Stirring Up Division

Avoid Divisive Arguments (Titus 3:9)

• We must discern the difference between truths, trends, and traditions.
• Truths are the unchanging, unbending doctrines of God clearly presented in Scripture.
• Trends are the current and popular directions within a culture.
• Traditions are the doctrines accepted by some to have divine authority but not actually taught in Scripture.
• There is a difference between a hill to die upon and a bump to walk around.
• You can’t stop useless disagreements from happening, but you can avoid them.
• If you are the only person to ever discover a particular something in Scripture, there’s probably a good reason for that.
• Arguing about trivial details reduces the time to proclaim significant doctrines.
• Does this conversation profit the Church or proclaim the worth of Christ?

Avoid Divisive People (Titus 3:10-11)

• A divisive teacher is a false teacher (cf. Titus 1:16).
• Church discipline is when God’s people address divisive individuals with God’s truth for the sake of God’s glory.
• Warped – A warped believer is one who can’t stay on track.
• Sinful – As a teacher, obsessing over the fine details while neglecting the clear truth is a continual sinful practice.
• Self-Condemned – Refusing correction, the divisive person actually participates in his own accusation because he fights against unity in the Body.
• If the Church cannot agree upon the truth, how do we ever expect a broken world to hear it?

Application

1. Read your Bible.
2. Take notes during sermons.
3. Commit to a Bible study group.