Titus 3:9-11 is an important section of Paul’s letter to Titus. It is Paul’s concluding thoughts where he provides Titus with advice that was very applicable to his ministry in Crete. Verses 12-15 are more like the postscript. But why are verses 9-11 important? Well, it gives us some insight into the situation that Titus faced as he worked amongst the churches in Crete. It also perhaps provides a clue as to what Titus was doing in response to what was happening. It is clear from chapters1:10-16 and 3:9-11 that people, including Judaizers, were promoting all kinds of false ideas for their own benefit. It was a significant issue and impacted the churches there.
Being an evangelist and preacher, if I were in the same situation as Titus, I would definitely be confronting these people in order to stop their teaching. And, provided there were only a few of them, I might even have a chance to do so. But what if there were a number of these false teachers? If that were the case, I would probably neglect whatever ministry role I was supposed to be involved in as I ran from church to church, trying to snuff out the false teaching of these people before it did too much damage.
Thinking about this makes me wonder if Titus was in exactly this situation. Paul had left Titus in Crete to complete what remained and to appoint elders in every town. But once these false teachers came to Titus’ attention, it would have been difficult for him to sit back and let them have free reign amongst the churches in Crete. Titus was likely running around attempting to deal with these false teachers and their influence but getting nowhere fast.
When Paul wrote to Titus, he somehow knew what was going on. He also knew or could anticipate what Titus might be doing in response to these false teachers. However, rather than getting side-tracked by these false teachers, Paul needed Titus to finish his assigned tasks and move on. But how could Paul help this young preacher stop spinning his wheels in dealing with these false teachers and simultaneously ensure the ongoing safety of the churches there? He had to begin by reminding Titus why he was left in Crete. Paul also had to give Titus a strategy for dealing with these controversial and divisive people. So, what does Paul tell Titus to do? He tells Titus to “avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because they are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, the warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:9-11).As a side note, let me say this passage isn’t about disfellowship. Unfortunately, some use this passage to teach about disfellowshipping others. Although disfellowship is a legitimate means of church discipline, it is to be administered by the church and not an individual (Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5:1-12). So, no, Paul is not addressing disfellowship in chapter 3:9-11. Instead, he is informing a young preacher about how not to get distracted from the work he was supposed to do. Paul tells Titus to deal with these false teachers once or twice but then move on. I would bet that Titus probably had not been doing that. Once you are dealing with contentious people, it can be easy to fall into the trap of constantly responding to them.
You might think, “If Titus wasn’t the solution to these false teachers, who was? Doesn’t someone need to respond and put a stop to these false teachers?” Paul would say, “Of course”. But who could Paul get to protect the churches in Crete from these false teachers and ensure the ongoing health of the churches there? The answer was elders. The churches in Crete needed elders to deal with these false teachers. And how were churches in Crete to have elders? By Titus appointing them. That is why Paul says to Titus in Chapter 1:5, “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”
When my parents had to say to me as a child, “Go and do what I have told you to do (as I directed you)”, it usually meant I wasn’t doing it. Rather than get distracted by all these false teachers, Titus needed to do what Paul had initially asked and appoint elders in every town. These elders would deal with the false teachers and protect the churches. Then Titus could then move on to meet Paul in Nicopolis for the winter (Titus 3:12). In looking at the qualities of an elder listed in Titus 1:6-9 you will read that an elder “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it”. It was the elders who were to refute the false teachers. It is directly after this that Paul says, “For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining households by teaching things they ought not to teach-and that for the sake of dishonest gain.” Notice that Paul knew that these people must be stopped. But who did he want to put a stop to them? The elders, not Titus.
That brings us to a critical point; God wants churches to have elders. Elders protect congregations and keep false teaching at bay. But unfortunately, churches around the world have often struggled significantly in this area. But even though we struggle, we must never stop talking about elderships, praying for their appointment and working towards it. For churches with elders, let’s respect and pray for them because they often deal with challenging circumstances and look after the congregation in ways we will never fully understand.
