Titus 3:10
As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Paul isn't just talking about those who hold wrong beliefs, but specifically anyone who creates division. The term "heretic" here doesn't just mean doctrinal error, but a factious person causing strife and splitting the church, and they are to be shunned after repeated warnings.
Paul concludes his practical instructions by addressing persistent troublemakers. He tells Titus to warn divisive individuals twice, and if they still refuse to change, to completely distance himself from them. This action is not about arbitrary exclusion but about maintaining the integrity and peace of the community.
The word 'heretic' can sound like it's only about believing the wrong things. But in the New Testament, it's often about something more personal.
The Greek word translated 'heretic' in Titus 3:10 isn't primarily about holding incorrect beliefs. While false doctrine can be a part of it, the core idea is about causing division within the community. Think of someone who is factious, a party-maker, or someone self-willed who disrupts unity. It’s about their actions that tear the church apart, not just their private thoughts.
This is why the context is crucial. Paul is talking to Titus about managing the church in Crete. He's not just handing down abstract theological rules. He's giving practical guidance for maintaining peace and sound teaching within a local body of believers. The 'heretic' here is someone actively creating factions and strife, undermining the community from within.
When someone is causing trouble in the church, what's the right way to respond? Paul gives a clear, two-step process.
Paul doesn't advocate for immediate rejection. Instead, he outlines a process that prioritizes restoration but also protects the community:
Understand the original words
hairetikos · Greek Noun/Adjective
The act of creating factions or causing a rupture in the unity of the church. It often refers to someone who persistently pushes their own agenda or erroneous views to alienate members of the community.
The instruction in Titus to reject a divisive person after repeated warnings wasn't about abstract theological error but about addressing disruptive behavior that threatened the unity and peace of the early Christian communities, which were often fragile and newly formed.
c. AD 60-62— this verse
Paul Writes to Titus
The Apostle Paul, likely imprisoned in Rome, writes the Epistle to Titus. He instructs Titus on establishing strong leadership and sound doctrine within the churches on the island of Crete.
c. AD 48-50
Council of Jerusalem
A crucial meeting in Jerusalem where apostles and elders debated and decided that Gentile converts to Christianity did not need to follow all Mosaic laws, including circumcision. This addressed early divisions about requirements for new believers.
c. AD 50-55
Paul Writes to the Corinthians
In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul addresses numerous divisions, factions, and doctrinal disputes. He emphasizes unity in Christ and warns against behaviors that fracture the community.
c. AD 55-57
Paul Writes to the Romans
Paul addresses the church in Rome, a diverse community facing potential divisions between Jewish and Gentile believers. He strongly warns against causing divisions and offenses contrary to the sound doctrine taught.
This passage outlines Jesus' principle for dealing with a sinning brother, emphasizing a process of private correction, then involving witnesses, and finally bringing the matter to the church, which echoes the gradual approach before eventual exclusion.
Romans 16:17Paul directly instructs believers to 'mark and avoid' those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine they have learned, mirroring Titus 3:10's directive to reject divisive individuals.
1 Corinthians 5:1-5This passage describes the church's responsibility to deal with a severely immoral member, ultimately delivering them to Satan for the destruction of their flesh, illustrating a serious consequence for persistent sin and division within the community.
2 Thessalonians 3:6Paul commands believers to withdraw from any brother who walks disorderly and does not follow the traditions they received, reinforcing the idea of separation from those who disrupt the community's peace and order.
ellicottTitus 3:10: "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;"
(10) A man that is an heretick. —The Greek word translated “heretick” in the New Testament occurs here only. The term “heresies” occurs twice ( 1Corinthians 11:19 ; Galatians 5:20 ). In neither, however, of these passages does the word signify there a fundamental or doctrinal error. This sense belongs to a usage of later times. From the meaning of the word “heresy” in these passages of St. Paul, we are able to…
barnesTitus 3:10: "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;"
A man that is an heretic - The word "heretic" is now commonly applied to one who holds some fundamental error of doctrine, "a person who holds and teaches opinions repugnant to the established faith, or that which is made the standard of orthodoxy." Webster. The Greek word here used αἱρετικὸς hairetikos occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The corresponding noun (αἵρεσις hairesis) occurs in the foll…
Paul isn't just talking about those who hold wrong beliefs, but specifically anyone who creates division. The term "heretic" here doesn't just mean doctrinal error, but a factious person causing strife and splitting the church, and they are to be shunned after repeated warnings.
Paul concludes his practical instructions by addressing persistent troublemakers. He tells Titus to warn divisive individuals twice, and if they still refuse to change, to completely distance himself from them. This action is not about arbitrary exclusion but about maintaining the integrity and peace of the community.
Paul concludes his practical instructions by addressing persistent troublemakers. He tells Titus to warn divisive individuals twice, and if they still refuse to change, to completely distance himself from them. This action is not about arbitrary exclusion but about maintaining the integrity and peace of the community.
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"As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him," — Paul isn't just talking about those who hold wrong beliefs, but specifically anyone who creates division. The term "heretic" here doesn't just mean doctrinal error, but a factious person causing stri…
