Does Titus 3:10 suggest excommunication for divisive behavior? Canonical Text “Titus 3:10 As for a divisive man, after a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with him” Immediate Literary Context Paul’s short epistle to Titus lays out instructions for establishing orderly congregational life on Crete (Titus 1:5). Chapter 3 moves from justification by grace (vv. 3-7) to practical community ethics (vv. 8-11). Verses 9-11 form a single Greek sentence warning against unprofitable controversies; v. 10 gives the corrective action; v. 11 provides the rationale (“knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned”). Synthesis with Broader Pauline Discipline Passages 1. Matthew 18:15-17 (Jesus’ three-step process ends with “let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector”). 2. 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 (“Remove the wicked man from among yourselves”). 3. 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14-15 (“keep away,” yet “do not regard him as an enemy but warn him as a brother”). 4. Romans 16:17 (“keep away from them”). Paul’s instruction to Titus is consistent with these texts: patient warnings precede separation, and separation serves both the purity of the church and the offender’s potential restoration. Historical-Theological Perspective • Didache 15.3 (c. A.D. 60-90) mirrors a two-warning policy before exclusion. • Ignatius, Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6.2 urges believers to “avoid schismatics” who break Eucharistic unity. • Second-century Shepherd of Hermas, Mandate 7.3, calls the factious man “the destroyer of the vineyard.” Early witnesses interpret the apostolic model as formal removal from fellowship after admonitions. Purpose of Discipline 1. Protection of doctrinal purity (Galatians 1:8-9). 2. Preservation of communal unity (John 17:21). 3. Redemptive intent for the offender (2 Corinthians 2:6-8). 4. Witness to outsiders (1 Peter 2:12). Behavioral science confirms social boundaries reinforce group norms; Scripture harnesses that dynamic toward repentance, not retribution. Excommunication or Lesser Sanction? The command “have nothing more to do with him” (παραιτοῦ) exceeds informal distancing. Combined with v. 11’s declaration that he is “self-condemned,” the phrase implies exclusion from the covenant community—functionally excommunication—yet always with the door of repentance open (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:9-11). Pastoral Procedure 1. Identify genuinely divisive conduct, distinguishing honest theological inquiry from schismatic agitation (Jude 22-23). 2. Issue first admonition: clear, documented, infused with grace (Proverbs 27:6). 3. Issue second admonition if unrepentant, with additional witnesses if possible (Matthew 18:16). 4. Announce and enact removal from membership and Lord’s Table (1 Corinthians 11:29-32). 5. Continue prayer and occasional contact aimed at restoration (2 Thessalonians 3:15). Common Objections Answered • “Isn’t this unloving?” – Love “rejoices in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Shielding the body from error and pressing the sinner toward repentance are acts of covenantal love. • “Couldn’t this cause further division?” – Permitting unchecked factionalism guarantees greater division (Galatians 5:9). Biblical discipline curbs it. • “Only God can judge.” – God delegates disciplinary authority to the church (Matthew 18:18; 1 Corinthians 5:4-5). Practical Contemporary Examples • Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (2018) cites Titus 3:10 when urging churches to warn and, if necessary, dismiss teachers of self-defined gender ideology to protect doctrinal integrity. • African Inland Church, Kenya (2021), following two admonitions, removed a pastor promoting universalism; he later repented and was restored—illustrating the redemptive trajectory of Titus 3:10. Summary Answer Titus 3:10, read in its linguistic, canonical, and historical context, commands removal from the fellowship—commonly termed “excommunication”—of an unrepentantly divisive person after two formal warnings. The aim is the glory of God through a purified church and the hopeful restoration of the offender. |
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