TITUS 1: 10-16
DEALING WITH REBELLIOUS TEACHERS
Paul has just told Titus to hold, against all attacks, the faithful Word and to use its teaching to grow others in sound doctrine and in refuting those who contradict (v. 9). Apparently they were many Cretins who contradicted the sound teaching of the faithful Word so here Paul gives God's wisdom for dealing with those who refuse to submit to the sound teaching of the Word of God (CIT).
Today this passage is still to be used for how to deal with those that contradict the teaching of the reliable Word. How sad, yet how necessary an element of the overseer's duty is rebuke. It is especially needful in dealing with legalism, heretics, or lazy gluttons who lack genuine good works. It always burdens a pastor's heart to severely rebuke his people yet it is part of his calling and orthodox duty. Heresy left unchecked penetrates deep into a church's and an individual's life and thought, leaving nothing undisturbed.
I. SILENCE REBELLIOUS TEACHERS, 10-11.
II. REBUKE MYTHOLOGISTS AND LEGALISTS, 12-14.
III. TEST BY DEEDS NOT WORDS, 15-16.
While leadership development is crucial, so is the confrontation with false teachers. The "for" in verse 10 gives us the reason it is so important for the elders to hold sound doctrine. "For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision."
Verse 10 tells what kind of people call themselves Christian yet oppose the truth of God's Word. One of the telltale clues of those that promote heresy is they are rebellious (defiant or insubordinate). They refuse to put themselves under godly authority. They are insubordinate against any leader or leadership that is not their own. They are also empty takers [matilogas] or idle takers. They use many words, but they are void of spiritual truth or profit. Their words do not bring about positive spiritual change. They may be impressive people, that say impressive things, but when you boil it down it has no eternal substance or value. They excelled in talking. They can tell others what to do but can not be told to do it themselves.
Paul next calls them deceivers. This is their most dangerous work. They lead others astray. The word indicates a mind deception [phrenapapatatns, from apato, "to chat, beguile, deceive"]. It describes those that desire to manipulate the thoughts of another person [and replace them with their own thoughts]. Smooth and glib talk can become charmingly deceptive.
The next clause, especially those of the circumcision describes where most rebellious deceivers are found. They were found with those that justify themselves by their rules or man's rules for righteousness instead of by God's commandments. The circumcised were those who would not come under obedience of the Word. Their poisonous influence is contagious for it appeals to man's pride.
In light of the difficult character of these people, Paul advises strong action in verse 11. "Who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain."
If anything could silence them it is the authority of the faithful Word by a messenger under God's authority. The word silence [epistomieo] indicates putting something in the mouth, like a bridle, muzzle or gag. Rebellious deceivers must not be tolerated or allowed to teach in the fellowship.
Just how this silencing should be done is not indicated in the present passage.[See, however 1 Tim. 1:3,4; 1:20; 4:7; 2 Tim. 2:16,21,23; 4:2; Titus 1:13b; 3:10.] Yet Scripture does address the need for rebuke. Stopping their mouths is not to be a silencing by force or violence but by teaching and reason. At first the errorist should be tenderly admonished so that he may be won for the truth. If he refuses, he must be sharply reprimanded and told to desist. The person who persists in his evil ways must be shunned by the church and disciplined. The supreme measure, excommunication, may have to be employed in order to safeguard the church and in order to bring the sinner to repentance. In the church of God there is no such thing as "freedom of misleading speech." It would be too dangerous.
The reason they are to be silenced is because of the effect of their words. They are upsetting whole families. Their teaching spawns a disregard for acceptable patterns of behavior [in social relationships]. Their purpose was to acquire shameful profit. False teachers are detected by their false motives. The reason they taught was not for Christ's sake or for Christ's glory, but for their own sakes, their own position, their own gain and their own personal influence and their own promotion. They selfishly aim at money and prestige.
II. REBUKE MYTHOLOGISTS AND LEGALISTS, 12-14.
Verse 12 uses a well-recognized saying to reinforce their known character. "One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."
The Cretin false teachers were self-called prophets or teachers. Yet Paul quotes a Cretin to summarize the state of affairs on the island. The Cretin habit of lying was so well known that their name [kretiz] passed into meaning lie and liar. [The Gk word liar is , and lying is µ ..] Just as sodomy refers to an infamous sin of which Sodomites were guilty, so "Cretan" became almost synonymous with a liar. The words of verse 12 didn't originate with Paul he
They were not just beasts but evil beasts; wild, rude, cruel and brutal, animal-like people. They were not just gluttons but lazy gluttons. They sought to satisfy fleshly appetites with only the effort of words and easy tasks. They desired to live it up at the expense of their followers. These are strangely stigmatizing words to be sent by a loving apostle to a young minister to whom he had entrusted the care of those very souls.
The letter to Titus was the result of two storms. The first was a storm that left Paul on the Island of Crete (Acts 27). The second was a storm of relativism that left the Cretans with few values.
By the time of Paul the society had a despicable reputation. Greed was god. Schemers were admired. Cheating was wrong only if you got caught. Right and wrong were determined by the situation, and rape was not a crime. The economy was so bad that boys were sold as mercenaries as young as the age of twelve. Hence, the people were left with few male role models and fewer absolute beliefs. [Max Lucado] Does that summary describe where Satan is trying to take America?
Verse 13 give the assessment of such a harsh evaluation of Cretans. "This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith."
"This testimony is true" means that Paul endorses the testimony of the poet Epimenides [who had lived on Crete 600 years earlier]. Paul had first-hand knowledge not available to us today. Thus he told Titus that if the Cretans behave according to stereotype, "rebuke them." Reprove [ ] means to rebuke so as to bring conviction and confession of sin. [Severely is µ from µ to cut off.] It signifies a summary intended to end the affair. The reason or aim of this severe reproof is that they may be sound in the faith ( - express the object, reason, purpose). The purpose of the rebuke was that they may be sound or "healthy" in the faith.
Rebuke is not to be vindictive but curative- always. Reproof is not to win an argument, but to bring into the way of truth those who have erred or are deceived. To have sound faith you must have severe rebuke. Reproof is God's method to bring our rebellious nature into the way of truth.
[I'm sure Titus wonder what he had gotten himself into. Has God called you to live as a ROCK IN A HARD PLACE? Let me explain what I mean by that.
In the first century, Titus was drafted by the apostle Paul to live in a hard place called Crete. The people on this island were known throughout the Mediterranean world as lazy workers and dishonest merchants. They had a long history of despicable living, and possessed the morals of an alley cat. In Greek literature, "to cretanize" meant "to lie." Morally and spiritually, Crete was a hard place in which to live.
Yet Paul established churches there and asked Titus to organize them and appoint leaders. Titus had to be a rock in a hard place. By his teaching he was to expose error and proclaim truth; by his way of life he was to be an example of what it means to live for Christ (2:7-8).
Has God called you to represent Him in a work-place where Christ's name is a curse word, or in a neighborhood where people have no time for God? Then by all means you must know God's truth and reflect that truth in your life. A society such as ours needs Christians who live as rocks in a hard place. A rock-solid believer thrives even in a sin-hardened place.]
By way of contrast verse 14 exhorts Titus to keep focused and centered on the Scriptures. "Not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth."
Jewish legalists place regulations and burdens upon others that may have a form of godliness by they are void of God's Holy Spirit power. To be found sound in the faith you are not to pay attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. The false teachers based their authority on the commandments of men and non-scriptural teaching called Jewish myths (Mk 7:7-8).
III. TEST BY DEEDS NOT WORDS, 15-16.
In these verses Paul confronts false teachers both with the test of character and with the test of conduct. Verse 15 further assists Titus by let him know that those of corrupt minds will not recognize purity. "To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled."
True purity is from a pure heart and conscience before God, not from keeping man-made requirements (Lk. 11:41). Pure men are those who by repentance from sin have been cleansed by the blood of Christ and having been regenerated by the Holy Spirit are constantly being cleansed from the pollution of their sins by giving heed to that same Spirit 1 John 1:9ff).
On the other hand those who are condemned are contaminated, defiled or polluted because they have rejected Christ. No matter what they do with their mind, will or emotions their deeds will be tainted with pollution from their fallen nature. Once the mind is corrupted the conscience swiftly follows suit. They may mean good but because both their mind and their conscience are defiled; they spread defilement; intentionally or unintentionally. If your mind and conscience are defilable [pliable] its direction and instincts are unreliable and its dictates can be false. Moral pollution taints everything with its impurity for it is our inner attitudes and motivations that determine the quality of our actions. Without Christ nothing anyone does is pure.
Our Conscience has major limitations. LIKE A COMPUTER, our conscience is no better than the data [& software] it relies upon. Sadly, it can be subjected to some pretty messed-up programming. And since our conscience is no more trustworthy than the standard it's calibrated to, we can end up feeling very good about some very bad things.
Before I became a Christian, I lived by a set of moral values that I now know to be faulty. Then when I stepped over the line to follow Christ, those values were replaced by another set of ideas from my legalists friends. In each case I thought I was living by the truth. But I wasn't. My conscience was badly out of whack. It was like having a GPS unit with all the software messed up. It confidently told me where to go and what to do, but most of what it told me was wrong. As a result, I made some dumb (and sinful) decisions that were nonetheless accompanied by a completely clear conscience.
To make matters worse, like many people, I took most of my moral cues from those around me. I assumed the majority couldn't be wrong. But that was foolish. Majority doesn't equal morality. God nowhere promises that if enough people take the wrong path, he'll turn it into the right path. [Osborne, Larry. Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe.]
How has our own conscience been subjected to "pretty messed-up programming"?
Verse 16 teaches that profession and performance should not contradict each other. "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed."
Paul realizes that false teachers are subtle in that they give every appearance of being religious, but their actions deny that they have been transformed by God. They profess or confess to know God. Their words say I know God, but by their deeds they deny Him.
Faith and works go together. True faith produces true works. Word and deed must be united if the profession is true. Christianity provides great armor but is a terrible cloak. Thus they are detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. [Reprobate has the idea of being tested but disapproved.] Yes by grace you are saved, but if you have received grace you always illustrate it by good deeds which bring God glory.
We're not to judge others for purposes of condemnation ((Mt. 7:1), but we are to judge the fruit of others for purposes of identification (Mt. 7:16). That is why Paul tells young pastor Titus to beware of the religionists and mystics whose works prove they don't know God.
Many people claim to know God. When ever I look at a nation-wide poll I'm shocked by how many people consider themselves Christians. The vast majority of Americans profess to believe in God. How can we know if they really do? We may not know for certain in this life, but a glance at their life-styles will quickly tell us what they value and whether they have ordered their lives around kingdom priorities. Our country would be radically different if all professor were born-again believers. Remember, talk is cheap. [Smith, Chuck. The Word for Today Bible. 2005. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN. p. 1603.]
Our conduct speaks volumes about what we believe (1 John 2:4-6). What do people know about God and about your faith by watching your life?
IN CLOSING,
The test of conduct measures our knowledge of God by our actions, not by our claims. Words of love without deeds of love do not a loving relationship make. Talk of mercy without kindness and forgiveness only denies the presence of God. Pontificating about justice without the actions to match quickly become a pretense. It is our actions, not our claims, that witness to our relationship with God.
Work done by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit is the only work that brings God glory. Sanctified men that are committed to God's Word are the only ones that can live and perform acceptable deeds in God's sight. You can choose what you want to believe, but you can not choose the consequences of your belief.
