Avoiding Division: Pursue Unity and Peace in Church

Paul sets a clear contrast in Titus 3 between what is “excellent and profitable” and what is “unprofitable and worthless.” Good works sit on the plus side of the ledger. Jesus intends visible obedience to shine and bring glory to the Father, and Paul ties that to fruit, light, and honor. On the minus side stand foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law. Those things tear down, bear no good fruit, darken the room, and end in dishonor. People can even say the right things about God but deny him by their works, showing themselves “unfit for any work.”

The text then presses in on verses 9 to 11. “But avoid” lands with weight. Avoid is not flirt or sample. Avoid means turn completely around, keep distance, dodge, side step, let it pass by. Sad to say, many can point to a time when they should have avoided, but they reached out anyway and paid for it. Here the word targets specific church agitators. Some issues generate agreement and blessing. Others generate disagreement and division. The church must refuse the bait.

Unity in Christ is the aim. Scripture calls unity blessed, and the New Testament calls the church to one accord and one mind. Division comes from the enemy. He divides husbands and wives, parents and children, elders and members. Paul refuses to let the church be eaten alive by scruples. In Romans 14 he insists the kingdom is not eating or drinking but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. So the church must “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” and refuse to put a stumbling block before a brother.

Four words carry the charge. Avoid is the first. Division is the second, and it is anti harmony, a heartache-maker. Some want to stir, always ready with a paddle. Let settled stuff stay settled. Do not shake the can just to make a stink. Warning is the third. The divisive person is to be warned once, then twice, with the aim of recovery, not humiliation. Reject is the last word. After two warnings, have nothing more to do with him. Such a person is “warped and sinful,” self condemned. The images land hard. A warped bowling ball will not roll true. An out-of-round tire will make a ride rough. A crooked cue stick will not run straight. Sin does that. It throws judgment and relationships out of alignment. Order in Christ’s house means guarding unity by avoiding what divides, warning what threatens it, and removing what will not repent.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Choose the excellent and profitable Good works bring light, fruit, and honor, and they stack up real gain in a life before God and neighbor. Paul’s contrast is not theoretical bookkeeping but a way of seeing what actually builds people up. The church that majors on the profitable learns to love what lasts and to leave alone what rots. The ledger is simple, but it is holy. [04:12]
• 2. Avoid the stir that breeds division Some topics only agitate the bottom of the can and make a room smell like sludge. Wisdom lets what should settle, settle, and refuses to yank old sediment back into circulation. The goal is not to win every argument but to keep the body whole. Peace requires self-restraint at the point of provocation. [26:28]
• 3. Warn twice, then practice holy separation Correction comes patiently and plainly, once and then twice, with the hope that the offender will hear and heal. When hardness persists, separation protects the flock and tells the truth about the danger. Mercy does not mean tolerating a slow-burning fire in the pews. Love for Christ’s body sometimes looks like a firm no. [25:06]
• 4. Pursue peace and mutual upbuilding Paul re-centers the church on the kingdom’s core, not on food fights and scruples. Righteousness, peace, and joy are the Spirit’s field of play, and believers are called to run there on purpose. Pursuit takes choices, tone, and timing, all tuned to keep the weakest brother from stumbling. Peace is not passive; it is practiced. [12:58]
• 5. Division warps judgment and witness A divisive soul does not roll true; the path curves even when the lane is straight. Over time, warped loves and habits make conversations wobble and ministries shake. Repentance re-trues the heart to Christ so that relationships can hold weight again. Where sin twists, grace must reset. [29:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:19] - Profit vs Unprofit Contrast
• [01:08] - Devoted To Good Works
• [05:06] - But Avoid: Four Dangers
• [06:12] - Unity In Christ, Not Division
• [08:51] - Four Church-Dividing Issues
• [10:38] - Pursue Peace Over Scruples
• [14:03] - Four Words That Guide Us
• [14:16] - Word One: Avoid
• [19:22] - Word Two: Division Destroys
• [23:46] - Word Three: Warning
• [28:28] - Word Four: Reject After Warnings
• [29:11] - Warped: Images That Teach
• [40:02] - Call To Believe: Romans 10

1. According to Titus 3:9, what four specific things are believers instructed to avoid?
2. What imagery is used in the sermon to describe the effects of sin on a person’s judgment and relationships (e.g., warped bowling ball, crooked cue stick)? [29:11]
3. How does Romans 14:19 redefine the priorities of the church compared to disputes over secondary issues?
4. What two actions in Romans 10:9-10 are linked to salvation?

1. Why does Paul emphasize avoiding certain disputes rather than merely “handling them carefully”? What does this imply about their potential harm?
2. The sermon compares stirring up division to shaking sediment in a paint can. [26:28] How does this analogy illustrate the damage caused by revisiting settled or divisive issues?
3. Romans 14 warns against letting disagreements over secondary issues (like food) disrupt unity. How can believers discern when a disagreement is “unprofitable” versus worth addressing?
4. Titus 3:10-11 instructs the church to warn a divisive person twice before rejecting them. Why is patience (two warnings) important in this process, and what does rejection ultimately protect?

1. Reflect on a recent conversation where you felt tempted to correct someone or debate a minor issue. How could you have practiced “self-restraint at the point of provocation” to prioritize peace? [26:28]
2. The sermon warns that division often starts subtly. What practical steps could you take this week to intentionally “pursue mutual upbuilding” in your relationships?
3. Have you ever been part of a situation where a divisive person needed correction? How did it align (or not) with the process in Titus 3:10-11? What would you do differently now?
4. The analogy of a warped bowling ball shows how sin distorts our lives. [29:11] Are there habits or attitudes in your life that might be “throwing you out of alignment” with Christ’s call to unity?
5. Romans 10:9-10 ties salvation to both belief and confession. How does this truth shape your urgency to share the gospel with others?
6. What “settled issues” in your community or family tend to get stirred up repeatedly? How can you help others let them rest instead of reopening old wounds?
7. The sermon says, “Mercy does not mean tolerating a slow-burning fire in the pews.” [25:06] When is it loving to confront division firmly, and how can you do this without pride or harshness?