The work you are doing is vital…and often difficult. Titus faced the same challenge on Crete. Paul’s closing words to him are both decisive and grace-filled.
9 μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔρεις καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιΐστασο, εἰσὶν γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. 10 αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, 11 εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἁμαρτάνει, ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος.
Translation: But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, contentions, and fights about the law, because they are useless and empty. After a first and second warning, stay away from a divisive person, because you know that such a person is warped and is sinning. He is self-condemned.
It happens in all human organizations—in government and in the church too—that broken mankind turns useful and beneficial institutions into battlegrounds for things that are not only useless, but also obstructive to anything useful. In 1st-century Crete, these included controversies, genealogies, contentions, and quarrels. When that happens in the church, the message of God’s Word—the preaching of God’s law that leads to godly sorrow and the preaching of the gospel that fills hearts with saving faith and prompts lives of fruitful service—is obscured.
A αἱρετικὸς ἄνθρωπος is anyone who speaks or acts against the gospel that Paul and Titus proclaim as true servants of God. Such a person must be warned once; twice, if necessary; and after that, if there is no repentance, avoided and removed for the sake of the health of the church. Church leaders are called upon to deal with anyone whose combative approach to matters of politics or adiaphora is detrimental to the church. Such a person, unwilling to be corrected, brings discipline and judgment upon himself.
Having guarded the church from what is harmful, Paul now turns to what builds it up: faithful coworkers, thoughtful planning, and lives rich in good works.
12 Ὅταν πέμψω Ἀρτεμᾶν πρὸς σὲ ἢ Τυχικόν, σπούδασον ἐλθεῖν πρός με εἰς Νικόπολιν, ἐκεῖ γὰρ κέκρικα παραχειμάσαι. 13 Ζηνᾶν τὸν νομικὸν καὶ Ἀπολλῶν σπουδαίως πρόπεμψον, ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς λείπῃ. 14 μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι. 15 Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ μετʼ ἐμοῦ πάντες. ἄσπασαι τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐν πίστει. ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν.
Translation: After I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to join me in Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to prepare Zenas the lawyer and Apollos for their journey, so they lack nothing. Let our people learn to be intent on doing good works that meet urgent needs, so that they are not unfruitful. Everyone with me sends you (Titus) greetings. Greet all those who love us in the faith. God’s grace be with you all.
Notice three beautiful gifts in these closing verses: selfless servants in Christ’s church, the benefits of retreats, and the beauty of grace.
Servants: All four of the people named in these verses are servants of the Lord, laboring in God’s kingdom for his mission of bringing the gospel to all nations. Some of these men had secular jobs—tentmakers and lawyers of Roman law. They had received and were providing theological training. In our day, too, the Lord provides the Church with gifted pastors, teachers, and laypeople who are willing to serve as gospel messengers. God be praised for them!
Retreats: Paul made plans for he and Titus to have a winter retreat in Nicopolis (on the west coast of Greece, about two hundred miles northwest of Athens.) We have no record of it happening, but we have no reason to think it didn’t. There, Paul and Titus (and perhaps others) discussed God’s Word, talked about ministry joys and challenges, prayed for the Lord’s help and guidance, and made plans to spread the gospel even further. Ministry retreats are still valuable today. They give us opportunity for thanksgiving, repentance, growth, refreshment, and planning.
Grace: Paul mentions χάρις at the beginning and end of every one of his letters. The grace of God is the beginning, middle, and conclusion of our faith. The Lord has graciously chosen us, redeemed us, and sanctified us. Jesus appeared as divine grace incarnate, God in human flesh. He lived, died, and rose for us. He will appear again graciously with all his angels on the Last Day. Our life of faith begins and ends with grace. Our justification, from beginning to end, is through faith. It is by grace. We spend our whole lives growing in grace. We will praise him for his grace forever.
Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, you are the God of all compassion and grace. We praise and thank you for who you are, for what you have done for us, and for what you have promised to do for us forever. We thank you also for the grace of the public ministry. Make us useful and fruitful in your kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior. Amen.
P.S. For further reading, we recommend Pres. emeritus David Valleskey’s recent book, The Splendid Task of the Ministry: A Pastoral Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (NPH, 2023).