Titus 3 A divisive person Part 39

Titus 3:10

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that have nothing to do with them.”

Have you ever met a child or adult who argues a lot, someone who seems to enjoy picking fights? When a child has a bad attitude and is stirring up arguments, you don’t allow them to disrupt and disturb the whole house; you send them to their room until they can be a positive, productive, and happy member of the house. Just as discipline is important in the home, so, too, in the family of Christ. When parents fail to discipline, it affects the whole house. Paul wrote several times in his pastoral letters not to allow division and how to deal with it when it arises. When someone causes division in the church, they threaten its unity and must be dealt with. These warnings must be given to correct the individual’s divisive nature with a view to restoration in the church. Our warnings ought to be purposeful, pointing out their errors and the implications of their actions, with the goal of seeing them embrace good and right actions. Paul warns against people who stir up division within the family of Christ. In Christ, we are united as a family under God. One who stirs up dissension is not living in unity and therefore is not of Christ. Christ said, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall” (Luke 11:17). In love, we are to warn these people twice, and if they still refuse to stop, then we must put them outside of the fellowship of the church. The reason we limit our warnings to two is due to the destruction they can cause. Inventive “talkers” could convince naïve believers of things that are not in line with God’s word. Some people won’t submit to the Bible truth, even in the church, and they must not be allowed to influence others. As we saw in our last study, Paul specifically refers to people who argue and quarrel about foolish controversies, but also against those who twist and subvert the gospel. Once again, Paul is teaching us about Christian living. We must not be divisive, but promote unity, and when there are people who do not heed the warnings against this, we must cut them off from the family of God. Pray for these people that they may see how destructive their disunity is, that they may repent and seek to be unified in Christ.

1. Read Romans 16:17-18. Who is Paul warning against and why?

2. Read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. What were the people quarreling about, and what does Paul say about it.

3. What can we learn from Galatians 1:6-7?

4. What is the reason in Philippians 2:14-15 against arguing and complaining?

God of unity and giver of peace, thank you for adopting us and making us one in Christ Jesus. Open my eyes that I may see when people are being divisive or twisting the gospel truth. Help me promote unity within the church and not be led astray by those who promote disunity and create dissension. Forgive me if I have done so, and fill me with Your Spirit that I may be one with the body of Christ. In Jesus' name alone, Amen.