"note those who cause divisions and offenses"

This is an interesting passage.

Romans 16:17-18(NKJV)

17Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 

18For those who are such do not serve our Lord £Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 

If you are on Facebook you see a lot of back and forth about religion.  Some of the back and forth is from people who truly want to know and some of it is from people who like to twist and pick and chose Scripture to try and make it mean something that anyone who can read knows it really doesn't say.

So does Scripture give us any guidance on how to deal with those people?  I think the verses above are a good place to start.  What does it tell us to look for?

"...note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned

Doesn't the Bible tell us not to judge?  Yes it does.  But the Bible also gives us instructions in several places that do require us to make a judgment.  The Scripture above is just one example.  As I've written many times, the Bible is a book of balance and has to be taken in it's entirety.

One of the things to note about this Scripture is that it gives us instructions on what to base our judgment.  "Note those who cause division and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned".

And what does it tell us to do with those people?  

Romans 16:17(NKJV)

17Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 

And why should we avoid them? 

Romans 16:18(NKJV)

18For those who are such do not serve our Lord £Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 

Because the folks who do that aren't serving Jesus.  And what does Scripture tell us about those who have rejected Jesus?  This isn't one of those live and let live, kumbaya situations.  Scripture tells us that when someone rejects Jesus they have become an enemy of God.

Those on the other side will scream "That isn't very Christian."  These people know how to twist Scripture to try and deceive.    They'll try to convince you that being a good Christian requires you to put up with their nonsense and continue to engage them and try to save them.

So let's examine that charge.  If it is un-Christian, what they are saying is that isn't something that Christ would approve of or do.  OK, fair enough.  Let's take a look at how Jesus handled a similar situation.

Here you have some folks that are questioning the authority of Jesus.  Jesus understands that these are not people who are truly seeking the truth but are people who have ulterior motives that are not in line with God's plan.   

Mark 11:27-33(NKJV)

27Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 

28And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?”

29But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 

30The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

31And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 

32But if we say, ‘From men’”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. 

33So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Notice Jesus doesn’t play their game does He?  He turns the tables on them and asks them a question.  When they realize it is a trap they give a dishonest answer.  Does Jesus continue to engage with them?  Does he try to lovingly persuade them?  Nope.  He tells them to take a hike!

So much for the claim that we are being un-Christian when we follow Christ's lead.  Realize the situation for what it is.  You have an enemy of God trying to use you to make Christ look bad and discourage others from believing.  Jesus wouldn't indulge them and neither should we.