Session Devotional Titus 1:15-16

The Principle of Purity: To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled (15).

The Apostle Paul still has the “insubordinate” and the members of the “circumcision party” in mind from the immediate context. These would be Cretans who have devoted themselves to Jewish myths and instruction from apostates who have left the faith. Their motives for teaching falsehood are largely driven from financial gain (10-14).

It is very likely that dietary laws and other Jewish customs are in play in verse 15. These false teachers are promoting observance to ascetic practices that are being emphasized in the place the gospel. Such ideas would be very affirming to the Judaizers of the early Church who sought to incorporate their Jewish practice into Christianity.

The spiritual reality is that those who have the imputed righteous of Jesus Christ cannot be made pure or impure by eating certain kinds of foods nor are they made pure or impure through the obedience and observation of ascetic practices. In this sense the pure in Christ are pure because of Christ and for no other reason. Therefore all things pertaining to dietary and ascetic practices are of no contribution or detraction to the state of their purity.

However, for those who are not in Christ nothing is pure. This is because there is no righteousness for them outside of Christ. To gain purity from obedience to law principles would require absolute and total obedience. They are still dead in their sins and prisoners of their depraved natures having their minds and their consciences defiled.

Why is works righteousness so attractive to fallen people?

Was this only a problem in the first century? How does it manifest today?

The Practice of Profession: They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work (16).

Paul argues that these false teacher profess to know God but their works tell a different story. Paul’s rationale appears to be that if they knew God they would know the content and truth of His gospel. This is not the case for these false teachers. They substitute obedience to law principles (works) for the gospel of God. This is tantamount to the denial of God and His plan of redemption because their works are held up as their righteous instead of an alien righteousness in Christ.

Paul then concludes that “they are detestable, disobedient and unfit for any good work.” This is because they are not pure and neither are their motives that drive their obedience. They promote obedience to law principles based on an obligation to the law instead of an obedience driven by love for Christ and an empowerment from the Holy Spirit. They are then “unfit” (unqualified) to perform works that are classified as “good” before God.

Do you ever catch yourself sliding into impure motivations when it comes to doing good works?

How can Christians guard their hearts when it comes to pursuing good works with pure motivation?