Week three: Titus 1.10-16 THE PROBLEM
By Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.
COPYRIGHT 2004
Why have all these qualifications? Because of the
following series of cultural/social characteristics evident in the area of the
church.
Take a moment and describe your own neighborhood. Make a
list of qualities of the people that are around your area. I will just list
some of mine so you have an idea. Drug dealers, drug addicts, homeless people,
multiple families living in one house, robbers, crass, slobby, garbage
collectors, sloppy, loud, obnoxious and generally self centered to the point
that no one around them matters in any way. I think you get the point.
Now, as in Paul's day there are people in my neighborhood
that are quiet, upright, honest, hard working, trustworthy and all those good
traits. The key is getting these qualities into church leadership rather than
those that will cause harm to the church.
Paul moves on from the qualifications for leaders to the
why, the reason that strong leadership is needed. He describes the Cretans from
what he knows of them, most likely his first hand experience while out planting
churches.
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and
deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole
houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
"Unruly" is a good translation of this word, it
relates to not being subject to the authority. This could mean to school
authority, parental authority, employer authority, legal authority or Spiritual
authority.
They are people that will need strong leadership because
they don't naturally want to follow or be under anyone else.
The term translated "vain talkers" speaks to
worthless or useless talk. Someone that engages mouth with or without brain
being engaged. Someone that verbalizes their rambling thought life. I don't
know that the word carries this thought or not but since it is translated vain
talkers, I have to wonder if part of it isn't the thought of their
self-important verbalizations, that they think everyone in the world needs to
hear. You may have run into someone like this, they verbalize their every
thought for all to hear - they seem to feel that the whole world needs to know
of their every thought due to its being very very important.
The "deceiver" is one that plays with another’s
mind to bring to deception. Now, that could include some car salesmen I have
met over the years. It could relate to the convincing of someone that false
doctrine is correct. Anyone that is trying to convince someone of something
that is not true.
Well, that most likely includes the lie. We will see this
later as "liar" is one of the terms used in a later verse.
Again, we see the need for strong and moral leadership in
the churches. New converts that are normally liars and deceivers are going to
be coming to the church and they will be an influence upon the other believers.
Leaders will have to be on their toes to curtail these people and their
activities.
Paul even goes so far as to specify that a particular
group is the worst offender and these are - those of the circumcision. He
undoubtedly is referring to Jews that were living on
How disheartening it must have been for Paul, a Jew by
birth, a Jew by training to have to say such things about his people, about
people he may have worked within his earlier years, people that should have
known better - these people were raised to honor the Old Testament, but he knew
them to be living as pagans from the sound of his evaluation.
We have an interesting phrase here. The word translated
"mouth" and the word translated "be stopped" are the same
Greek word. The term has the idea of muzzling an animal that is out of control
if you want a great word picture. The use of the term indicates, "you must
bridle the mouth of those that have their mouths bridled. As if they can cause trouble
even if they are muzzled - people that REALLY MUST BE STOPPED FROM SPEAKING
THEIR LIES. The term for "must" is a strong word indicating it really
needs to be done.
The next phrase "subvert whole houses" is also
very strongly put. The "whole" has the idea of "every whit"
or every portion, every little bit of, while the term "houses" can be
translated household. These people can "subvert" or destroy complete
households if left unchecked.
As the Gospel can completely revolutionize an entire
household, so can false doctrine do the same thing. The why of this might be
important to consider for a moment.
If a parent is convinced of something, they are obviously
going to attempt to turn the entire family to that view point because they know
it is true. My wife ran into a woman that didn't believe in
"proselytizing" so I told my wife to tell her that if she really
believes that she has the truth, and that those that do not are going to spend
eternity in hell, then isn't it our moral obligation to tell them of what we
believe.
It is quite like seeing a house on fire. You know that
the people inside are going to die if they aren't warned, thus it is your moral
obligation to yell fire, call the fire department and assist the people in any
way possible. To do less would show you as uncaring, inhuman and probably in
legal trouble for not assisting, thus if we have the way to heaven and we fail
to give that information to others we are spiritually corrupt - in my mind at
least.
So, one that is convinced of some false doctrine, will
enter into great efforts to convince the entire family of the same.
Now, if that isn't a basis for a pastor using his pulpit
and lectern to warn his people of false teaching and false teachers, and false
philosophies, I don't know what it is. Many pastors don't want to be negative;
they feel that if you give the truth, they will recognize the false when it
comes along. This is true, but don't count on it. Many mainline Christians are
now Mormons due to the fact that they didn't see the lie to be false, but
accepted it as truth.
More than one Christian young person has been engulfed in
cults due to their lack of teaching/warnings in Sunday school, church and youth
group meetings. WE MUST WARN, WE MUST TEACH,
These deceivers are teaching what they ought not; they
are talking to people and trying to convince them of the validity of their
falsehood.
On the one hand this must be frustrating to the deceiver -
to have to try to convince someone that falsehood is truth. It should be much
easier to show truth to be truth - well it should be, but it seems in today's
society truth is the negative, and false is the norm. To convince otherwise,
you must over come all that society sets forth as good. The false, in
Guess that is one reason I am proud to be an independent,
I only wish we had a candidate.
Paul says that they "ought not" teach these
things. "Ought" is a word that indicates something that must be done,
it is right to do it, while the word "not" is the flat out
We see the motivation for these people - money. They
teach their false doctrine for gain. How terrible to deceive to make a living.
Yet, many today do just this. This is certainly in the negative, in the area of
false teaching, but I think there is strong warning in it for those that are in
the business of teaching Godly principles - don't teach for gain, teach because
it is right and proper with no thought to gain. If gain comes along, that is
fine, but that should never be the basis for your ministry.
Some suggest that "I have a family to think
of." Okay, think of them, get a job and support them while ministering. If
God wants you out of that job then he will provide income from the
congregation, but don't EVER minister for money, minister because you want to
serve God. You have the truth directly from God, which should be the only
incentive that you need. It is your moral obligation to share truth with those
that need it. How dare we put the giving of truth subject to the financial gain
we might need or desire.
Most of the modern day cults fit into these verses. They
are headed up by men that are in it for the money and the glory. They have
little concern for their people which is seen in the immorality, poor feeding,
long hours etc. that they subject their followers to.
So, pastor how does your congregation sound now? This is
quite a bunch of people and Paul isn't even done yet. The list just keeps going
on.
12 One of themselves, [even] a prophet of their own,
said, The Cretans [are] alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13 This witness
is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the
truth.
Paul quotes one of their own prophets to condemn them. He
isn't just being mean spirited, he is just telling it like it is - they are
liars. Gill and others name the prophet as "Epimenides" (a prophet
and poet from about six hundred years earlier) and reports that the Cretans
believed him to be inspired. Thus an inspired prophet of their own calls them
all liars - guess Paul would be safe in calling them the same. Both Barnes and
Gill relate the liar idea to the fact that the Cretans told the world the God
Jupiter was buried among them, which was widely held to be a lie among the
pagans of the world. See Gill for more on this if you are interested.
They don't lie for advantage, they lie all the time. Not
unlike many in
Not only are they always liars, they are always evil
beasts. The word is translated properly - a beast. Evidently they were ready to
pounce on another at any time to produce evil for the person.
Slow bellies could be translated slow lumbering fat
people. The word bellies can relate to someone that is morbidly overweight and
we know how slow some of those unfortunate folks are.
Bellies can be used of one that is all belly - this is so
very descriptive - one must wonder how Paul would describe our own society. We
are fast trying to out do the Cretans in the weight department.
Remember this is their own prophet’s accounting of his
people not Paul's. Paul was just making his case to Titus. In the next verse he
tells Titus that it is the truth, thus sticking his foot into his mouth for
sure if the Cretans were anything like the
I am not one to talk to loudly, but I have to wonder if
the overweight preachers of our country haven't given some sense of over eating
being okay. Not to suggest that our attitude in some circles about pot lucks
might not be at fault. We tend to raise the praises of pot lucks a little too
much for healthy living.
The direct context might suggest that Paul is speaking to
the spiritual overweight. I think that the terms used indicate the prophet was
speaking to the eating habits, while Paul may have been turning the phrase to
mean that they are overweight and out of control on their foolish doctrine.
Paul tells Titus to rebuke them sharply that they would
be sound in faith - wow - rebuke and do it sharply! Paul seems to be on a bit
of a serious bent here. Rebuke them sharply, abruptly, and give them a really
loud wake up call. Rebuke has a little thought of shame to the one rebuked,
because of his error and his need for rebuke. This rebuke is meant to bring
about conviction and change of life.
Now, Paul seems to contradict the current thinking about
sin. We don't confront people, but if we have to we do it with great love so
that we don't hurt their feelings. Nope, that is not the thought of the text.
Indeed, that philosophy is why so many believers live in sin today. They know
that no one will rebuke them so why worry about it.
Now, if they knew the pastor or one of the elders was
going to come to them and "rebuke sharply" I'd guess the outward sin
in the church would be immediately curtailed, or the numbers in the church
would drop dramatically. Ooops, maybe we just hit upon another reason why
"rebuke sharply" isn't a normal way of life in the church today.
The reason for this rebuke is so that they will be sound
in the faith. They will know truth and live within truth rather than living in
a lie called comfort zone.
Again, this sound faith gives rise to the need of the
person knowing what sound faith is, how to assure themselves that they are
living soundly, and if they aren't, how to bring themselves to be living
correctly. Again, Paul hits the negative side of the question - this idea of
not giving time to the false and the untruthful. Concentrate on the faith, not
the falsehood that surrounds you might be the line of thought.
I know of many that are sound in faith, but they toy with
the false of our society. They tinker with what they know to be untrue; they
listen to the television spokes people that have been proven to be false
teachers, even if they have some good to them. This is how we get ourselves
into trouble folks. There is no way you can listen to Charismatic preachers and
guests on television all week and not have it affect your Christian life, your
Christian belief, and your Christian witness.
We have people that enjoy reading the liberal writers of
our own day as well as the past. They enjoy toying with the false teaching of
these men, and don't realize that it most likely is affecting their own
thinking and belief system.
Giving heed seems to have the thought of giving touch to,
bringing a ship to land, of giving attention to something. He speaks directly
to the Jewish fables, commandments of men that turn from the truth. Indeed,
anything you give ear or mind to that turns you from the truth of the Word is
to be rebuked sharply. Not only are you increasing risk to yourself, but to
your spouse, to your children and their children. You are not alone in life;
you have a responsibility to all around you to keep yourself from that
falsehood of the world. The truth is to be our master and our life.
If you remember in II Timothy 1.15 some had turned away
from the apostle, this is the same word, a turning from one thing to another.
In both cases we see a turning from truth to that which is false. See also I
Timothy 1.3 for a very similar passage. "As I besought thee to abide still
at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that
they teach no other doctrine, 4 Neither give heed to fables and endless
genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in
faith: [so do]."
15 Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them
that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and
conscience is defiled.
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they
deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate.
The two words translated "pure" are the same
word, it simply means pure or can mean purified by fire. The thought is of
something that is without blemish - those that are pure see all things as pure.
The "[are]" is actually a word that means indeed or verily. The pure see
all things indeed as pure - a little surety in their thought might be the
suggestion.
What does this mean is the next problem. What is Paul
getting at? He has just blasted the Cretans and false doctrine and he switches
completely and talks of the pure people seeing all things as pure.
The next part of the verse gives reason for his comment.
He is contrasting what should be true of believers, with those outside the
faith. To the non-believer nothing is viewed as pure. I think this is quite
evident in the 2004 presidential campaign. Nothing has been off limits to the advertising
and the spinners. They will attach anything in any way they want whether there
is truth in what they say or not. The evil bent of some of these people is
evident. Comparing the Bush administration to Hitler - how much stupidity are
we to accept folks?
I have seen staunch Democrats that are disgusted with
their own party for the way they have acted this time around.
Relating to "defiled" have you ever
inadvertently put a new red shirt in with some white clothes? The result is
usually a red shirt and as many pink items as there were white. This is the
thought of this word "defiled." It is something that has been
stained, ruined by a pollutant. Like the white clothes, the defiled is a permanent
case. The term "defiled" is a verb and it is in the perfect tense
which means it is defiled permanently.
We will see the implications of this in the application
section. Suffice it to say these defiled ones will not be changing nor will
their attitude toward the purity of things.
To the non-believer, nothing is pure. Let's consider what
Paul is speaking of. The pure, see all things pure, while the non-believer sees
nothing as pure. What are the things that Paul is speaking about?
The following verse mentions works and belief system. The
previous context was related to false doctrine, so I would assume that Paul is
talking about beliefs, or doctrine or belief system. There is nothing pure in
the way of belief to the lost, while the pure should see all Biblical doctrine
as pure.
The verse goes on to say that the condition of the lost
is "even their mind and conscience is defiled." Not a pretty picture.
This pictures well the pollution that we have already mentioned. The sin nature
from Adam polluted every part of us and something drastic needs to be done to
remedy that condition.
The mind is that which stores our knowledge and our
memory, it is that part of us that allows us to think and to consider and to
choose. The conscience is that part that allows us the moral choices, between
right and wrong.
Some would suggest that the person that is lost is
totally corrupt, that their moral choice is limited to wrong only. I would
suggest you consider this before you buy into this line of thinking that leads
to a whole bunch of other doctrines that may not be Biblical. Have you not seen
some people that choose to do right now and then? Do not some lost people live
morally upright lives? I think you would have to answer yes to both.
The conscience is "polluted,” but it can make proper
choices some of the time if it wants. Back to the pink shirt - it is still a
shirt, even though it is polluted with the dye of pink.
The word "defiled" here is the same word as we
discussed earlier, and it too is in the perfect tense.
"They" would relate back to the Jewish people
in my mind. They profess to know God, but by their works they deny Him.
The knowing of Him is in the perfect tense. They are
even, it seems, trusting in him, but they deny Him in reality. How sad, to
think you intimately know God but in fact do not know Him at all and by your
works are denying Him.
Ouch! And if that isn't a distinct possibility in the
church today - well anyway I will let you contemplate that one on your own.
They make profession, they declare they know Him
intimately, yet by their lives deny His existence. The professing Christian in
a nut shell. Pastor, beware of these folks. Remember what Paul has said of
them. They view nothing as pure - their works will be empty to defiled. Do you
not want to assist them to remedy their lives, or if not that help them to move
on out of your congregation - after all they are wolves in sheep’s clothing!
By his works or by his life the person denies God. A
person knowing God would live like a child of the king rather than a brother of
the pigs in the pen. Not only are they denying God but they are abominable and
disobedient - not qualities of an obedient son of God.
The American Standard Bible translates the phrase
"unto every good work reprobate." as unfit for any good deed. It
seems that they are not available for good works. They are not usually involved
in good works, and they seem to be unable to do good works.
Verse sixteen may be the key to a question that plagues
people in our day. Let me illustrate the person for you, by telling you of a
person that I once met. He told me that he was a believer; he told me that he
knew the Lord, but in his life, he drank, smoked, and swore like a sailor. No
offence to the Navy - just the way he was. He would stand around telling dirty
jokes after work and make fun of the ministry and ministers. When talking to me
the language was quite a little better and he seldom drank in front of me.
I have no idea if he was a believer or not, but based on
this verse, I have the Biblical right and responsibility to question him about
the reality of his salvation. He professed, but his works seemed to be reprobate
or worthless for God. He did some good things for people outside of our work
place, but the majority of the time he was living like a reprobate - lost
person rather than a child of the King.
When wondering if a person is a Christian you need to
understand several things, including their testimony and their living. If they
have a good testimony of salvation, but live a life of a pagan, you may
question their salvation. Not judge them, but question, beware of them and
their testimony. God will be the Judge, but we need to evaluate people now and
then. There is the possibility that the person is saved and has not started to
grow. Others may have grown but just gotten away from holy living.
It is our place to exhort those that say they are
believers and challenge them to good living lest they disgrace God.
Gill says of "knowing God" "That there is
a God; that there is but one, only, true, and living God, the God of Israel, as
professed by the Jews; and that this God is Father, Son, and Spirit, as
believed by the Christians:" I'm not quite sure we can go quite that far
from the text even though it might well be true. Since these seem to be
Judaizers it might be true, but the way Paul speaks of them I rather doubt that
they are even saved (verse fifteen especially).
APPLICATION:
1. In verse twelve Paul uses one of the good methods of
argument. If you can make the opposition prove that it is wrong, then you have
the strongest argument available. Years ago in college we had a physical
science professor that had assembled a vast number of quotes from evolutionists
that proved evolution incorrect. Their comments told of the many gaps and holes
in their own theories, to the point that few should be able to believe in a
system that is so weakly constructed.
The thought of liars is not unique to the Cretans. The
American scene is quite similar. I question almost everyone I have dealings
with today, be they Christians or lost people. I have had as many Christians
lie to me as lost people. Lying is a standard of practice in our country today.
I would like to take time to illustrate and prove this for you.
A study of high school students in the
Today we have internet businesses that serve College and
high school instructors. The teacher can submit a copy of a research paper from
a student and see if the student has plagiarized. Many to most students today
go to the internet and find someone else’s work and submit it as their own for
a grade. This is not an uncommon thing, it is the norm.
A Sunday school teacher asked his all believer teen class
if there were any areas of life where it was all right to lie. They came up
with five areas where it was okay to lie. I don't remember the five points, but
remember thinking at the time that those five points cover any area or
situation of life, and these kids thought it okay to lie.
When Christians lie, we place ourselves on the Devil's
turf. We are using his tactics according to John 8:44.
2. In verse thirteen we saw the sharp rebuke to keep
someone on track Biblically. It is not wrong, indeed, if more people would do
it there would be fewer problems in the church. When the board of a Bible
Institute in the
Rebuke those that you know are going away from the Biblical
position! You may receive flack at the present, but when all is done you will
have been in the right and God will know of your action.
3. In verse fourteen we see the Jewish fables and
commandments of men. Again we are right where the cults of our day are at. The
man in charge begins to set his own thought as the commands of God and you
automatically have trouble. Some of these men have built harems, while
commanding no marriage for the rest of their people. Suicide is a commandment
of man and NOT OF GOD!
4. Many are the pastor and people that have told me over
the years that I am "negative" and I have responded to each of them
that I teach the Word of God and some of it is totally negative. This passage
is one of the reasons a pastor/teacher should be negative. Paul is negative,
why in the world should we put a positive spin on something that he meant to be
negative? It isn't Paul alone; we are dealing with God the Holy Spirit and His
inspiration. How dare we attempt to make something negative into a positive.
Had God wanted positivity, He was capable of communicating that to Paul.
Yes, Paul's comments don't fit well into our politically
correct society, but then neither does the outward sin that surrounds us. We
ought not to stand still for the overt worldliness that surrounds us. We should
at least attempt to keep our children and young people out of it - well for
that matter keep ourselves out of it.
I do not understand how Christians can have the filth
that they do in their homes in the television, nor the total violence of some
of the computer games. We are to be citizens of Heaven, not of this world; we
should be attuned to Him and His things not the Devil and his ways/things.
Believers subject themselves and their children to some of the vilest language
imaginable in the name of entertainment. I'd call it indoctrination into the
ways of the world.
Negative? Me? Yep!
5. In verse fifteen we saw that "defiled" was a
perfect tense and that it had the idea of polluted by something. I would be
remiss to not draw the implications of this verse to your attention. We, as
lost people were polluted by sin. We were impure because of this pollution. We
were also not believing as those mentioned in the verse.
Not only were we not believers in God, in Christ, nor in
Christ's work on the cross, we were polluted. We had a double whammy upon us.
We were polluted by the sin nature passed down to us by Adam. We also failed to
believe God and His Word.
There are two items here to be overcome. The pollution
and the unbelief. When the person is confronted with the Gospel there are some
things that need to be done. We need to turn from our doubt to belief in God.
This is imperative. When this happens all that is needed to straighten our
beings out before God is done. We are given a new nature, we are loosed from
the sin nature of Adam, and we are set in motion as pure agents of God.
This suggests very strongly that
I would also be remiss to not point out that the perfect
tense that Paul used might well point out the fact that their condition is
permanent and unchangeable. There are two sides to the passage. The lost or
non-believer is unchangeable, but those of us that were lost but now are saved
were changeable. We however were just as the lost in our lost condition.
Yes, this passage may well picture election and some of
its ramifications.
6. The passage relating to the professor really tugs at
my heart - imagine the shock, the sorrow and the loss that these will feel at
the judgment when they are declared hell bound. Thinking that they were right
with God, trusting that they had done what was right, and thinking that they
KNEW Him.
Oh, so many are in the proverbial boat. I am reminded of
Michelangelo’s work on the judgment - there is a portion where the ferryman is
beating the lost off the boat to the shore of hell. The expressions on the
faces of lost men must give some indication of the thoughts of those that were
so sure, yet were so wrong.
Oh, is not the urge to witness to some of those folks
around you not growing. Some of those self-righteous souls that know they are
heaven bound, yet that are really bound for hell's shore.
Not only might this relate to the professing Christian,
but to anyone that professes knowing God. It would include the Mormon, the
Jehovah Witness, the Muslim and those working their way to heaven.
I especially am reminded of the Muslim. Many of those in
the cults have rejected God in His truth, to accept their false God, but the
Muslim believes most certainly that the God of Abraham is the God that he
follows. He has a sure belief in the God that he has been following, yet he does
not believe in the Messiah that can save. He is lost and does not know it.
I trust the truths of this passage sink into your minds
and bring about some changes therein.
7. Verse fifteen states "but unto them that are
defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience
is defiled."
What a condemnation. Paul was certainly putting a
positive spin on these folks wasn't he? Well, this is the state of man without
God, it is the state of man just after Adam sinned and it will be the state of
natural man until he ceases to exist at the coming of the end.
Only Christ can make a change in this and that is the
message that we have to give, that is the message we have been commanded to
give, and it is the message that we ought to be giving.
This answers the question many asked in the early 2000's,
just how can religious men - Muslims believe in God and yet hack off the head
of an innocent man? They are by God's estimation "defiled" and their
conscience is "defiled" which makes them lost in their own minds -
nothing God has set forth in His word has any meaning to them. They follow a
false God, they follow a false book and they follow a false sense of
righteousness.
I would be quick to suggest that the use of the Muslim here
is for illustrative purposes only - they are in the news - it is their holy war
that we hear about. We could just as well insert the term "Christian"
in the above paragraph because many professing Christians have lopped off heads
in the name of the Lord. The name we give these people is not relevant, the key
is that they are lost and reprobate and we need to change that status via the
Gospel if possible, otherwise we should avoid them and maintain our purity
before the Lord.
8. Let's consider "vain talkers" for a moment.
Just how might this apply to our own day?
Barnes suggests that these are those that are quick to
speak of their spirituality and can always give reason for their beliefs, but
fail to put shoe leather to their faith. They seldom get to the mechanics of
living the spiritual life. They seem on the surface to be spiritual, but underneath
are void of good works.
Another breed, in my mind, would be those that give super
credence to knowing big names and those that go to the big seminars and
conferences. They speak as though they have been in the presence of the angels
at times. One pastor after returning from a conference began to talk about the
main, big name, speaker and started to use his full name, then interrupted
himself and said, "Well, I've met him now so I can call him ____ ."
inserting the speakers' first name.
I have to wonder if gossip wouldn't fit into this
category as well. The idle prating of people about others and their problems,
often called prayer requests, might also be included in the "vain"
area.
James 1.26 mentions: "If any man among you seem to
be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this
man's religion [is] vain." I might suggest this verse may relate to the
comment about the prayer requests. Thinking one self spiritual and speaking of
things he ought not, "deceiveth his own heart" - in short he thinks
he is doing well before God, but in reality he is failing miserably.
I'm not sure Gill was clear in his statement concerning
vain talkers, "who deliver out in their discourses empty, trifling,
superficial, and frivolous things; which have no solidity and substance in
them, nor do they tend to edification; only great swelling words of vanity,
vain jangling and babbling about things to no profit." I think he was
super clear, in fact I'd say crystal clear.
9. This idea of stopping the mouths - just how do we go
about that in the church today. First off, be sure your constitution has a
clause in it that any member of the church is willing and will abide by church
discipline. Then proceed with the
Matthew eighteen formula; go in person, go with witnesses, if these don't work
take them before the church. Now, the key to this is to be sure you aren't
involved in the same sort of prating and chatter. Be sure that you are on solid
ground as to the one you wish to accuse. Be sure you have a good Biblical basis
for your comments.
Now and then you may need to stifle someone in a service
or class. There are some that love to attempt to confuse and twist the track of
the class session. If they become disruptive, you need to somehow stop it with
as much love as you can, but abruptness may be the need.
There might be application in this for the family. One of
the spouses might get off track spiritually and start to mislead the children.
If this happens, the spiritual spouse needs to somehow stop what is going on.
This will be a very touchy subject but should be taken up for the benefit of
the family.
Barnes mentions Matthew 23.14 in this context "Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and
for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater
damnation." Wow, I'll bet they called him negative in his own day!
Barnes goes on with his gentle, loving, laid back
approach (NOT!) "The word is used here in the sense of severity, meaning
that the reproof should be such as would be understood, and would show them
plainly the wickedness of such traits of character, he was not to be mealy-mouthed,
but he was to call things by their right names, and not to spare their faults.
When men know that they are doing wrong, we should tell them so in few words;
if they do not know it, it is necessary to teach them, in order to convince
them of their error."
10. The fact that Paul knew of the writings of the
Cretans is of note to me. He had somewhere come into knowledge of one of the
writers of the local people. He had tucked away that information for future
use.
It behooves the preacher of today to know those that he
would reach. Know of their background, know of their writers, and know of their
leaders. This will allow you to know the people themselves, for the
aforementioned items often mold those that live in that surrounding.
This will take some time - time to read, time to hear
from those you want to reach, and time to think about what you read and hear to
bring it to proper usage.
Just a minor example, my wife is taking community college
courses. I sit in the common area to study while she is in class. I hear
students talk so I gain knowledge of their mindsets, I see literature on the
tables so I can know some of the goings on around campus, and I read the school
literature/papers left laying around so I can know of the atmosphere that the
students are in. This information may or may not come into play in my
interactions with students, but it is valuable to know where they are coming
from before I try to tell them where they are going if they don't change their
ways.
11. The thought that the Cretans were all liars, is of
interest. This was their very nature; indeed it was true of all pagans of the
time, but truer of the Cretans. Not unlike our own day in
Even among Christians one wonders when talking to people
if they are being honest and truthful. We have already seen application to the
"vain talkers" idea among Christians and this is what we are talking
about. Just how honest are we with one another.
A very minor application is your answer to the normal
question "How are you today." Are you honest in your answer? I often
wonder if anyone cares how you are, as many times I am honest and up front
about how I am and there is no response - just a change of subject. This may be
why many of us are less than honest - nobody really cares how we are.
12. Barnes pulled no punches when speaking of the stomach
issue. "Slow bellies. Mere gormandizers. Two vices seem here to be
attributed to them, which indeed commonly go together--gluttony and sloth. An
industrious man will not be likely to be a gormandizer, and a gormandizer will
not often be an industrious man. The mind of the poet, in this, seems to have
conceived of them first as an indolent, worthless people; and then immediately
to have recurred to the cause--that they were a race of gluttons: a people
whose only concern was the stomach." The term "gormandizer" that
Barnes uses means "A greedy voracious eater." according to Webster.
The idea of slothfulness might be something we might
consider. Just what is slothfulness? Webster says of slothful "a.
Inactive; sluggish; lazy; indolent; idle. He that is slothful in his work, is
brother to him that is a great waster. Prov 18." One definition related
that slothfulness led to sleep.
There is a proverb that speaks of the sloth and his bed.
I told one of my classes that I always wondered if I were a sloth, as I felt
like the sloth in the proverb, but that when I read the next verse I knew that
I wasn't a sloth. Prov. 26.14 " [As] the door turneth upon its hinges, So
doth the sluggard upon his bed. 15 The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish;
It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth." I always am ready and
able to eat.
I sometimes wonder about the full time paid pastor and
his activities. I have known some that are involved in very small churches that
have very little going on. Some of them have only one service to prepare for
and they have little if any calling to do. Just where is their time spent? A
pastor in this situation should never take advantage of the situation to
slothfulness. Missionaries may well be tempted to the same problem. They often
have no one looking after their activities and it is easy when thousands of
miles from their supporters to just linger along with little effort.
Acts 17.27ff speaks of us being God's offspring. This
should be in our minds as we are being stewards of our Lord's time and effort -
how are we living our lives before Him? Are we being good stewards of the time
He has given us or are we being slothful? An evaluation is encouraged.
13. Relating to things pure, consider Romans 14.14,20
"I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that [there is] nothing
unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him
[it is] unclean. 20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed
[are] pure; but [it is] evil for that man who eateth with offence."
This does not mean that all we can think of to do is
going to be considered pure - definitely not. Let's consider just what this
phrase means. Barnes relates this to foods and the prohibitions of the Jews
versus the freedom of the believer to eat all things. I am not sure this is the
meaning, in that Paul could have articulated that much better if it were the
case.
If my thinking on the corruptness of the lost is true,
and that they are judged according to their works, this may relate to what the pure
phrase is speaking of - possibly all the pure things the saved do are credited
to their account. We know we all will appear before the judgment seat of Christ
to have our works judged.
Though this truth is Biblical, I don't think that this is
the case here in Titus. I suspect that Paul is just declaring that the
spiritual see things correctly while the lost are completely otherwise.
Life Application Bible states of this verse "Some
people see good all around them, while others see nothing but evil. What is the
difference? Our souls become filters through which we perceive goodness or
evil. The pure (those who have Christ in control of their lives) learn to see
goodness and purity even in this evil world. But corrupt and unbelieving people
find evil in everything because their evil minds and hearts color even the good
they see and hear. Whatever you choose to fill your mind with will affect the
way you think and act." I feel this is a little simplistic but may have
some validity by way of application.
Matt.15.10-11 "And he called the multitude, and said
unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth
defileth a man; but that which cometh out of themouth, this defileth a
man." is suggested by some as what Paul is speaking of - we as believers
know this, but the lost do not understand this truth. (Ro. 14:14-20 Tit. 1:16
are suggested as relating also.) See also I John 2.4 "He that saith, I
know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:
hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought
himself also so to walk, even as he walked."
It seems best to tie this statement to the context of
verses fifteen and sixteen - good works. The pure are involved in all good
works while the defiled can do no good works. The pure stand in stark contrast
to the lost. They are totally opposite in life, in eternal status, and in
standing with God. There could be no further distinction between them than
exact opposite.
This extends to all parts of life, physical, mental and
spiritual. The pure see all they do as pure, while ... we know the rest.
14. Relating to the lost and their corruptness, Barnes
feels that not only is this their condition, but that all their evil is adding
to their corruptness. This is a truth that we don't hear often. The Bible
states that the lost will be judged according to their works. Revelation 20.12
is very clear on this. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the
book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written
in the books, according to their works."
Not that they aren't all lost, but that there is some
system of punishment that is based on their works. Some will have a greater
condemnation than others. How this will work out in reality we aren't told, but
the fact is that it will be worked out in God's way in God's time.
Every sin that they commit will be on their account. They
will be sorrowful for every single indifference, every single breaking of God's
laws, and every single abuse of God's people. What a terrible thought this
should be to the lost as well as to the believer.
15. In verse eleven Keathley suggests that
"families" may refer to the degradation of the family unit. That the
false teachers were teaching false doctrine that was hindering proper family
life. He suggests that the second chapter may indicate this, in that, Paul
began to lay out some principles of personal relationships. This may be true.
At any rate families were being adversely affected and the process needed to
stop.