What does it mean when someone is "marked"? I cannot find the term in my Bible, and would appreciate it if you could shed some light on it. Thanks.

In the older English translations, an older (now archaic) word was in use: mark. This means "pay attention to, notice." In the KJV of Romans 16:17, we find "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."

We may be tempted to create a doctrine out of the phrase "mark them," and to suggest that we stigmatize these persons. While public notice about the teachings or actions of the schismatic may be warranted, this is not absolutely required by the passage. To employ more biblically faithful terminology, we might say that someone is "on notice." But even this does not capture the meaning of Paul's statement. Closer would be, regarding certain persons, we ought to "be on the look-out."

For material on the subject of church discipline, see the paper by this name at this website.

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