For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumstances group. 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. Titus 1: 10-12
Read Titus 1
“For . . . the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.” Paul preached and taught the faith – the gospel message. At the heart of our faith is the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. Knowledge of truth is not just for the head; instead, gospel truth changes life from ungodliness to godliness.
“To Titus, my true son in our common faith:” Paul uses Titus and empowers him to minister with the authority of the apostle Paul. Titus had some challenges to face at Crete. The problem was false Teachers were at Crete, ruining the faith of whole families.
Paul describes false teachers in Crete as rebellious. They were reels who rejected the truth of the gospel. They rebelled against the authority of Paul (God’s command, and Jesus, who sent Paul as an apostle. The Cretes were deceitful. They were talkers and deceivers. The Cretes were disobedient. They claimed to know Jesus. However, their actions said otherwise. They were unfit.
The result of these false teachers was ruining whole families. In Paul and Titus’s day, it was common to hold church in the homes. The False teachers led entire families into error. The main reason was money. They robbed the families. What type of reputation did Crete have? The community of Crete had a reputation for being untruthful and greedy.
Believers in Christ reveal their relationship with HIm through their behavior. The false teachers claimed to know God, but they denied God through their actions. What about leaders whose actions in a moment didn’t reflect God. Does this make them false teachers or leaders that made a human error? How can you tell the difference? It is by their integrity. It is how they handle the situation when confronted with the wrongdoing. What if, though, they even handle the confrontation wrong? Does this make them false teachers, then? NO! We need to be careful with what we accuse people of. Godly leaders are not perfect, and they will make mistakes. They won’t handle every situation in a Godly manner. Is this right? NO! However, we need to remember that they are humans also. Are you perfect? NO! I sure am not perfect and appreciate it when others offer grace to me when I fail. When you are in this kind of situation, it is important to lean into the Holy Spirit and take his lead. Do not respond to your hurt. This will only make things worse. Trust God to fight your battles.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your protection. I pray that we will lean into you in all of our situations and let you lead us in the right way.
In Jesus Name
Amen
