Titus 3:9-11
Ps Paul Cheng
“…divisiveness calls for strong action from God’s people…”
~6 min read
Dear Bethelites,
For centuries, churches have constantly been attacked by heretics and apostates, and wrecked by acts of hypocrisies and divisiveness. Indeed, divisive issues and people have a terrible effect on the church. When someone comes into your house and tries to break up your family, would you not react strongly? How much more when someone tries to ruin the church of Jesus Christ, and so divisiveness calls for strong action from God’s people. Christians ought to be equipped with the knowledge of God’s Word to defend the faith (cf. 2 Tim 2:15).
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself (Titus 3:9-11).
I. Avoid
The word avoid means to keep away from, to shun, to turn oneself away for the purpose of avoiding or to treat with indifference and contempt.
Avoid foolish questions — Asking healthy questions is good for they are vital keys to conversation. Without asking questions, one may never learn. But in this context, the foolish questions are not designed to bring an honest answer but rather to generate strife, argument or unbelief. Foolish (moros) is from where we get the English word “moron,” and that is the nature of a fool’s question. Some people ask questions to appear intelligent to the ignorant, some ask questions to generate argument and strife, yet others ask questions to cause confusion, unbelief and ultimately to disprove God (cf. 1 Tim 6:4). Christians should avoid such kinds of foolish questions but rather spend their time wisely in the purposes of God’s kingdom, like in the works of evangelism and discipleship etc.
Avoid fanciful interpretation in genealogies — Biblical genealogies give to us wonderful spiritual understanding regarding God’s redemptive purpose. What we should avoid are the fanciful interpretations in genealogies. Instead of taking the genealogies at historical face value, there are people who would read into them all kinds of mystical interpretations and associate those names with legends and myths.
Some people just love to get into debates about dates, descendants, ancestors and all kinds of hair-splitting issues that have no spiritual significance. Just as the Jews in Bible times used to think of their physical genealogies and so arguments often arose over the names of their ancestors. But John the Baptist said, And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham (Matthew 3:9).
When a person does not believe in Jesus Christ, it does not matter where he traces his roots, or whether he is born a Jew or Gentile, or whether he comes from a family of pastors or atheists, he is still outside the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity and He rightly said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (Jn 14:6).
Avoid contentions — It is a good thing to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3c) but most certainly we must not be engaged in contentions that seek to destroy the faith. It is absolutely beneficial to have a good discussion that edifies the soul but it is injurious to strive and fight. Some time ago, I read of a particular church where the members strove incessantly over whether a Christian should drink coffee just because someone maintained that caffeine is unhealthy. On another occasion, someone strongly emphasized that if a Christian ate more than four meals a day, he should be considered a glutton. They strove and fought over these non-essential issues and forgot the more vital issue, the salvation of the soul.
Avoid strivings about the law — During the Apostle Paul’s time, some Jewish believers came to embrace the Christian faith but they brought along with them all the stipulations of the Old Covenant. The Apostle Paul had to address this problem in his letter to the Galatian churches (Gal 6:12-15) and likewise the Apostle Peter had to deal with a certain sect of the Pharisees which strove that it was needful to circumcise the Gentiles, and to command them to keep the law of Moses (Acts 15:5). At that time, the issue was permanently settled at the council of Jerusalem when James the moderator concluded, Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them (with circumcision and observance of the Mosaic law), which from among the Gentiles are turned to God (Acts 15:19).
The way to deal with divisive issues is to avoid them as they do not help in the spiritual growth of the believers. They have no eternal value and only seek to confuse and undermine the faith.
II. Admonish
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject (verse 10). The original meaning for heretick (hairetikos) denotes being “capable of choosing” and here it is used to mean someone who had already chosen an idea, teaching or doctrine that was not acceptable and causing division. Due to his strange ideas, the heretick would cause divisions within the church. Often such a person would also have the ability to draw a group of followers. Every cultic group has a leader who is a heretick and he generates a following by first creating an issue, something that is unprofitable and vain that will divide the people.
The way to deal with such divisive people is to admonish, warn or rebuke. In Matthew 18:15-17, when you deal with a sinning brother, you speak with him privately and if he cannot agree in the matter, then you bring along a witness. Yet if he still cannot agree in the matter, you tell it to the church but if he still refuses to listen to the church, then the Bible says, let him be unto thee, as an heathen man and a publican. That is how you ought to deal with a sinning brother, the approach is soft and gentle. But when you deal with hereticks, you must be decisive even to rebuke openly (cf. Romans 16:17); because they are introducing erroneous teaching into the church. They must not be permitted to go on with their deceptions unchallenged and they must stop disrupting the church with their foolish controversies.
III. Reject
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself (v.9-10). To reject is simply to disassociate, to have nothing to do with that person. If there is an heretick who wants to destroy the church, after the first and second admonitions, he must be rejected. The church must disassociate itself from him so that he will no longer have the freedom to pursue his divisive ways, his membership is to be cut off and there is to be no re-admission until he gives clear evidence of repentance.
Why must the church be so harsh? The heretick is subverted, which means to be turned inside out, his mind is all twisted and corrupted. The word subverted is in the perfect tense which implies that his character and condition are settled, he is what he is and he simply will not change. When such a person creeps into the church, he will seek to destroy.
He sinneth implies that he is wilfully rejecting the right path despite knowing the truth (cf. Hebrews 10:26). After wilfully rejecting the repeated admonitions, he being condemned of himself.
We praise and thank God for the unity and harmony that we have been relishing so far but we must never take for granted that divisive people and issues may not creep into the church. It is a serious thing to cause division because the church belongs to God and she is set apart to the glory of God. Instead of working against the glory of God, rather let us be united together to live for His glory.
With love in Christ,
Pastor Paul
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