Titus 1:10-16 – Identifying Pseudo teachers

Reading this paragraph clarify why Paul thought it necessary to appoint elders in every town. The presence of false teachers working mischievously to lead the people away from the truth made it necessary to have elders to safeguard the believers. In these verses, Paul sought to show Titus how these false teachers could be identified, and how they should be dealt with.

Firstly, these false teachers were totally insubordinate, leaving Paul to label them as rebellious. They refused to submit to the faithful Word. Secondly, they were empty talkers, people who had no substance. It meant that their teachings were devoid of spiritual nourishment. Thirdly, they were deceivers, in that their teaching led people away from the truth. Paul was referring more to the circumcision group. They were probably Jews who were obsessed with Jewish myths and endless genealogies.

In verse 11, Paul said they must be silenced. Why? The later part of verse 11 gives us the answer. The influence of these false teachers was growing and they were upsetting the whole church families. They taught things they should not teach. Furthermore, they were motivated by greed in their false teachings and taught them for dishonest gains.

The two words “sordid gain” so triggered Paul to talk about their reputation, so he set out to describe their dubious character. Even their own Cretans prophet testified and affirmed their duplicitous traits. “They were liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons” (verse 12). In quoting the Cretan’s prophet, Paul had put the false teachers on the spot. If they acknowledged what Paul had brought up, they would condemn themselves as liars. And if they chose to refute Paul, they would make that Cretan prophet out to be a lair. Hence, the conclusion is true that Cretans were lairs, and needed to be reproved severely. The objective of the reprove was to help them to return to sound doctrines in the faith. It would cause them to re-focus and turn from the Jewish myths.

From the last half of verse14 to 16, Paul then went on to show where the false teachers were fundamentally wrong. Their first error was that they paid attention to the commandment of men who turned away from the truth of God. Secondly, they had a totally mistaken idea about purity. They valued external purity rather than the purity that is internal and moral. The third error was that their action and profession did not tally. They claimed to know God but their actions showed otherwise. Hence, they were detestable, disobedient and worthless of any good deeds.

One of the surest ways to identify a fake is the incongruity between what he teaches and how he acts.  We measure a person not based on what a person teaches but also his willingness to act on what he had taught. It’s perfectly normal to desire to know God more but we need to be careful with whom we are learning the truth. A good tree never produce bad fruits. Hence, let’s take to heart what the Lord Jesus said, “You know a person by his fruits.”