Lessons #25 and 26
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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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Three essentials of soundness in faith (Titus 1:12-16)
12 Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony 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 commands of those who reject the truth. 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. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
We have considered the first of the three essentials of soundness in faith given in our passage, which is rebuking or admonishing of a local congregation with respect to vices or traits that are common in the locale in which the local congregation is located. So, we consider the second that is given in verse 14. But before we do, we should note that the conjunction and that begins verse 14 in the NIV and in some of our other English versions is interpretative, although a good one, since it does not occur in the Greek. Its use in the NIV may suggest that what follows in verse 14 is an addition to what is stated in the previous verse, which is not wrong, but it is worth pointing out that it is an interpretative translation since some English versions do not begin verse 14 with any connective. We will, of course, dealing this interpretative translation at the appropriate time.
Nonetheless, a second essential of soundness in faith is avoidance of any teaching or requirement that is not in keeping with the Christian truth as contained in the Scripture. The concept of such avoidance is introduced with the verbal phrase will pay no attention of Titus 1:14. The expression “pay attention” is translated from a Greek verb (prosechō) that may mean “to care for, be concerned about, take” in the sense of being in a state of alertness. Thus, it is the word that is used in Jesus’ instruction to the disciples to be alert to ensure that are not carried away with drunkenness or the anxieties of life in Luke 21:34:
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
The command Be careful is more literally but take care for yourselves. Another meaning of the Greek word in question is that of paying close attention to something and so means “to pay attention to, give heed to, follow”, as the word is used by Apostle Paul to convey to Timothy that a time was coming when some will give heed to the doctrines sponsored by demons, as stated in 1 Timothy 4:1:
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
The verbal phrase follow deceiving spirits is literally paying attention to deceitful spirits. Another meaning of the Greek word translated “will pay attention” is “to occupy oneself with, devote, apply oneself” in the sense of continuing in close attention to something as the Greek word is used by Apostle Paul to encourage Timothy concerning what was expected of him as the resident pastor in Ephesus which was to occupy himself or apply himself to the preaching and the teaching of God’s word, as recorded in 1 Timothy 4:13:
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.
In our passage of Titus 1:14, the sense of the word is that of paying attention.
The problem of the Greek word used in our passage is how to relate its literal translation paying attention to the main verb translated in the English they will be sound in verse 13 since it is a Greek participle that is used in verse 14. There are two general possibilities. A first is to take the participle as dependent or related to the command issued in verse 13. Under this interpretation, the action expected in verse 14 can be understood in one of four ways, as we will note shortly. A second approach is to take the participle as independent of the command issued in verse 13, leading to considering the expected action of verse 14 as another command. A handful of our English versions such as the CEB, the CEV, and the GWT have followed this approach. Take for example, the CEV begins verse 14 with the command Don’t pay any attention.
Which of these two general approaches was intended by the apostle? It seems to be the first approach that takes the Greek participle that literally reads paying attention as related to the main verb translated in the English they will be sound in verse 13. This is because authorities in Greek grammar warn against interpreting a Greek participle as a command if the participle could be properly connected with a finite verb. In our passage, it is not difficult to connect the Greek participle of verse 14 that translates literally paying attention to the finite verb or the main verb translated in the English they will be sound in verse 13. Therefore, it is better to interpret the Greek participle used as related to the assertion of verse 13 they will be sound.
The first interpretation that the Greek participle that translates literally paying attention in verse 14 is dependent or related to the main verb they will be sound of verse 13, as we mentioned previously, is itself subject to four possible interpretations. A first interpretation is that not paying attention to Jewish myths is a purpose for being sound in the faith. A second interpretation is that not paying attention to Jewish myths is a result of being sound in the faith. Of course, it is often difficult to differentiate result from purpose since both overlap in some situations. Thus, it is difficult to determine in which sense the NJB translated our participle because it begins with the conjunction “so that” that may indicate result or purpose since it translates the first part of verse 14 as so that they stop taking notice of Jewish myths. A third interpretation is to take not paying attention to Jewish myths as an action that accompanies being sound in the faith. This interpretation implies that the Greek participle is taken as what Greek grammarians describe as “circumstantial participle” for which there is no certain English parallel and it is difficult to translate literally. Therefore, it is best connected to the main verb with the conjunction “and” so translated with a finite verb. This is the interpretation that is reflected in the NIV and other English versions that used the conjunction “and” to begin verse 14. It is probably the same interpretation that is reflected in the NAB and the NEB that began verse 14 with the phrase instead of. A fourth interpretation is to take not paying attention to Jewish myths as because of being sound in the faith.
Which of these interpretations did the apostle intend? The fourth interpretation that sees not paying attention to Jewish myths to be because of being sound in faith while possible, is unlikely; for, if this were true then there would have been no need to mention not paying attention to Jewish myths as that would already be true of the Cretans who presumably would be sound in the faith. The third interpretation that takes not paying attention to Jewish myths as another action that takes place alongside of being sound in faith while possible may not be what the apostle had in mind since a Greek participle may not be interpreted as circumstantial without a strong support of the context if there is another possible way of interpreting the participle suggested in the context. This leaves the interpretation of result or purpose. Because we have stated that it is difficult to differentiate purpose from result and because we have already stated being sound in faith is that which will result from rebuking of the Cretans, it is likely that the apostle had in mind that not paying attention to Jewish myths is that which results from being sound in the faith. Put another way, a believer who is sound in the faith will not be distracted by Jewish myths. Hence, our assertion that a second essential of soundness in faith is avoidance of any teaching or requirement that is not in keeping with the Christian truth as contained in the Scripture.
In any case, the apostle specifies two things that should not distract believers to ensure they are sound in the faith. A first thing that should not distract believers is concerned with myths as in the phrase to Jewish myths. The word “myth” is translated from a Greek word (mythos) that also means “fanciful stories, tale, fable, an invention, legend” or “a false account posing as the truth.” It refers to fairy story in contrast to credible history. Myths are then those traditional stories found in most cultures that are concerned with the supernatural, cultural heroes, or the origin of things. The word appears only five times in the Greek NT; four times by Apostle Paul and once by Apostle Peter. Apostle Paul warned against “myths” because they do not promote spiritual growth, as implied in 1 Timothy 1:4:
nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith.
He used the Greek word translated “myths” to indicate it is opposed to truth, as we can gather from 2 Timothy 4:4:
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
The apostle does not say anything in our passage of Titus 1:14 or in the other passages that he used the word to help us know what he meant. Nonetheless, it seems that the apostle would have had in mind the various reinterpretations of the OT Scriptures that some false teachers were advocating in Crete or Ephesus. They had introduced all kinds of fanciful stories that are not rooted in historical realities as they tried to interpret the Scriptures.
People are often drawn to fascinating stories even if there are no historical realities to them. Therefore, some individuals would turn away from the true doctrine of the Christian faith to stories that are false based on human theories. Soundness in faith will mean that believers will avoid being attracted to these speculative theories. There are various forms of myths that would exist in every period of the church history so the apostle did not specify which myths he meant here. He simply wants us to understand that there will be stories that men are more inclined to accept instead of the truth of God’s word or wild interpretations of the Scripture that believers may be drawn to instead of the sound exegesis of the Scripture that is based on the Scripture itself.
There were certainly myths that were even put down in writing among the Jews that would have been used by those false teachers in Crete to attempt to interpret the Scripture. Such myths have even helped some in misinterpreting the inspired word of God. For example, the Book of Jubilees:22:23-4 makes assertions that have been taken by some to mean that Abraham was the founder of the temple of Jerusalem. The story goes back to declaration in 2 Chronicles 3:1 that states that Solomon built the temple on Mount Moriah on which Abraham sacrificed Isaac (Genesis 22:2). As the story goes, the Book of Jubilee indicates that Abraham had said that he built that temple in order to put his name on it in the country which God had given him and to his posterity and that it would be given to Jacob and his posterity forever. Now, it is based on this myth that Mohammad constructed his theory that Abraham built the Kaaba together with his son Ishmael, the father of Arabs, and thus founded the religion of Islam.[1]
We have mentioned one myth of the ancient world of the Jews but there are many such myths in the modern time. Let me mention some of them. There is the myth about creation. There are many who do not accept the creation accounts and true history of the first eleven chapters of Genesis but are more interested in so called scientific theories of how this earth came into existence. Many seem to believe these theories floated by some scientists about the big bang theories instead of accepting that God created the world as given in the book of Genesis. They accept the theory of evolution which is a “myth” since there is no evidence of one specie involving from another. Surprisingly, some theologians have bought into some of the scientific theories of how the world came into existence that it affects their interpretation of the first three chapters of Genesis.
Another myth that was floated for so long that many have taken to be true is that Ham was dark-skinned. This myth originated because some were trying to explain why some people have darker skin color than others. Of course, the Bible says that everyone on this planet comes from one of the three sons of Noah since all the nations of the earth come from the three sons of Noah as indicated in Genesis 9:19:
These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.
Same truth is stated in Genesis 10:32:
These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.
Theologians should have accepted this truth and recognized that God is not interested in telling us about human skin pigmentation. It may be of concern to humans, but it is not to Him as it should be for believers who should be imitators of God. God’s concern is the soul’s condition not skin pigmentation. However, some theologians in attempt to explain the varying skin colors of the people of this planet put forth the theory that Ham was dark-skinned so that his descendants are the dark-skinned people. This is a myth that is not based on truth. For one thing, many of the people in the land of Canaan, Palestine, Babylon and Assyria are descendants of Ham (see Genesis 10:6-20). In fact, original Egyptians were certainly descendants of Ham, as we learn from Psalm 105:23:
Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
Historically, it is known that those in Northern Egypt are of lighter skin color than those in southern regions of that country. So, to try to explain differences in hues of people by asserting that Ham was dark-skinned is to teach a myth. But many have accepted that myth as if it is truth because it advances their various agendas. One reason this myth gained ground in the past is precisely because of what the apostle says that people are more interested in myth than the truth. Some of those who taught the Bible in the past followed this myth probably because they did not want to offend their hearers or for some unexplainable reasons refused to focus on the truth that there is no distinction among believers as stated, for example, in Galatians 3:28:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
God has ways of communicating to us so we can have no excuse for sinning. It seems to me that the pigmentary disorder known as vitiligo is God’s way of communicating to man that skin pigmentation is of no importance. Few years ago, ABC 20/20 showed two extreme cases where two ladies born with dark skin were transformed completely into individuals with light skin by this disorder so that they were reckoned that way by some who encountered them that did not know previously, indicating that focus on pigmentation is a meaningless endeavor.
Another myth that was found among scholars of the past, especially in Germany, concerns the person of Jesus Christ. Some accept the historical existence of Jesus but call the NT a myth concocted by the early Christians.
Still we now have many who are steeped in the myths of Gnostic gospels or the so-called missing gospels. Some would rather accept these spurious gospels than accept the four gospel accounts of the NT. This should not be a surprise to us because that is what the apostle wrote would happen in his second epistle to Timothy that we cited previously.
Here is the point. If pastors taught truth to their congregations and they have true knowledge that is based on sound expositions of God’s word, then they would not be drawn into all kind of myths. Furthermore, if the believers in that congregation have proven the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ then they would not be concerned with every fable story that distract from the gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible.
Why should pastors focus on truth and criticize myths that distract from the truth? It is because if a person believes any of the myths of the present time it would affect his moral compass or his spiritual life. Take for example; there are many well-meaning Christians who support women pastors because of their acceptance of such writings as the gospel of Mary Magdalene. If one accepts that gospel, he would have to believe that women were appointed to leadership position in the church contrary to the NT teaching. My point is that when a person listens to myths instead of truth it affects not only his beliefs but also his lifestyle. A person could not be sound in the faith if the individual is distracted with these myths and controversies. Anyway, you should do your best to expose yourself to those who teach sound doctrine of God’s word instead of myths. Align yourself with those who teach truth without being concerned about hurting your feeling for they are usually the ones that teach God’s word. In any event, a first thing that should not distract believers is concerned with myths.
A second thing that should not distract believers from soundness in the faith involves the many mandates of false teachers. It is this that is implied in the last clause of Titus 1:14 or to the commands of those who reject the truth. It is not clear in what sense the translators of the NIV and a few other English versions such as the NRSV, the GWT, and the ISV began this last clause with the word “or” since as a conjunction the word may be used to link alternatives or for an explanation of a preceding word or phrase. Most other English versions begin with the word “and” to indicate an additional thing that should not distract believers from soundness in faith. This seems to be the sense that the apostle intended in the Greek conjunction (kai) he used.
In any case, our concern is to understand what the apostle meant with the word commands in the clause commands of those who reject the truth. To do this, we need to consider the range of meanings of the Greek word used. The word “command” is translated from a Greek word (entolē) that may mean “warrant”, that is, an order authorizing a specific action. It is probably in this sense that the word is used in the instruction of the chief priests and Pharisees with respect to arresting of Jesus, as recorded in John 11:57:
But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.
Here our Greek word is translated “orders.” Another meaning of our Greek word is “mandate, command.” The command could be that from a person in high position so that it may mean “instruction,” as it is used in Colossians 4:10:
My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)
The sentence You have received instructions about him is literally concerning whom you received commands. The instructions here are from Apostle Paul who was in a high position because of his apostolic authority. The commands may be given by divine authorities. Thus, in the singular usage the word means “the law” for all the commandments of the OT law as the word is used in Romans 7:8:
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead.
The commands may be divine commands generally as they concern people, as we find, for example, in 1 Corinthians 7:19:
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
Commands may refer to the precepts of Jesus. Thus, Apostle Paul asserts that what he wrote are Jesus’ commands in 1 Corinthians 14:37:
If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.
Similarly, the mandate for believers to love one another is referred as a new command of the Lord Jesus in John 13:34:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
The Greek word translated “command” may mean “regulation”, as it is used in Hebrews 7:16:
one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.
The Greek word is used in Titus 1:14 in terms of commands that come from humans who are in high position.
What are the commands the apostle had in mind? He did not directly state what they were but one thing we know for sure is that these commands are the teachings of humans instead of the word of God, the same type of teaching our Lord referred when He quoted from Prophet Isaiah (29:13), as recorded in Mark 7:7:
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
Here in Mark, rules taught by men include the Jewish tradition that set aside the honoring of one’s parents by claiming a gift is devoted to God so circumvent the fifth commandment that requires honoring one’s parents.
What are these human teachings that Apostle Paul had in mind? He did not directly state but his mention of false teachers who were Jews enable us to arrive at some of the commands that he had in mind that Titus would have been familiar since he was his traveling companion that heard his apostolic teachings. The writings of Apostle Paul suggest that the commands he had in mind had to do with misapplication of the Law that leads to asceticism and adherence to some rituals. This being the case, there are two general commands that these false teachers were imposing on believers in Crete. A first general command is that the Cretans should be circumcised. We infer this based firstly on the experience of the apostle with those Jewish believers that insisted on circumcision on the part of Gentiles, as in a passage we cited previously, that is, 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.”
Secondly, that circumcision was one of the commandments of the false teachers is supported by the apostle’s writing on the subject. For example, he warned the Galatians about allowing themselves to be circumcised in Galatians 5:2–3:
2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
For the apostle to warn the Galatians against being circumcised, implies that there were those commanding them to be circumcised. In other words, the apostle’s instruction would be needless if there were no teachers demanding the Galatians to be circumcised, as the means of justification. Thus, it is not difficult to deduce that the teachers that belong to this group were in Crete demanding the Cretans to be circumcised.
A second general command that the apostle had in mind in Titus 1:14 is that which involves other rituals of Mosaic Law that concern food and celebration of special holy days specified in the law. This means that the false teachers in Crete were demanding that the Cretan Christians should observe the dietary laws of the Mosaic Law and the special holy days specified in the law such as the Sabbath day. The requirement regarding the Sabbath day would probably have been that these false teachers demanded that Christians should worship on Saturdays and not on Sundays as they were doing. We base this on the fact that the apostle wrote concerning how believers should respond to the requirements of dietary laws or celebration of holy days in Colossians 2:16:
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
The apostle would not have written on the matter of food or celebration of special days unless there were those demanding Christians to comply with these in accordance to the Mosaic Law. Hence, we are correct to assert that one of the commands the apostle had in mind in Titus 1:14 is that which involves the other rituals of the Mosaic Law other than circumcision. By the way, it is also likely that the false teachers may have included abstinence from marriage, which teaching the apostle label demonic in 1 Timothy 4:1–3:
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
The two commands we have identified are supported by the description of those who are the source of the commands the apostle indicated should not be complied with or that should not distract believers in Crete. These individuals are described in the last clause of Titus 1:14 those who reject the truth. Literally, the Greek reads of men rejecting the truth. This is because we have a Greek word (anthrōpos) that may mean “a human being”, that is, a person of either gender although with focus on participation in humanity, as it is used in Romans 2:9:
There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;
The Greek word may mean “a human being” as a member of humanity but with focus on limitations and weaknesses, as Apostle Paul used it to describe inferiority of humans to God in describing that his commission to preach did not come from humans but from God, as he stated in Galatians 1:1:
Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
Another meaning of the Greek word in question is “man” as a male person. This is clearly the sense that our Greek word is used in Ephesians 5:31:
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
In our passage of Titus 1:14, it is used in the sense of “person”, that is, any human being with a focus on limitations and weakness, implying that such a person is inferior as a source of command to be obeyed in contrast to God, the true source of commands believers should obey. Considering the cultural situation at that time, those in view were men since women did not teach the law.
The men the apostle had in mind are described as rejecting the truth. The word “reject” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (apostrephō) that may mean “to cause a change in belief or behavior” that may be used either negatively or positively. Negatively, it can mean “to mislead,” as in Luke 23:14:
and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.
The clause one who was inciting the people is more literally one who was misleading the people. Positively, the word means “to turn, turn away” in a figurative sense, as it is used in Romans 11:26:
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
Our Greek word is generally used in the sense of turning something away from something else so that it has the literal meaning of “to turn away”, as in the passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Timothy 4:4:
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
The verbal phase turn their ears away from the truth means to be unwilling to listen to the truth. The Greek word may mean “to repudiate, to reject”, that is, to turn away from something by rejecting it. It is in this sense the word is used in 2 Timothy 1:15:
You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
The Greek word in question may simply mean “to turn back”, as the word is used in Stephen’s sermon to describe the attitude of Israelites of the time of exodus, as reported in Acts 7:39:
“But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
In our passage of Titus 1:14, our Greek word is used in the sense of turning away from something by rejecting it. Of course, the thing the men the apostle had in minded turned away from by rejecting is truth.
The word “truth” is translated from a Greek word (alētheia) that may mean “truthfulness, dependability, uprightness in thought and deed”, that is, the quality of being in accordance with what is true. It is in this sense that the Greek word is used by Apostle Paul in his argument stated in Romans 3:7:
Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?”
Our Greek word can mean “truth, reality” in the sense of actual event or state in contrast to mere appearance, as the word is used in Philippians 1:18:
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,
The phrase whether from false motives or true is more literally whether in pretense or in truth. Another meaning of our Greek word is “truth” as the content of what is truth. Hence, it is used by Apostle Paul in telling the truth in contrast to lying in Romans 9:1:
I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—
Truth could refer to the content of Christianity as the ultimate truth, as we find our Greek word used by the apostle 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.
In this passage of 2 Timothy, the word “truth” is used either as a reference to the Christian faith as a system of belief or to an organized body of Christian teaching or doctrine. Because the context of Titus 1:14 is concerned with false teachers, then the word “truth” in Titus 1:14 refers to Christian teaching or apostolic doctrine.
The Christian teaching or apostolic doctrine that the false teachers rejected concerned the two areas that involve circumcision and other rituals that involve food and observance of special days. The apostles and elders of the church in Jerusalem laid down the rules for Gentile Christians to follow with respect to the Mosaic Law, as stated in Acts 15:23–29:
23 With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
The commands the Holy Spirit want Gentile believers to follow did not involve complying to all the rituals of the Mosaic Law. In fact, the aspect of Mosaic Law that involves food is specified as not eating of blood or meat strangled. There is no requirement of obeying the dietary details of the Mosaic Law. By this we mean that Gentile Christians were not required to avoid eating certain animals as were given in the Mosaic Law. This, we can understand because Jesus Christ had rendered such distinctions unnecessary since He had indicated that all foods were clean for eating, as stated in Mark 7:19:
For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”)
It is not only that the apostles and elders of the church did not impose dietary laws on Gentile Christians but there is no requirement for circumcision or celebration of special days. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul emphasized the requirements that were not placed on the Gentile church. The apostle touched on the matter of food in Romans 14:3, 20:
3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
He taught that it is unnecessary to celebrate special days in Romans 14:5–6:
5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
The apostle indicated that circumcision was not required of Gentile Christians by instructing the Corinthians not to be circumcised, according to 1 Corinthians 7:18:
Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.
Thus, we have references to what constitute apostolic doctrines with respect to Gentiles’ response to the ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law. However, these false teachers did not accept the apostolic doctrines with respect to the areas they were commanding obedience on the part of Gentile Christians in Crete.
We should emphasize that these false teachers are described as false because they rejected the apostolic doctrine in the area that involved the Mosaic Law. They did not understand the role of the Mosaic law and so they were imposing these on Christians. We should note, they are false teachers not because they did not accept the word of God but its interpretation as given by the apostles. They were not advocating any pagan observances as some Christian do today and try to justify their position by referring to Apostle Paul’s teaching regarding celebration of special days. Unlike those who advocate celebration of the festivities of the pagans by Christians such as Christmas, the false teachers did not base their teaching on pagan practices but on the word of God. As we have indicated, their problem was they did not accept the apostolic interpretation regarding the Mosaic Law as it pertains to Gentile Christians, probably because they did not understand the fact of progressive revelation of God’s word.
In any event, the apostle wanted Titus and the overseers to ensure that believers in their congregations are not intimidated or feel compelled to follow these false teachers because they refer to the OT Scripture. The implication is that soundness of faith requires correct interpretation of the Scripture. Anyway, a second essential of soundness in faith is avoidance of any teaching or requirement that is not in keeping with the Christian truth as contained in the Scripture.
04/07/17
[1] Shehadeh, I.N. Do Muslims and Christians believe in the same God, Bibliotheca Sacra, 161 no 641, 14-26, foot note 47.