I was surprised at how these other Bible versions translate these verses. A heretic (as we spell it today) is one who not only teaches heresy (unbiblical doctrine) but in so doing creates division in the church.
I had always envisioned a heretic as being someone who comes from outside the church and tries to lead people off like those cults who send people door to door to confuse people and lead them astray.
But it looks to me from these verses and the context of the book of Titus, that these are people within the church and they know they are doing wrong but persist in trying to draw away a following of people anyway.
Does their soapbox always have to do with the Biblical doctrine of the church? No, I don't think so. Sometimes they are just discontented with how things are run in the church and so they go about to find ways to twist it into an issue of Biblical doctrine. It's always easier to gain support for your cause if you can couch it in spiritual terms.
Reject a divisive person after one or two warnings. You know that such a person is twisted by sin and is conscious of it himself. (Titus 3:10, 11 NET)
As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. (Titus 3:10, 11 ESV)
Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned. (Titus 3:10, 11 NASB)
No comments:
Post a Comment