⁹But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. ¹⁰Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, ¹¹knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Because right doctrine is essential, we must guard against wasting time in useless, intramural debates. The proliferation of the internet and social media provides no limit to the expansion of Christian argumentation. To be sure, there is much that falls into the realm of disagreement over things that are important, but not essential to faithful Christlikeness. However, many things fall into the categories of which Paul writes here: foolish controversies, strife, disputes, unprofitable, worthless, factious, perverted, sinning, and self-condemned. Harsh words, not only to Titus’ generation but to ours as well!

Who decides what constitutes “secondary” issues? And when does disagreement move from intelligent discourse in the pursuit of truth into condemnable? The apostle Paul just finished identifying the essentials of primary issues in his summary theological statement. Of course, there are many spinoffs, but anything that goes beyond the essence and spirit of the gospel message of grace strays into secondary issues or, at worst, false doctrine. Civil discourse over the many interpretive and applicational issues of Scripture are fair game for discussion, but if they engender controversies and strife, then the line has been overstepped. Those kinds of interactions should be renounced and abandoned.

That is what Paul means when he writes, “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning.” In the teaching of Jesus, after the second warning of at least two or three witnesses, the contentious individual should be taken to the church for chastisement and possibly excommunication, that is, to be put out of the church (or as Paul says here, he should be rejected). The gospel message for salvation and for life is just too vital for us to waste time on nonessential issues. For Titus, that means stop stressing over one’s genealogical placement and the details of the Mosaic Law. We are not under Law but under grace. To be sure, we can benefit from studying the Law, as we do the entire OT. But we should not be diverted from the gospel truth.

Remember, the apostle’s point in this extended passage is that centering our life on the gospel of grace frees us to live for that which God has designed us, namely, for doing good in the world. We must not waste time in pseudo-theological discussions at the expense of living a life worthy of our Lord.

Lord, help me “walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.”