Titus 3:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What does “being self-condemned” mean? He cannot say that no one spoke to him, that no one admonished him. And when, after admonition, he remains the same, then he is “self-condemned.”

How then does Paul say elsewhere, “Perhaps God may grant them repentance” (2 Tim 2:25)? There he spoke of people who offer hope of correction. Here he speaks of an incorrigible heretic, utterly corrupted, who is self-condemned, that is, without excuse. For he cannot say, “No one admonished me, no one taught me.” Therefore, if after admonition he stubbornly persists in the same thing, he has condemned himself.

In that case, being put to shame by the stench of their names, perhaps they will be able to understand into what depth of impiety they have fallen.

Although justice would require that we not answer these heretics, according to the apostolic counsel, "Reject a heretic after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a one is perverted and sins, being self-condemned."

This is especially so since the prophet also says of such people: "For the fool speaks folly, and his heart thinks lawlessness" (Isa 32:6).

Yet, since they too, like their leader, walk about as lions, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8) from among the simple, it became necessary for us to write to your reverence.

Thus the brethren, taught again by your admonition, may consign their vain words to still greater condemnation.

For such a man, for whom there is neither certain truth nor falsehood, is perverted in his mind and sins, because he has tasted the truth and turned back. By the very fact that he goes away and comes back, he condemns himself, that is, he subjects himself to deserved condemnation.

It is written, "Stop your ears," and elsewhere, "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers" (Phil 3:2).

And again: "Reject a heretic after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a one is perverted and sins, being self-condemned."

Therefore, like good helmsmen, let us pass by the cave of heresies in the most cautious way. Let us spread the sails of faith and equip the tackle of the Scriptures.

By their hard and unbending fleshly mind they can in no way depart from their sin. Therefore the Apostle says: "Reject a heretic after one admonition," knowing that such people are corrupted.

Christ, the true Interpreter of the Scriptures, leads them into error so that their attacks may prove futile and be unable to harm.

“Knowing that such a one is perverted.” He has been utterly perverted, utterly corrupted, and suffers from an incurable disease. “And sins.” The more he persists, the more he sins. Therefore do not give him an occasion to continue in sin. “And is self-condemned.” He cannot say that no one reproved him when he strayed from the straight path, and that no one admonished him.

That the Church can neither be outside herself, nor be cut or divided against herself, but represents the unity of an undivided and whole house, is explained by the testimony of Holy Scripture.

Here it is mystically proclaimed that those who are preparing for victory and desire to escape the destruction of the world must gather in one house alone, that is, in the Church.

Whoever goes out from those gathered there, that is, whoever has received grace in the Church and then falls away and departs, will be guilty against himself.

This means that he must blame himself for his own destruction. According to the clear teaching and commandment of the Apostle Paul, such a man must be avoided as a heretic, perverted, sinning, and self-condemned.

A heretic condemns himself when he expels himself from the catholic Church and departs from the assembly of the saints, although no one compels him. For he himself, who by his own decision separates himself from all, shows that he brings condemnation upon himself from all. I say that the heretic condemns himself because all criminal men are expelled from the Christian community by the bishop’s decision. But the heretic, forestalling the voices of all, is overthrown by the voice of his own will.

"He is perverted, and sins, and is self-condemned" is said about a heretic.

This means a man who, without refuting the Orthodox teaching as a whole, has arbitrarily distorted some dogma of the faith, as Arius once did concerning the Son of God, or as certain special sects do in our schism.

Mere doubts in faith, or error, or even schism itself, as well as the defense of one's false convictions, do not yet constitute heresy.

Heresy is the denial or distortion of a divine dogma, or of an essential article of faith, and this with extreme obstinacy.

Therefore the full guilt of a person who has invented a heresy or accepted one already prepared begins only after the Church has reproved him, and he continues stubbornly to hold his opinion, which is contrary to the catholic faith.

After this, the Church's canons strictly forbid having religious, and even ordinary, communion with such a person (Apostolic Canon 45; Laodicea 9 and 37).

Why not try a third and fourth time to turn the heretic to the path of truth? Brotherly love for one's neighbor would seem to oblige us to this.

One may suppose that the Apostle is not appointing here a strictly fixed number of attempts to persuade heretics.

He only impresses upon Titus that attempts at persuasion made once and twice should show whether they should be continued further, or whether every further attempt should be abandoned.

Saint Chrysostom reasons precisely in this sense: "When someone has become so corrupt that he will by no means decide to change his opinion, why should you labor in vain, sowing seed on stone?

"That earnest labor can be used for your own people, conversing with them about mercy and the other virtues."

The appropriate punishments for crimes committed are imposed by Orthodox ecclesiastical law either by a condemnatory, that is, accusatory, sentence, or by a declaratory, that is, explanatory, sentence.

In a condemnatory sentence, it is an unconditional requirement that the proper ecclesiastical court fulfill all prescriptions concerning judicial procedure. In this way it becomes acquainted with the punishable matter and verifies it. Accordingly, it imposes the fitting punishment upon the guilty person.

But it happens that a person guilty of a certain crime is subject to punishment even without such a sentence. This occurs when, at the very moment of committing the crime, the offender has already fallen under the punishment determined by law.

Concerning the relation to heretics, the Apostle says that after the first and second admonition they must be rejected. That is, they must be put away from the composition of the Church.

They give no hope of conversion, are hardened in their prejudices, and have condemned themselves to destruction in life outside the Church, outside her saving mysteries, and outside eternal blessed life.

According to Saint John Chrysostom's explanation, the Apostle speaks here as if saying: "When someone has become so corrupt that he will by no means decide to change his opinion, why should you labor in vain, sowing seed on stone?

"That earnest labor can be used for your own people, conversing with them about mercy and the other virtues.

If, in this matter, heretics hinder him and provoke him to disputes about the prescriptions of the Law, Titus must withdraw from them. To argue with ignorant and prejudiced men is useless.

Nevertheless, the heretic should be addressed once and twice with persuasion. But this persuasion must have the character of admonition, νουθεσία, and not of dispute.

After this, one must withdraw from him completely if the admonition has no effect on him. This is a sign that such a man sins no longer from weakness or lack of understanding, but with definite intention.

He also knows the condemnation to which he is subject.

The reason why, after a heretic has been admonished twice, one should no longer concern oneself with him is this: "he is perverted and sins."

"He is perverted," ἐξέστραπται, means he has become utterly corrupt. He has taken on a distorted mind, with which nothing can be done.

He has lost the capacity to see the truth, being filled with prejudices contrary to it. The false principles he has adopted darken his eyes. In broad daylight he does not see the light that surrounds him and enlightens all others.

"He sins," ἁμαρτάνει, is usually used of moral sins, or of transgressions of the commandments.

But here it is said of false teaching. In relation to this, sin may be considered disobedience to the clear indications of the word of God, or resistance to the clearly expressed will of God.

Let us not dwell any longer on this subject, because the same Apostle, in the Epistle to the Galatians, places heresy among the works of the flesh, cf. Gal 5:20.

He also counsels Titus: "Reject a heretic after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a one is perverted and sins, being self-condemned."

In almost all his epistles, Saint Paul indicates that we should withdraw from every false teaching. By this name he means heresies, whose fruit is false teaching.

Heresy comes from the Greek word αἵρεσις, meaning "choice," because the heretic truly chooses the teaching which he invents or accepts.

For this reason the Apostle says that the heretic is self-condemned.