NOTES for Tit 3:9
It was typical to man in all times the desire to quarrel. Of course, to one this desire was more deeply expressed, to another it was less considerable, but the fallen man is a quarreler by nature: because, in most cases, quarrel is not just a simple exchange of opinions or search for truth, but rather the desire to assert oneself, besides, unlike many of the other means of self affirmation, under very specious pretexts, so that this kind of self affirmation is often not perceived as something reprehensible, even for those who would certainly have condemned the same self affirmation under any other form.
Besides, the quarrel allows to make shine the intelligence, the wit, eloquence and several other qualities, the demonstrations of which flatter the self-esteem. But the truth in quarrel, even if it comes out, regrettably, it is not always the case. Of course, in the ideal case, when quarrelers quarrel without any desire to boast or to assert oneself at the expense of the opponent, they can effectively arrive to some truth. But unfortunately, in the fallen humanity, an ideal quarrel is as a purely theoretical model of the reality, quite as is in physics for example the ideal gas: in the real life, such quarrels are impossible, quite as is impossible in the nature the ideal gas.
In the best case we can only talk of the predominance to the quarrelers of the desire to find the truth over the desire of self affirmation. But regrettably, such dominance is not often met, as it might seem. And in any other case quarrel indeed loses its sense. Even Jesus did not try to discuss with those who got involved into quarrel solely to argue with the interlocutor: because here are useless any arguments.
Besides: such a quarrel can bring to quarrelers more harm than profit. When it comes to fighting against self-esteem and the rivalries in the self-affirmation, as shows the experience of several centuries, quarrelers forgets easily and fast God's commandments, and remember usually only when it is already late. Get involved in such quarrels means encouraging them, and the one who is called to witness of the Kingdom should not do this. It is found here the justification of the famous proverb the word is silver and silence is golden.