusted with the task are to remember that the offenders are still God’s adopted children (v. 15). The word ‘disorderly’ is used by Paul three times (vv. 6–7, 11). It speaks of those who are unruly and without discipline, and would