This section has 4 verses.
Titus 3:8-11
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will
that thou affirm constantly, that they which have
believed in God might be careful to maintain good
works. These things are good and profitable unto
men.
9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and
contentions, and strivings about the law; for they
are unprofitable and vain.
10 A man that is an heretick after the first and
second admonition reject;
11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and
sinneth, being condemned of himself.
We will begin with the Barclay commentary.
THE NECESSITY OF ACTION AND THE DANGER OF
DISCUSSION
First, the paraphrase of verses 8-11:
This is a saying which we are bound to believe – and
I want you to keep on affirming these things – that
those who have put their faith in God must think and
plan how to practice fine deeds. These are fine
things and useful to men. But have nothing to do
with foolish speculations and genealogies and
contentious and legalistic battles, for they are no
good to anyone and serve no useful purpose. Avoid a
contentious and self-opinionated man, after giving
him a first and a second warning, for you must be
well aware that such a man is perverted and stands a
self-condemned sinner.
THIS passage stresses the need for Christian action
and the danger of a certain kind of discussion.
The word we have translated as to practice fine
deeds is proistasthai, which literally means to
stand in front of and was the word used for a
shopkeeper standing in front of the shop and calling
out to advertise the produce. The phrase may mean
either of two things. It might be a command to
Christians to engage only in respectable and useful
trades. There were certain professions which the
early Church insisted that people should give up
before they were allowed even to ask for membership.
More probably, the phrase has the wider meaning that
Christians must practice good deeds which are
helpful to others.
The second part of the passage warns against useless
discussions. The Greek philosophers spent their time
on their over subtle [over
precise, picky, hair-splitting] problems.
The Jewish Rabbis spent their time building up
imaginary genealogies for the characters of the Old
Testament. The Jewish scribes spent endless hours
discussing what could and could not be done on the
Sabbath, and what was and was not unclean. It has
been said that there is a danger that people might
think themselves religious because they discuss
religious questions. It is much easier to discuss
theological questions than to be kind and
considerate and helpful at home, or efficient and
conscientious and honest at work. There is no virtue
in sitting discussing deep theological questions
when the simple tasks of the Christian life are
waiting to be done. Such discussion can be nothing
other than avoidance of Christian duties.
Paul was certain that the real task for Christians
lay in Christian action. That is not to say that
there is no place for Christian discussion; but the
discussion which does not end in action is very
largely wasted time.
It is Paul’s advice that contentious and
self-opinionated people should be avoided. The
Authorized Version calls that kind of person the
heretic. The Greek is hairetikos. The verb hairein
means to choose, and hairesis means a party, or a
school or a sect. Originally, the word carried no
bad meaning. This creeps in when someone sets
private opinion against all the teaching, the
agreement and the tradition of the Church. Heretics
are simply people who have decided that they are
right and everybody else is wrong. Paul’s warning is
against those who have made their own ideas the test
of all truth. We should always be very careful of
any opinion which separates us from the fellowship
of our fellow believers. True faith does not divide
people; it unites them. ~Barclay Commentary
Note: Heretic
A professed believer who maintains religious
opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her
church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that
church [from the Word of
God].
Now to the other commentaries. We will begin with
the general and move to the specific. Let us go to
the Matthew Henry main commentary which covers
verses 9-15 and pick it up where it speaks to verse
10.
The text picks up right after the reading of verse
9: But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and
contentions, and strivings about the law; for they
are unprofitable and vain.
II. But because, after all, there will be heresies
and heretics in the church, the apostle next directs
Titus what to do in such a case, and how to deal
with such, Titus 3:10. He who forsakes the truth as
it is in Christ Jesus, who broaches false doctrines
and propagates them to the corrupting of the faith
in weighty and momentous points, and breaks the
peace of the church about them, after due means used
to reclaim him, must be rejected. “Admonish him once
and again, that, if possible, he may be brought
back, and thou mayest gain thy brother; but, if this
will not reduce him, that others be not hurt, cast
him out of the communion, and warn all Christians to
avoid him.” - Knowing that he that is such is
subverted (turned off from
the foundation) and sinneth grievously,
being self-condemned. Those who will not be
reclaimed by admonitions, but are obstinate in their
sins and errors, are subverted and self-condemned;
they inflict that punishment upon themselves which
the governors of the church should inflict upon
them: they throw themselves out of the church, and
throw off its communion, and so are self-condemned.
Observe,
1. How great an evil real heresy is, not lightly
therefore to be charged upon any, though greatly to
be taken heed of by all. Such a one is subverted or
perverted - a metaphor from a building so ruined as
to render it difficult if not impossible to repair
and raise it up again. Real heretics have seldom
been recovered to the true faith: not so much defect
of judgment, as perverseness of the will, being in
the case, through pride, or ambition, or
self-willedness, or covetousness, or such like
corruption, which therefore must be taken heed of:
“Be humble, love the truth and practice it, and
damning heresy will be escaped.”
Note: Immerse
yourself in the Word of God.
2. Pains and patience must be used about those that
err most grievously. They are not easily and soon to
be given up and cast off, but competent time and
means must be tried for their recovery.
Note: Personally, you would invoke Matthew 18. The
ministry would invoke direct counselling and move to
talk of disfellowship.
3. The church's means even with heretics are
persuasive and rational. They must be admonished,
instructed, and warned; so much nouthesia imports.
Note: Nouthesia:
From biblical times onward, God's people have
counseled nouthetically. The word itself is
biblical. The New Testament was written in Greek,
from which the noun nouthesia (verb:
noutheteo) comes. It is a term used
largely by the apostle Paul which is sometimes
translated “admonish, correct or instruct.”
It is Strong's word 3559. It gives the meaning as "a
warning, admonition, counsel."
3559 nouthesía (a feminine
noun derived from 3560 /nouthetéō) –
properly, setting (placing)
the mind through God-inspired warning ("admonition").
3559 /nouthesía ("warning
through teaching") improves a person's
reasoning so they can reach God's solution – i.e. by
going through His thought-process. See 3560 (nouthetéō).
[Romans 12:1-3 likewise emphasizes the importance of
receiving God's thoughts in the renewed mind,
through faith, to reach God's solutions.]
Romans 12:1-3
...these are verses for you
and not the heretic
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. [see Sermon,
"Your Reasonable Service"]
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to
every man that is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure of faith.
Notice some occurrences of this word other than
Titus 3:10:
1 Corinthians 10:11 but I will read from verse 5:
1 Corinthians 10:5-11
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased:
for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent
we should not lust after evil things, as they also
lusted.
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as
it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink,
and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them
committed, and fell in one day three and twenty
thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also
tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured,
and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for
ensamples: and they are written for our admonition,
upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Ephesians 6:4 but I will read from 1 and go to verse
8
Ephesians 6:1-8
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this
is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first
commandment with promise;)
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest
live long on the earth.
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to
wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord.
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your
masters according to the flesh, with fear and
trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto
Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the
servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the
heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and
not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth,
the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be
bond or free.
4. Upon continued obstinacy and irreclaimableness [ir-i-kley-muh-buh-ness],
the church has power, and is obliged, to preserve
its own purity, by severing such a corrupt member
which discipline may by God's blessing become
effectual to reform the offender, or if not it will
leave him the more inexcusable in his condemnation.
~Matthew Henry Main
Some quotes I found on heretics:
"A heretic is a man who sees with his own eyes."
“The doer of evil has, indeed, killed his own soul;
but the heretic — the liar — has killed as many
souls as he has seduced.”
“The heretic is both a murderer and a practitioner
of deceit. How is he deceitful? His words
deliberately misrepresent the words of the Lord.”
“Heretics do not have Christ, the Truth, on their
lips, because they do not have him in their heart.”
[What did Ephesians 6:6
say?]
“Heretics are unhappy men.” [see Sermon,
"Many"] where we discuss Matthew 24:10 "And then
shall many be offended, and shall betray one
another, and shall hate one another. "
“Heretics mean one thing in their heart; they
promise another with their lips. They speak with
piety and conceal impiety. They speak Christ and
hide the Antichrist, for they know that they will
never succeed with their seduction if they disclose
the Antichrist. They present light only to conceal
darkness; through light they lead to darkness.” [see
Sermon,
"Dirty Fleece"] which speaks to Matthew 7:15
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves."
Now the Matthew Henry Concise which covers verses
8-11 unlike its big brother, the main commentary.
When the grace of God towards mankind has been
declared, the necessity of good works is pressed.
Those who believe in God, must make it their care to
maintain good works, to seek opportunities for doing
them, being influenced by love and gratitude.
Trifling, foolish questions must be avoided, and
subtle distinctions and vain inquiries; nor should
people be eager after novelties, but love sound
doctrine which tends most to edifying. Though we may
now think some sins light and little, if the Lord
awaken the conscience, we shall feel even the
smallest sin heavy upon our souls.
~Matthew Henry Concise
Now to the Biblical Illustrator.
An heretic … reject
The treatment of heresy
I. Heresy is not an unsound opinion, but an unsound
life. A man may hold an erroneous opinion, and hold
it sincerely; but the word used here denotes one who
seeks to promote discord in the Church (See
Rom_16:17).
II. Heresy is to be dealt with firmly, but gently.
1. Firmly—by admonition.
2. Gently—by repeated admonitions.
III. Hardened heretics are to be rejected.
1. But this only applies to exclusion from Church
fellowship.
2. It is no warrant for persecution.
3. Excluded heretics are to be deemed objects of
pity. ~Biblical Illustrator
Now to the specific commentaries. We can easily see
that this verse is in two parts:
1] A man that is an heretick.
2] After the first and second admonition reject.
1] A man that
is an heretick.
A man that is a heretic - Generally defined, one
that is obstinately attached to an opinion contrary
to the peace and comfort of society, and will
neither submit to Scripture nor reason. Here it
means a person who maintains Judaism in opposition
to Christianity, or who insists on the necessity of
circumcision, etc., in order to be saved. This is
obviously the meaning of the word heretic in the
only place in which it occurs in the sacred
writings. ~Adam Clarke
A man that is an heretic - An heretic, according to
the notation of the word, is either one that makes
choice of an opinion upon his own judgment, contrary
to the generally received sense of the churches of
Christ, and prefers it to theirs, and obstinately
persists in it; separates from them, forms a party,
and sets himself at the head of them, whom he has
drawn into the same way of thinking with himself: or
he is one that removes and takes away a fundamental
doctrine of Christianity.
~John Gill
A man that is an heretic — Greek “heresy,”
originally meant a division resulting from
individual self-will; the individual doing and
teaching what he chose, independent of the teaching
and practice of the Church. In course of time it
came to mean definitely “heresy” in the modern
sense; and in the later Epistles it has almost
assumed this meaning. The heretics of Crete, when
Titus was there, were in doctrine followers of their
own self-willed “questions” reprobated in Titus 3:9,
and immoral in practice.
~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
2] After the first and second admonition reject.
After the first and second admonition, reject
-
Labour to convince him of his error; but if he will
not receive instruction, if he have shut his heart
against conviction, then - burn him alive? No: even
if demonstrably a heretic in any one sense of that
word, and a disturber of the peace of the Church,
God gives no man any other authority over him but to
shun him, παραιτου. Do him no harm in body, soul,
character, or substance; hold no communion with him;
but leave him to God. See the notes on Acts 5:17;
Acts 24:14 (note),
where the word heresy is particularly explained.
~Adam Clarke
Quoted verses:
Acts 15:17
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord,
and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,
saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Acts 24:14
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way
which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my
fathers, believing all things which are written in
the law and in the prophets:
After the first and second admonition, reject
- have
nothing to do with him; have no society with him;
admit him not to private conversation; and eject him
from church communion, after he has been publicly
admonished twice by the order of the church; for
this is not to be understood of private admonition,
by a particular person or persons; as in the case of
private offences, Matthew 18:15 but of public
admonition, in the name of the church. An admonition
with the Jews did not continue less than seven days;
some say thirty; that is, there were so many days
before it was out, or between one and another.
~John Gill
After the first and second admonition, reject —
decline, avoid; not formal excommunication, but,
“have nothing more to do with him,” either in
admonition or intercourse.
~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
So, stay close to God and immersed in His Word and
stay away from heretics and the false doctrines and
beliefs they bring. This is the lesson of verse 10
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