Lessons #21 and 22
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Dealing with problem of false teachers (Titus 1:10-11)
10 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 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.
We have considered the first task of Titus in Crete as Apostle Paul stated, which was to appoint elders to the various local churches. The criteria he was to use in carrying out this task were given in verses 5 to 9 of the first chapter of Titus. Following this task, the apostle focused on the second task of Titus which was to confront the various problems that were threatening the spiritual life of the various local churches in Crete. These problems concerned false teachers and the general vices of the Cretans as discussed in Titus 1:10-16. But we begin with the first problem of false teachers.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wanted Titus to be cognizant of the fact that an important function of an overseer is to deal with the problem of false teachers, which is one of the reasons for the appointment of an overseer in a local congregation. A message the Holy Spirit through the apostle intended to convey to us is that an overseer should tackle false teaching that will harm the congregation. To ensure that Titus understood this function which he also was expected to carry out as the apostle’s representative in Crete, the apostle began verse 10 with the word for. This, of course, depends on the English version that you have, because some English versions such as the NRSV, the NCV, the CEV and some other versions do not begin verse 10 with the word “for” in that they ignored translating the Greek word used. Other English versions that do not begin with the word “for” have other connectives. The NJB begins with the phrase “and in fact” while the CEB begins with the phrase “in fact.” These variations in translation do not mean that there is a problem with the Greek text or that some English versions subtracted something from the word of God as some who are not knowledgeable with the Greek of the NT are prone to decry. You hear this sort of thing declared by those who take the position that the Authorized Version (KJV) is the only Bible that came down from heaven, never mind the fact that only a small fraction of Christians read the English versions and that the original Bible is written primarily in Hebrew or Greek. These individuals decry other English versions such as the NIV as either adding or removing something from the Bible because the readings in some of these other modern English versions are different from that given in the Authorized Version. Of course, they are usually wrong because they are not aware of the matter of preference or interpretation into the English of a given Greek word or that there is such a thing as manuscript variant readings. Our passage provides an example of interpretation or preference in the meaning assigned to a Greek word. I am saying that you should not be alarmed that some English versions do not begin verse 10 of Titus 1 with the word “for” as in the NIV and many other English versions. There is a simple explanation for the variations in translation that are attributable to the interpretation of the Greek word used in our passage.
The second word that appears in verse 10 in the Greek because the Greek word never comes first in a Greek sentence is a Greek conjunction (gar) that is used in different ways in the Greek. The Greek conjunction may be used as a marker of cause or reason so that it may be translated “for” or “because” in the English. The Greek conjunction translated “for” in verse 10 of the NIV may be used as a marker of clarification so that it may be translated in the English with the word “for” or “you see.” Under this second usage, the Greek word may be used as a narrative marker to express continuation or connection in which case the Greek word may be left untranslated in the English translation. There are more nuances of the Greek conjunction under this second usage. The Greek conjunction may be used to signal an important point or transition to another topic leading to the translation “well, then, you see.” It can also be translated “yes, indeed, certainly, surely”, especially when the Greek conjunction is used in replies, confirming what has been asked. This is how the translators of the NIV rendered it in the answer to the question Apostle Paul raised regarding the Thessalonians being those who are his and his team’s joy or crown when Jesus Christ appears, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 2:20:
Indeed, you are our glory and joy.
The Greek conjunction that is translated “for” in Titus 1:10 is here in 1 Thessalonians 2:20 translated “indeed.” That aside, there is another usage of the Greek conjunction in question. It is as a marker of inference so that it may be translated “certainly, by all means, so, then.” These various usages of the Greek conjunction translated “for” in the NIV account for the variation in the various English versions of the Bible. For example, some English translators might have considered it as indicating a continuation or signaling a new topic that they felt it was not necessary to translate. Others such as the translator of the CEB might have taken it as indicating emphasis. Nonetheless, the question remains as to how the Greek conjunction should be interpreted in Titus 1:10. It should be interpreted as a marker of reason. Thus, it is used to introduce the reason Titus had to appoint elders, specifically, overseers who have the primary responsibility of teaching and defending the Christian message. Furthermore, the Greek conjunction implies that a reason for Titus to be in Crete before he appointed elders was also for him to deal with the problem of false teachers. Interpreting the Greek conjunction as a marker of reason makes for the most logical flow of the thought of the apostle with respect to the appointment of elders.
False teachers were no doubt notorious or problematic in Crete that the apostle began verse 10 with a Greek verb that recognizes their existence since it is not normally the case to begin a Greek sentence with a verb unless the author wanted to emphasize the point introduced by the verb. The Greek verb (eimi) used is translated there are in the English of verse 10, which is the first word in the Greek sentence with various nuances but in our passage, it is used in the sense of “to be, exist”. Thus, the apostle acknowledged the existence of false teachers in Crete. Of course, the term “false teachers” does not appear in these two verses we are considering but the concept of false teachers is present because of the description of the individuals the apostle had in mind in verse 10 and because of what he expected Titus and the overseers to do with respect to the activity of the individuals he described that is given in verse 11.
Apparently, as we have indicated, there were many false teachers in Crete as implied in the sentence there are many rebellious people. The word “people” is added for smooth reading of the Greek sentence in the English since the Greek literally reads there are many rebellious. This is because we have a Greek adjective (anypotaktos) with two categories of meaning in the Greek NT. It pertains to being unable to be controlled by something or someone and so means “not subject to, independent, uncontrolled”, as the word is used to indicate there is nothing that is outside the sovereignty of Jesus Christ in Hebrews 2:8:
and put everything under his feet.” In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “rebellious” in the NIV pertains to refusing submission to authority hence means “disobedient, rebellious, undisciplined.” It is with this meaning that Apostle Paul used it to describe the individuals for whom it is necessary to have laws in 1 Timothy 1:9:
We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,
The apostle used the Greek word to describe spoiled children as those characterized by disobedience in the passage we examined previously, that is, Titus 1:6
An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
But in Titus 1:10, it is the sense of “rebellious” that the apostle used the Greek word. We know that in every congregation there are believers who are rebellious in the sense that they do not comply to God’s word or do not want to submit to the authority of the church leadership but here the apostle is concerned with those who are false teachers as his elaboration of his description of those he had in mind suggests. They do not want to submit to apostolic doctrines and so do not want to submit to their authority.
The apostle described the rebellious individuals he had in mind with a Greek adjective (mataiologos) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it means “talking idly.” The word in and of itself does not refer to a false teacher but that concept is implied in the fact the apostle used a related the Greek noun (mataiologia) to our Greek adjective in a context that implies false teachers, especially with respect to the law in 1 Timothy 1:6:
Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.
The phrase meaningless talk is translated from the Greek noun that we said is related to our Greek adjective. But the context indicates that the apostle used the Greek noun translated “meaningless talk” to refer to those who want to be teachers of the law in 1 Timothy 1:7:
They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
Based on this passage, it is probably the case that when the apostle used the Greek adjective translated “mere talkers” in the NIV he was thinking of false teachers who engage in idle talk. This idle talk may be a reference to the telling about legends, genealogies, and other false teachings similar to those mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:3–7:
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
To ensure that we know that the apostle was not talking merely of someone who is an empty chatter, he proceeded to give further explanation of the kind of person he had in mind. We assert this because of the conjunction “and” that follows the expression mere talkers in Titus 1:10. The conjunction is translated from a Greek conjunction (kai) with several usages. For example, it can be used as a marker of connection between single words or between clauses and sentences so that it may be translated “and.” It could also be used as marker of result that comes from what precedes it, leading to the translation “and then, and so.” The implication of this usage in our context is that the next adjective the apostle used tells the result of those who are engaged in empty chatter. While this is possible, it does not seem to be the sense of its usage in Titus 1:10 or even the sense of a connector between two adjectives. Instead, it is used as a marker of explanation in which the Greek conjunction may be translated “that is, namely.” In effect, the apostle explains who he meant in the use of the Greek adjective that is rendered “mere talkers” in the NIV of Titus 1:10. This is because the next Greek adjective the apostle used helps to shade light on the Greek adjective translated as mere talkers in the NIV of Titus 1:10. The next adjective the apostle used is translated “deceivers” in Titus 1:10. The word “deceivers” is translated from a Greek adjective (phrenapatēs) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it means “deceiver, misleader” in the sense of someone who leads others to believe something that is not true. Those who deceive others are usually those who are great talkers so that people easily accept the things that come out of their mouth. It is no wonder that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul warned believers of the kind of deceivers who know how to use words to deceive, as we find, for example, in Ephesians 5:6:
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
Deceivers not only use empty words, but because they are often good talkers they can deceive using great sounding arguments hence warranting the warning of the Holy Spirit through the apostle to the Colossians in Colossians 2:4:
I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
Anyway, the Greek word that is translated “deceivers” is used to further explain those described as mere talkers who are false teachers.
It is possible that Titus or any reader of the epistle we are considering, would miss the point that the apostle was concerned with the problem of false teachers so that the apostle penned down a phrase that should help the readers to begin to put together that the apostle was concerned with false teachers. So, the apostle added the last phrase of Titus 1:10, especially those of the circumcision group. The apostle in this phrase defines a specific group of false teachers he meant. This assertion is based on the word especially that is translated from a Greek word (malista) that is used to convey a distinctively greater extent or degree than is common and so means “especially, most of all, above all, particularly.” Thus, the apostle used it to emphasize believers as those who are to be recipients of benevolence of other believers in Galatians 6:10:
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
It is in the same sense that he used the Greek word to emphasize the spiritual leaders that should receive special compensation from the local church in 1 Timothy 5:17:
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
In our passage of Titus 1:10 the apostle used the Greek word to highlight a class of false teachers that should garnish the attention of Titus and the overseers he was to appoint in Crete. By the way, there are some scholars who take the Greek word to mean “that is” indicating that it is used to give a further explanation of what the apostle meant in the word “deceivers.” Regardless of how one interprets the Greek word that most often means “especially”, the fact remains that the apostle was concerned with false teachers. The false teachers he was concerned is described in the phrase of verse 10 of the circumcision group.
Who does the apostle mean in the phrase of the circumcision group or literally those of the circumcision? The circumcision group refers to the group of Jewish Christians who stilled believed in the necessity of circumcision to become God’s people. To justify this answer, we need to consider briefly the word “circumcision” that is translated from a Greek word (peritomē) that refers to the cutting away the foreskin of male children. To the descendants of Abraham, it was to take place on the eighth day of birth, as stated in Genesis 17:12:
For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring.
Since there were others that practiced circumcision, it became uniquely a requirement for the Israelites to do this on the eighth day, as reiterated in Leviticus 12:3:
On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised.
By the way, other groups that practiced circumcision are mentioned in Jeremiah 9:25–26:
25 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”
Be that as it may, the Greek word (peritomē) translated “circumcision” in Titus 1:10 is used in two general ways in the NT. It refers to “circumcision” that is to be understood both literally and figuratively. Literally, it is used in sense of the rite of circumcision, as the word is used by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 7:22:
Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath.
Figuratively, it is used for spiritual circumcision to describe the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in a believer, as it is used by Apostle Paul in Romans 2:29:
No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.
The circumcision of the heart refers to regeneration without which a person cannot be spiritually alive and recognized as a child of God. It is this regeneration or spiritual heart transplant that God promised Israel in Deuteronomy 30:6:
The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
Another usage of the Greek word (peritomē) translated “circumcision” in Titus 1:10 is for a person who is circumcised. In this usage, the word is used both literally and figuratively. Literally, the word is used to describe a Jew, as in Romans 15:8:
For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs
The phrase a servant of the Jews is literally a servant of the circumcision. Of course, since the word is used literally for a Jew, it is used to distinguish a Jew from a Gentile, as per Galatians 2:7:
On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.
The phrase to the Gentiles is literally to the uncircumcised while the phrase to the Jews is literally to the circumcised. Apostle Paul was explicit that the term “uncircumcised” is used to describe Gentiles in Ephesians 2:11:
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)—
The Greek word translated “circumcision” is used literally not only for Jews but also for Jews who are believers in Christ or Christians. Hence, the word is used to describe believers who are Jews that accompanied Apostle Peter when he preached the gospel to the Cornelius and those assembled with him, as we read in Acts 10:45:
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
Figuratively, the Greek word (peritomē) translated “circumcision” in Titus 1:10 is used to describe all believers. This is the sense that Apostle Paul used it to describe believers in Christ, Jews and Gentiles, in Philippians 3:3:
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
Our examination of the Greek word (peritomē) translated “circumcision” in Titus 1:10 indicates that it can be used to describe an ethnic Jew as well as believers in Christ whether Jews or Gentiles. Nonetheless, in Titus 1:10, the apostle used it to describe Jewish believers who still insisted on the necessity of circumcision on the part of Gentiles for them to be fully admitted as God’s people or even for them to be saved. We know that there were Jews in Crete because they were represented as those who heard the preaching of Peter as indicated in Acts 2:11
(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
So, it is easy to see that some of these Jews in Crete that were converted were among the Jews who insisted on necessity for circumcision to be saved. They were certainly those who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, as per Acts 15:5:
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”
It is certainly this group of Jewish believers that were behind the hypocritical conduct of Apostle Peter for which Apostle Paul rebuked him when in fear of this group he withdrew fellowship from Gentile believers, as mentioned in Galatians 2:12:
Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.
Anyway, we contend that based on the information in Acts 15:5 that the circumcision group referred to believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees who although believers did not accept that Gentiles are not to be circumcised to become God’s people. It is not difficult to understand that some Pharisees became believers in Christ for after all, Apostle Paul himself belonged to that party before his conversion. There is no doubt that there were many of the party who became believers. However, some of them apparently did not accept the decision of the church council regarding the relationship of the Gentiles with respect to the ritual aspect of the Mosaic Law. Interestingly, the Pharisees were generally more sympathetic to their fellow Jews who were Christians because of their belief in resurrection. Consequently, it was not surprising that they came to Apostle Paul’s defense when he was in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 23:8–9:
8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
This notwithstanding, the fact remains that there were some Pharisees who became believers but were still devoted to the rituals of the Mosaic Law and insisted on all Gentiles to do the same, as Proselytes were required to undergo circumcision and adhere to the entire Mosaic Law. Because of this insistence that was contrary with the decision of the church directed by the Holy Spirit, they were considered false teachers in this respect. Therefore, the false teachers that the apostle emphasized in the phrase of Titus 1:10 especially those of the circumcision group are those who teach the necessity of circumcision for salvation. In any event, the mention of this group and the descriptions given in verse 10 enable us to recognize the apostle was concerned with false teachers in Crete that Titus and the overseers he was to appoint should confront. By the way, these false teachers are not different from those who teach that one must be baptized to be saved.
A second fact that enables us to be certain the apostle was concerned with false teachers in Crete is the responsibility assigned to Titus as well as the overseers he was to appoint. This responsibility was to put a stop to false teaching as stated in the first sentence of Titus 1:11 They must be silenced. The expression “be silenced” is translated from a Greek verb (epistomizō) that appears only here in the Greek NT; literally it means “to put something on the mouth,” and so means “to put the bit in a horse’s mouth.” As Spicq and Ernest suggest in their Theological lexicon of the New Testament, the word is used for people so that it has meanings of “to muzzle” and “to gag.” Figuratively, as it is used, in our passage, it means to cause someone to stop talking hence “to silence, to keep someone from speaking.” The apostle did not specify how this is to be achieved. Nonetheless, the action required of Titus and overseers was to be achieved primarily by overwhelming false teachers with the teaching of truth that they would be so overwhelmed that they find it difficult to speak or to continue to advance their erroneous teaching. It could also be that Titus and overseers were not to allow such individuals to speak or teach in their local congregations as that is one way to ensure that false teachers remain silent. You see, overseers of local churches should be careful as to whom they permit to teach or speak in their congregations. I am saying that it is the duty of a pastor to be careful of the person that he allows to teach or speak in the congregation under his leadership to ensure that no false doctrine is espoused or put in another way, the pastor should ensure that no unsound doctrine is communicated to the congregation under him. Because the Greek verb used is in the present tense, the implication here is that a pastor should form the habit of ensuring that no false teacher is permitted to teach in his congregation. That aside, I believe that when the apostle wrote the Greek verb that means “to silence”, his major focus was on the teaching of the truth in such a manner that is so overwhelming that even those who are false teachers would be so disarmed that they would have nothing to say. This, of course, requires that a pastor should demolish the arguments that false teachers use in advancing their false teaching. For example, a pastor who wants to silence the Jehovah’s Witnesses should take their teachings point by point and demolish them so that if there were any Jehovah’s Witness around he would be somehow rendered speechless that he or she would have to leave without saying a thing. This will be similar to how Jesus dealt with those who denied resurrection that after He finished His teaching on the subject they were left speechless so that they had no further question for Him, as recorded in Luke 20:40:
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
The teaching of truth is intended not only to demolish the arguments of false teachers, it should also cause those who have the tendency to rebel against God’s word to come to their senses so that they would obey God’s word. This will be in keeping with the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:25–26:
25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
In any event, it is because those that are to be silenced are involved in false teaching that they are to be stopped in their track. Consequently, it is because those in view are to be stopped from their teaching that we know they are false teachers since the Holy Spirit would not have instructed keeping silence those who teach God’s truth.
A third fact that enables us to be certain the apostle was concerned with false teachers in Crete is the harm associated with those who are to be silenced. Their harm is that of upsetting the belief of many in the local churches in Crete as in the second clause of Titus 1:11 because they are ruining whole households.
What is the harm that these false teachers were causing in the local churches in Crete? To answer this, we need to examine the two key words used in the sentence. The first is the word “ruining.” It is translated from a Greek verb (anatrepō) that may mean to cause something to be overturned hence means “to overturn, destroy, cause to fall.” It is in the sense of “to overturn” that the Greek verb is used when Jesus disrupted those who were involved in merchandizing in the temple area, as we read in John 2:15:
So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
Another meaning of the Greek verb is to jeopardize someone’s inner well-being hence “to ruin, upset.” So, it is used with the sense of upsetting someone’s belief in 2 Timothy 2:18:
who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
The sentence they destroy the faith of some may be translated they are upsetting the faith of some. It is in the sense of causing serious difficulty or trouble with regard to someone’s belief, that is, to upset someone’s belief, that it is used in Titus 1:11.
A second key word is “households.” It is translated from a Greek noun (oikos) that is used in different ways in the Greek, but we consider only those that are possible candidates in our passage. The word may mean “house” that is used both literally and figuratively in the Greek NT. Literally, a house refers to someone’s dwelling place, as Apostle Paul used it to describe the dwelling place of Priscilla and Aquila where a local church met in Rome, as per Romans 16:5:
Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
Figuratively, a house may be used to describe the Christian community as the spiritual temple of God so that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter could describe such a community as “a spiritual house” in 1 Peter 2:5:
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Another meaning of the Greek word under consideration is “family, household”. It is in the sense of family of an overseer that the Greek word is used in 1 Timothy 3:4:
He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.
The word is translated “household,” meaning those living in the same house that may consists of people related by blood or not in 2 Timothy 1:16:
May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.
In our passage of Titus 1:11, the Greek word is used for believers in a local church that meet in different houses although it is possible that it could refer to believers under the same house. Nonetheless, it seems that the apostle had in mind believers who met in specified houses as their local churches. This is because the apostle conceived of the church as God’s household in 1 Timothy 3:15:
if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
Thus, it is most likely that the apostle would have thought of the local churches as household of God. Of course, it is not wrong to think of the Greek word as a reference to individual families since these would make up any house church in view.
Our consideration of the key words used in second clause of Titus 1:11 because they are ruining whole households helps us to answer the question of the harm the false teachers were causing believers in Crete. They were causing the believers to waver in their faith or to doubt their faith in Christ as the only way to salvation. In effect, these false teachers, especially those of the circumcision group, were causing such havoc to believers in Crete to rob them of the assurance of their salvation by insisting that they were not really saved without being circumcised and or without compliance to the Mosaic Law. We say this because that kind of harm was what led to the first church council in Jerusalem. The reason for it is stated in Acts 15:1:
Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
There is no reason to think that those who belonged to the circumcision group would not have maintained the same teaching reported here in Acts 15:1. Thus, Titus and the overseers he was to appoint were to refute this erroneous teaching using what Apostle Paul already taught and the decision of the church council in Jerusalem.
The reason we insist that the ruining of believers in Crete deals with false teaching about salvation is because the apostle tells us the means of causing this harm to believers in Crete is by the teaching of the false teachers as in the next clause of Titus 1:11 by teaching things they ought not to teach. What is it that these false teachers should not teach? The apostle did not specify what he meant here since Titus would have been aware of the teaching in question. Because the apostle mentioned those of the circumcision, we believe that these false teachers where teaching the necessity of circumcision for salvation. This is one thing, that based on what those who belong to the circumcision taught in Antioch that led to the first church council, that we can be certain they taught. It is this that the apostle said they should not teach. Today, pastors should communicate clearly that water baptism is not necessary for salvation but a ritual that is used to testify that one is a believer.
The teaching of the false teachers the apostle indicates serves no other purpose but that which is shameful as it is given in the last clause of Titus 1:11 and that for the sake of dishonest gain. The word “dishonest” is translated from a Greek adjective (aischros) that pertains to being socially or morally unacceptable hence means “shameful, base.” It is in the sense of shameful that the Greek word is used in 1 Corinthians 11:6:
If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
The sentence it is a disgrace may be translated it is a shameful. The word “gain” in Titus 1:11 is translated from a Greek word (kerdos) that appears three times in the Greek NT, all of which are found in Apostle Paul’s epistles with the meaning “profit, gain.” The apostle used the meaning “gain” to describe what his death would bring to him in Philippians 1:21:
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
The word is translated “profit” in describing what Paul gave up to become an apostle of Jesus Christ as stated in Philippians 3:7:
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
In context of Philippians 3:7, the best meaning of the Greek word is “advantage” since what he listed in the context are neither profit nor gain but the advantages he had as an unbeliever. That aside, the apostle did not elaborate on what the shameful gain was. It is possible that there could be financial gain involved since the apostle had indicated that those who teach God’s word are to be supported by believers they teach. However, when a pastor gets support from a congregation without serious teaching of the word of God or in the process of teaching errors that would be something shameful or disgraceful. So, it is probably the support that such false teachers receive that the apostle considered gain but because they do not teach truth then their support is something shameful. In any event, we should understand that an important function of an overseer or a pastor is to tackle the problem of false teachers.
03/24/17