It seems clear that this verse creates problems for the reformed tradition when the NIV goes so far as to rearrange the word order and the meaning of the verse to avoid putting traditions in a positive light. The NIV translates this verse "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." The translators go so far as to turn nouns into verbs and change the translation of words in order to avoid using the word "tradition" in a positive light! A good explanation of this can be found in The Way: What Every Protestant Should Know About the Orthodox Church , by Clark Carlton, pp 136 - 139.