Titus 1:10-16 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Titus 1:10-16. Let’s go
Titus 1:10-11 (NIV)
10 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.
11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach–and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
On verses 10-11: Paul warns Titus to guard against those who try to deceive the church in Crete with false doctrine. In particular, Paul warns Titus about the “circumcision group” (also known as the Judaizers) who taught that in order to be saved it was not enough to believe in Jesus but that you must also be circumcised and follow the ceremonial and food regulations of the Jewish law. Paul warns Titus sternly about them. He tells Titus to speak for the truth and silence those false teachers. It’s no wonder that when picking leaders, Paul especially emphasized that a leader must “hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refuse those who oppose it” (v9).
What can we learn from this? If you are a parent in your home, a leader in your small group, a teacher in your classroom, or in some other leadership position where people look to you for leadership, you must remember that part of your role is that of a protector. You are to protect those in your care from believing in lies and false doctrine. Don’t remain silent but be sure to speak up on issues of truth so that those in your care can know right from wrong.
Titus 1:12-14 (NIV)
12 Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith
14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.
On verses 12-14: Here Paul quotes a famous poet from Crete called Epimenides who wrote a negative assessment of the character of his own people from Crete, calling them liars, brutes, lazy and gluttonous. Apparently, Epimenides was not the only one, as the Greek word for lying or cheating was “to cretize”, based on the name Crete. So Paul tells Titus to give appropriate rebuke whenever people in his church in Crete would begin to allow false doctrine to poison their faith.
What can we learn from this? Part of maturing as a Christian is becoming increasingly able to identify the lies of the enemy. This is called having spiritual discernment. May you be able to identify when the enemy is trying to convince you of ideas that run contrary to the Word of God, so that you can rebuke the enemy, silence his voice and be sound in your faith.
Titus 1:15-16 (NIV)
15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
On verses 15-16: Along with teaching that a person must be circumcised in order to be saved, the circumcision group that Paul refers to in verse 10 also taught that you need to observe various food and ceremonial rules in order to be clean and righteous in God’s eyes.
Paul responds by saying, “to the pure, all things are pure” (v15). Who are “the pure” Paul is referring to? The “pure” are those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, if you have placed your faith in Jesus, you have been forgiven of your sins, purified from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) and you don’t have to worry about certain foods or dirt defiling you (see, for example, Matthew 15:11). While those who trust in Christ are pure, Paul says that the circumcision group’s teaching about how you need to wash yourself, abstain from certain foods and get circumcised in order to be spiritually clean is wrong. He calls such teaching “corrupted” (a word he uses twice in verse 15) and contradictory (v16). Paul says that while the circumcision group claims to know God, they show by their actions and their teaching that they have no idea who God is, are clueless about how people are really saved, and are disobeying God by spreading their teachings.
What can we learn from this? Do not get duped into thinking that by your own effort and goodness you can make yourself spiritually clean. It is only through Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross that we can be made pure and enter God’s holy presence. Praise God that while we were unable to clean ourselves of sin, Jesus came to take our sins away, purify us and make us acceptable in the Father’s sight again.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a Protector of the truth. In all the areas where You have given me influence and authority – whether in my home, with those in my care, or in my own private thoughts – may I be a protector of truth as well. Thank You so much that because of Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for me, I am made completely pure and acceptable in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
