The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying Paul's pastoral Epistles (Letters) to his proteges, Timothy and Titus.
Paul advised Titus how he should teach different groups of people. These groups were the old people, the young people and slaves. Titus had to emphasize the true message about Jesus Christ. He had to tell the Christians how to behave in the right way. He had to warn them about false teachers.
In this session we will look at Paul's instructions about ministry to older believers, and his initial discussion on dealing with false teachers.
The reason why Paul wrote the letter
Titus had to appoint leaders to lead the churches. Paul reminded Titus about the kind of character that a leader should have.
Paul advised Titus how he should teach different groups of people. These groups were the old people, the young people and slaves. Titus had to emphasize the true message about Jesus Christ. He had to tell the Christians how to behave in the right way. He had to warn them about false teachers.
Last week in our first session we found out little about Titus. He was a Gentile, more bold than Timothy, and highly thought of by Paul.
In his greeting or salutation emphasized the importance ot the Word of God.
Titus 1:1-4 NIV [1] Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— [2] in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, [3] and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, [4] To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Paul said that he, Paul was sent by God as an apostle to God’s elect (believers) to further their faith and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, through preaching the Word of God and he wanted Titus to realize that he was entrusting this to him. Because they, Paul, Titus, and all believers have something in common, a common faith evidenced by everyone who had donw what it says in
Romans 10:9 NIV [9] If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Jude 1:3 NIV [3] Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
One reason Paul had left Titus on the island of Crete was that he might finish the organization of the local churches. We talked about that last week and we expanded on the qualifications that Paul had given Timothy for elders in the church at Ephesus.
One thing that Paul emphazed when giving the qualifications for the elders and what he emphasizes throughout this letter, the one to Timothy and to us is the need to teach and adhere to sound doctrine.
Titus 1:9 NIV [9] He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Why?
Silence the False Teachers
Titus 1:10-14 NIV [10] For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. [11] They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. [12] One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” [13] This saying 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 merely human commands of those who reject the truth. [16] They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
Titus faced an enemy similar to that described in 1 Timothy—a mixture of Jewish legalism, man-made traditions, and mysticism. Paul gave three facts about these false teachers.
(1) The first fact was what these false teachers were personally.
Paul had nothing good to say about them! They would not submit to God’s Word or to the authority of God’s servant, for they were unruly, or rebellious” would be a good translation. They refused to put themselves under authority.
Titus 1:10 NIV [10] For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.
They were vain talkers (they were conceited). Their conversation was meaningless What they said impressed people, but it had no content or substance. When you boiled it down, it was just so much hot air.
Titus 1:16 NIV [16] They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
Furthermore, they excelled in talking, not in doing. They could tell others what to do, but they did not do it themselves.
Matthew 23:1-7 NIV [1] Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: [2] “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. [3] So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. [4] They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. [5] “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; [6] they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; [7] they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others
The great tragedy was that they deceived people by their false doctrines. They claimed to be teaching the truth, but they were peddlers of error. They themselves were deceived by Satan, and they deceived others.
Titus 1:11 NIV [11] They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
They were carnal and worldly. What an indictment! Listen to Paul’s adjectives.
Titus 1:12 NIV [12] One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
They are not just just “beasts,” but “evil beasts”; they were not just “gluttons,” but “lazy gluttons.”
Look at Titus 1:16 NIV again and here Paul sums up their character [16] They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
“Disobedient” means “they cannot and will not be persuaded.” Their minds have been made up and they will not face the truth. “Reprobate” literally means “not able to pass the test.” God does not use them because they have been proved unfit.
So that is what Paul says false teachers are personally and here’s what they did and do.
They upset the faith of the people.
For one thing, they were teaching Jewish legalism (“they of the circumcision,”)
Titus 1:10 NIV [10] For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.
They were also teaching “Jewish fables”which probably described their fanciful interpretations of the genealogies in the Old Testament.
Titus 1:13-14 NIV [13] This saying 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 merely human commands of those who reject the truth.
1 Timothy 1:3-4 NIV [3] As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer [4] or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.
Titus 3:9 NIV [9] But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.
We already know why they did and do what they do….money
Titus 1:11 NIV [11] They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
Paul says their consciences had been seared or corrupted
Titus 1:15 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.
This is what happens when a person lives a double life: Outwardly, he commands respect, but inwardly, he deteriorates. No one can serve two masters. These deceivers’ love for money caused them to teach false doctrine and live false lives, and the result was a defiled conscience that did not convict them.
Having shared these three facts about these false teachers, what they are personally, what they do and why they do it he now this is Tittus what he had to do.
What Titus was to do.
He was not to stand quietly by and let them take over! He was to “exhort and to convince” them by means of “sound doctrine” and silence them.
Titus 1:11 NIV [11] They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
He was to prevent them from teaching and spreading false doctrines. He was to “rebuke them sharply”
Titus 1:13 NIV [13] This saying is true. (the saying is Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith
Paul’s purpose, of course, was to convince these teachers and get them to be “sound in the faith”. But while doing this, he needed to protect the church from their false teachings. False doctrine is like yeast: It enters secretly, it grows quickly, and permeates completely
Galatians 5:9 NIV [9] “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”
The best time to attack false doctrine is at the beginning, before it has a chance to spread.
In contrast to the false teachers, Titus was to “speak the things which belong to healthy doctrine”
Titus 2:1 NIV [1] You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.
What germs are to a physical body, false teaching is to a spiritual body, the church. As we look at chapters 2 and 3 we’re going to see a blending of doctrinal teaching and practical counsel and warning, for the two must go together. In this section of his letter Paul discussed several different areas of ministry in the local church.
The Older Saints
Titus 2:2-4 NIV [2] Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. [3] Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. [4] Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children,
A church needs both the old and the young, and they should minister to one another. The grace of God enables us to bridge the generation gap in the church. One way to do this is for all members, young and old, to live up to the standards that God has set for our lives.
The older men were to be sober, Paul here is talking about booze. Old men with time on their hands drink too much. We all have that older relative that we know drinks too much.
Paul tells Titus to teach the older men to be dignified. This dosn’t mean to be “stuck up”. There is a dignity to old age that produces respect, and this respect gives an older saint authority.
Job 12:12 NIV [12] Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
Proverbs 16:31 NIV [31] Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.
Self-control in life. It is the opposite of frivolity and carelessness that are based on ignorance. Seriousness of life and purpose are important in the Christian life, and especially to older saints who cannot afford to waste time, for their time is short.
Teach them to be sound in faith, in love, in patience. The older men should know what they believe, and their doctrinal convictions should be in accordance with God’s Word. In fact, a right faith in God’s Word should encourage a believer in love and endurance, and their entire lifestyle.
We’ve been saying men but verse three starts with likewise which means that the older women were to have the same qualities as the older men, but there’s more for the women.
Titus 2:3-4 NIV [3] Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to uch wine, but to teach what is good. [4] Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children,
The behavior of these older women must always reflect holiness. They must not be slanderers (“false accusers”—the Greek word is “devils,” which means “slanderers”), picking up gossip and spreading it. They must also be temperate in their use of wine.
Paul emphasizes the ability of godly women to teach. It is not only that the older women should show the younger mothers how to keep house, but that they also put within their hearts and minds the right spiritual and mental attitudes.
One of the strongest forces for spiritual ministry in the local church lies with the older believers. Especially those senior saints who know how to pray, teach the Word, visit, troubleshoot, and help build the church.
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