An heretical man after a first and second admonition have done with,
Paul's instruction to Titus is blunt: warn the man twice, then be done with him. Everything turns on who this "person who stirs up division" is, and on what it means to "have nothing more to do with him."
The Word Behind "Divisive"
The Greek word here comes from a verb meaning "to choose." The same word is also used for a religious "sect."
The word hairesis comes from "to choose." The New Testament translates the same Greek word as "sect," and uses it of the Jewish sects, such as the Sadducees and the Pharisees... Since the root means "to choose," a heresy is something a person picks out as his own. The doctrine a man holds and pushes may be true in itself, but he may exaggerate it or take it out of its connection. The usual result is that a party or sect is formed. God has given in His word everything the church needs, so there is no room for man's choice or man's will: he must be a humble receiver.
Right Belief Is Not the Test
The word points at party-making, not at wrong belief. So a man may believe nothing false and still fall under this verse.
By "heretical man" the apostle means anyone active in originating or adopting a sect, even if he were orthodox.
Another writer defines the heretic not by what he denies, but by what his will produces.
A heretical man, then, need not be one who denies any article of the Christian faith. He is a heretic who allows his mind or will to work in connection with doctrine, and so produces or supports a sect.
Division Inside, Sect Outside
Wrong teaching and party spirit are two different evils, and they move in opposite directions.
The apostle uses "heresy" for a party of self-will, a faction that cuts itself off from the assembly... But wrong doctrine (the later church sense of "heresy") does not always lead the man who holds it to form a party outside. A divisive spirit heads straight there. A split inside soon becomes a split outside, while wrong teaching hides inside, so as to spread through the whole group like yeast if it can.
What "Have Nothing More to Do With Him" Means
The command is not the formal removal of someone from fellowship. Paul uses the same verb elsewhere for turning away from silly stories and pointless arguments.
This also explains, at least in part, why there is not a word here about putting the evildoer away. Titus was to "shun" or "avoid" him. Scripture uses paraitou of avoiding old wives' fables (1 Tim. 4:7), younger widows (v. 11), foolish and ignorant questions (2 Tim. 2:23), as well as the heretic in the passage before us. In no case does it mean excommunication. It simply means avoiding things or people. Only the heretic was outside.
Warning Twice Before Withdrawing
The two warnings are not a formality. They are corrective instruction, given in the hope that he will learn.
He is not to be rejected at once... To admonish him does not mean to rebuke him exactly. Admonishment is corrective instruction, and that is what you must give such a person. If after that instruction he seems slow to learn or stubborn, and still wants to go back to his own gathering, then give him this corrective instruction a second time. And if he still stays hardened, then he must be rejected.
The second turning back is what settles the matter. It shows what is driving him.
If the evil is present in an honest mind, get the thing clearly before him and he will be set free. If a second time the mind turns back to it, there is reason to fear a lack of straightforwardness... His will had been at work.
Condemned by His Own Choice
No one else needs to pass sentence on this man. His own act has already done it.
He is not satisfied with the assembly of God, with the truth of God: he wants to make a truth of his own. Why is he a Christian, if Christianity, as God has given it, does not satisfy him? By making a party for his own opinions he condemns himself.
One writer refuses to treat this as a small matter:
If any Christians who claim spiritual insight count this a light sin, they are themselves to be pitied, warned, and prayed for. What is self-will but sin against God? And in someone who claims to love Christ, what self-will is worse than despising the church of God? He tries to form a church of his own, on views of his own.
Summary
- Choice — the word behind "divisive" means choosing. The man picks his own line, and what he teaches may even be true in itself.
- Will — the sin is not error but self-will at work with doctrine, until a party forms around one man's preference.
- Warning — patience comes first. Give corrective instruction once, then a second time.
- Withdrawal — "have nothing more to do with him" means avoidance, not excommunication. The sect-maker has already left on his own.
- Verdict — no one needs to pass sentence. By preferring his own church to God's assembly, he has already condemned himself.