Titus 1:10-14: Unruly and Vain Talkers
2022-04-16
Titus 1:10
The reason for the appointment of elders in the local church is because people need to be taught sound doctrine. If they do not take the time to teach the doctrines of the Bible, some infiltrator will come in and teach them something else. This section is dealing with such people the elder needs to be wary of.
The world is replete with “many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers.” This may be reminiscent of “profane and vain babblers” (1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 2:16), which we have discussed before. However, the words are different. Unruly means what you would think; these are insubordinate people. They will not submit to any authority. Strong leaders who can teach must be in place to handle them.
The vain talker means he talks about nothing of substance. What he says is worthless. Moreover, he is a deceiver. They are misleading others, either intentionally or not.
“...specially they of the circumcision” tells us that most of these people were Jewish or were Judaizers. Many Jewish believers already came with baggage. Consider Acts 15:1-5. We see people, some of which were former Pharisees that became believers, who insisted that believers needed to be circumcised and keep the Law. They were wrong. However, Acts 15:5 tells us those people were believers. If the Scriptures say they are believers, we should take that at face value. However, these people clearly had issues. They needed strong teaching to correct them. They had strong opinions because of their upbringing and their study of traditions.
We can see why Jewish people are going to be confused and insert things into the teaching that does not belong. Now in this case, they may be believers with baggage if they are in the church, or they could be infiltrators. Either way, they were bringing bad ideas into the church.
Titus 1:11
Because of the evil things they say, they must be stopped. They “subvert whole houses.” In many cases, if you can turn the head of the household to something, it will affect everyone in that household. Consider Acts 16:30-34. The gospel is the same for the entire household. Believe, and be saved. But we see when the Philippian jailor was saved, his family was also. They heard the Word, they all believed, and they were all baptized. This might not always be the case. But it happened here.
It worked this way for the chief ruler of the Corinthian synagogue: “And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized” (Acts 18:8). It cost him his job, as Sosthenes succeeded him (Acts 18:17).
Cornelius was “devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2).
If you can see how the Gospel can affect an entire household, we know it can also work the other way as well. Topple the head of the house, and it will affect the entire house.
This is a warning for all of us, especially all men. What you do affects all in your family.
The motivation for these false teachers was to make money. To make money, you want to sell a message that appeals to people’s flesh. It will always be a feel-good message to lift one up. Notice how this contrasts with the elder requirement to not be in the ministry for money. The elder should not be able to be bought.
Titus 1:12
This group of people seems to be a sect of some manner, the way they are grouped together here: “One of themselves.” Among them there was a famous preacher who was known to speak against Cretians.
The phrase “The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies” apparently was a well-known quote from a 7th century B.C. philosopher named Epimenides of Crete. Though there are no known fragments of this text, John Chrysostom (4th century A.D.) attributes this quote to him in his third homily on Titus. Clement of Alexandria (2nd to 3rd century A.D.) also attributes the quote to the philosopher in Stromata, Book 1, chapter 14.
This is what is called the Epimenides Paradox. The paradox is that Epimenides is from Crete, and he calls all Cretians liars. Therefore, he must also be a liar because he is a Cretian. But, he being a liar, is his statement true? The statement is self-defeating.
However, none of this is relevant to this passage. While Chrysostom and Clement may be correct, Paul cannot be referring to this man here. He said, “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said” this. What is the antecedent of “themselves” and “their own”? It is these false teachers that are affecting the church in Titus’ day, some 700 years after Epimenides lived. My best guess is that a prominent false prophet of this sect in those days was quoting this Epimenides as a part of his message.
Would Paul dismiss an entire island of people as a bunch of evil, lazy bums because of their nationality? It seems out of character. It does sound like a racist would say that, concluding all people of a class under a common prejudice. If most of these guys were Jewish, they would not be Cretians, and they were implying that they were above the people of Crete as more virtuous, etc.
Titus 1:13
When we see that the Scripture says, “This witness is true,” we need to ask, what witness is true? Are all Cretians really a bunch of lazy bums? Since we are not talking about Cretians here, the “witness” is not the Epimenides quote. Rather, it is true that the leader of this sect is spouting off this nonsense.
So, who needs to be rebuked? The Cretians because some guy is calling them a bunch of lazy bums? No, rather, the group that speaks against Cretians needs to be rebuked.
These people must be rebuked because this stereotype will reinforce lies in people’s mind, which is where the spiritual battles are fought and won. Whenever we assume and say that all these people are a certain way, it is a great injustice to them, and it also affects entire societies. Consider these:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:28-29)
As far as how one is acceptable to God in Christ, the lines between race, social status, and gender have been eliminated. No one has better footing before another before the Lord.
Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)
Here, we see the lines being erased between the Jew and the Greek, but also other groups are mentioned. The barbarian is someone who did not speak Greek, the lingua franca of the Roman Empire. A Scythian (as far as I can tell) is someone who lived very far away in places like Ukraine or Kazakhstan. It does not matter what your culture was like or how far away you lived from Hellenistic civilization; by the same grace of God, you are a member of the body of Christ, and fellow heirs with any Jew or Greek that believes.
So, when someone comes along and thinks the Jews or some other group is superior because of their nation or ethnicity, they are wrong, and they must have Paul’s attitude in Galatians 2:11-14.
The rebuking of this group helps the believers be sound in the faith. If we let such a voice to continue, it will affect the believers as well. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9).
Titus 1:14
What this Judaizer group was spreading were “Jewish fables.” We looked at this previously. Then, we saw how such a group would tie their teachings to their genealogy (1 Timothy 1:4). The use of the word fables appears five times, four times in the Pastoral Epistles. They are “commandments of men.” Consider Matthew 15:6-9. The Jewish leaders made their traditions supersede the Scriptures.
But it is not always Jewish in nature. Consider Colossians 2:20-22. Laws about eating and touching things do not equate to godliness. These things “turn from the truth.” Fables are lies, and they deceive. Therefore, elders need to be appointed to be looking out for these things, to combat these heresies.