Now I exhort you, brothers, take note of those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them.
Truth to Learn
Avoid those who teach false doctrine.
Behind the Words
“Exhort” is translated from the Greek verb parakalō, which literally means “to call alongside.” It is one of those verbs that has a number of nuances depending on how it is used. It can mean “to encourage, to comfort, to invite, to call for, to help, or to urge.”
The verb “take note of” is from skopeō, meaning “to spy out, to look toward, to give attention to, or to be on the lookout for.”
“Divisions” is from dichostasia, which literally means “separate standings.” It is a picture of two groups of people standing separate from each other.
The word “offenses” is from skandalon, which we have seen before. It refers to the trigger of a trap. Here it refers to something which will cause other Christians to stumble in their walk with God.
The word “doctrine” is translated from didachē, which refers to “something which is taught.” Here it is a reference to the teachings, or doctrines, of the church.
“Turn away from” is from ekklinō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” and klinō, meaning “to bend, to incline, or to turn.” Thus ekklinō means “to turn away from” or “to completely avoid.”
Meaning Explained
Having finished all of the personal greetings he wanted to send to his friends at the church in Rome, Paul now gives one final word of caution. He tells them to be on the lookout for “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” That is, he is warning about people who are not focused on the good of the church and the unity of the body. Instead, these people are focused on what they want rather that what God wants for the church.
In the Greek text, both the word translated “divisions” and the word translated “offenses” have definite articles associated with them. In other words, Paul is warning about those people who cause the divisions and the offenses. Thus, there must have been specific problems that he wanted them to avoid.
We know from several of Paul’s other letters that there were several false teachings that had crept into the church even in its earliest years. Two of these false doctrines were legalism, and an early form of Gnosticism. Most of Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches and part of this letter to the Romans addressed the issue of legalism because there were many converted Jews in the early church who believed that Christians had to keep the law in order to remain saved. Another heresy that crept into the early church was Gnosticism, which tried to spiritualize many of the teachings of Christianity, introducing the notion that there was some “special knowledge” that was required to complete salvation. Paul’s specific instructions were to “turn away from and completely avoid” those who professed these false doctrines.
Application
Teaching true doctrine and the unity of the body of Christ are both essential aspects of the Church. Be on the lookout for false teachers and avoid them like the plague!
In God's service, for His glory,
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