Titus 3.10-Titus and the Cretan Christian Community Were to Reject Divisive Christians After a First and Second Warning
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday September 14, 2014
Titus: Titus 3:10-Titus and Cretan Christian Community Were to Reject a Divisive Christian After a First and Second Warning
Lesson # 37
Please turn in your Bibles to Titus 3:10.
Titus 3:10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning. (NASB95)
The apostle Paul is employing the figure of “asyndeton” in order to emphasize with the reader the solemn nature of the command to follow to reject a divisive Christian after a first and second warning.
The figure emphasizes the importance of this command since it pertains to church discipline and the testimony of the church before the world and its walk with God.
“Reject” is the verb paraiteomai (παραιτέομαι), which denotes that Titus and the Cretan Christian church were to refuse to accept a divisive Christian into their fellowship after they have been given a first and second warning.
It does not mean “to avoid” or “have nothing to do with” but rather “to reject” since the former is more passive than Paul’s intention with this word in the sense that he wants Titus and the Cretan Christian community to be active in rejecting a divisive Christian after a first and second warning.
The present imperative form of the verb paraiteomai is a “customary present imperative” whose force is for Titus to simply continue rejecting a divisive Christian after they have received a first and second warning.
The present imperative of paraiteomai means, “to continue making it your habit of” rejecting a divisive Christian after a first and second warning.
It implies that Titus was already performing this task when he received this letter from Paul.
The middle voice of the verb paraiteomai is an indirect middle which indicates that Titus was for his own benefit spiritually reject a divisive Christian after a first and second warning.
It is for his own benefit since a divisive Christian will disrupt the unity of the church if unchecked.
“Factious man” is composed of the adjective hairetikos (αἱρετικός), “factious” and the noun anthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος), “man.”
The noun anthrōpos means “person” since it is used in a generic sense for a member of the human race.
Specifically, it speaks of a Christian, both male and female since Paul is writing in the context of church discipline.
It is modified by the adjective hairetikos which pertains to causing divisions as a result of adhering to heretical teaching.
Here it describes a Christian who is an adherent of heretical teaching and is thus opposed to the apostolic teaching.
As a result of being an adherent to heretical teaching, these individuals cause divisions in the Christian community.
“After a first and second warning” pertains to a Christian receiving instruction regarding proper Christian conduct which is in accordance with the apostolic teaching.
The word speaks of the exercise of church discipline.
Specifically it refers to the warning which a Christian receives after the first and second stages of church discipline.
The first warning comes after the first stage and the second warning comes after the second stage.
The Christian is forced to leave the fellowship of the church after refusing to repent after the third stage of discipline.
Titus 3:10 For your own benefit, continue making it your habit of rejecting a divisive person after a first and second warning. (My translation)
The apostle Paul issues Titus a command to continue making it his habit of rejecting a divisive person after a first and second warning.
The divisive person is a Christian who is rejecting the apostolic teaching because of adhering to heretical teaching.
This is indicated by the fact that Paul is writing in the context of church discipline.
He would not tell Titus to do this with regards to an unbeliever since an unbeliever does not cause divisions in the Christian church by opposing the apostolic teaching because they are not fellowshipping among Christians or worshipping the Lord together with other Christians as a corporate unit.
These divisive Christians is a reference to the apostate pastor-teachers on the island of Crete and those who adhered to their false doctrine which they learned from adhering to the legalistic teaching of the Judaizers.
This is indicated by the context and specifically Titus 3:9.
Titus 3:9 However, for your own benefit continue to make it your habit of avoiding foolish pointless debates, genealogies, dissensions as well as quarrels about the Law because they are, as an eternal spiritual truth characterized as being unprofitable, yes, useless. (Author’s translation)
This prohibition in Titus 3:9 reveals the Jewish nature of the heresy on the island of Crete.
The apostle’s statements in Titus 1:10 also indicate this as well.
The apostate pastor-teachers on the island of Crete who adhered to the legalistic teaching of the Judaizers were guilty of becoming involved in foolish pointless arguments, genealogies, dissensions as well as quarrels regarding the Mosaic Law.
One of the characteristics of the apostate teachers and Judaizers was that they fought over Mosaic Law and specifically what commands and prohibitions should be obeyed by the Christian and which should not.
Their contentious behavior is mentioned by Paul with Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:4-11 and with Titus in Titus 1:10-14.
So notice in Titus 3:10 Paul is very concerned about the Cretan Christian community rejecting those who adhered to false doctrine.
The church must do the same today in the twenty-first century.
Otherwise, it will consequently result in division and will hurt the spiritual growth of the individual Christian and the church as a corporate unit.
The Scriptures emphasize the importance of avoiding false doctrine (Matthew 16:12; Romans 16:17; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Hebrews 13:9; 2 John 9).
Now, in Titus 3:10, the first warning would take place after administering the first stage of church discipline and the second warning would take place after administering the second stage of church discipline.
There would not be a third warning because if the Christian does not repent after the third stage of church discipline, they are removed from the fellowship of the church until they do repent.
Paul is following the guidelines for church discipline which were stipulated by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (NASB95)
The Lord teaches in this passage that church discipline begins with a private confrontation.
The believer who is habitually sinning or possesses a sinful lifestyle must first be confronted privately as taught by the Lord in Matthew 18:15.
The second stage would involve confronting the disobedient Christian with two or three witnesses which is taught by the Lord in Matthew 18:16.
The third stage of church discipline as taught by the Lord in Matthew 18:17 would require that the entire church rebuke the Christian.
If they failed to repent after the third stage, there was to be no further warnings.
Instead they were to be removed from the fellowship of the church by the entire church until they repented.
2 Thessalonians 3:14 and 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 along with Matthew 18:17 indicate that the church is to exercise group disapproval by way of social ostracism (refusal to have intimate fellowship).
The church is to remove the offender from the church fellowship, which must be approved of and done by the entire congregation (2 Cor. 2:6).
This is the fourth and final stage of church discipline.
The fear of being publicly rebuked for a sinful lifestyle would deter the rest of the church from practicing a sinful lifestyle.
It would teach the congregation the shamefulness and seriousness of sin and its consequences.
The Lord is exercising this discipline through the church’s actions.
This rejection of an unrepentant Christian after a second and third warning is for the benefit of the entire Christian community.