Dealing with Divisive Deceivers

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The Architect and the Faulty Blueprint

Imagine a skilled architect who is entrusted with designing a new building—a community center that will serve as a place of gathering, learning, and growth. The success of the project depends on getting the blueprints right from the start. The architect carefully considers the design, ensuring that every detail is solid, functional, and fits the purpose of the building.

However, one day, an unqualified assistant—someone who doesn’t really know what he's doing—submits their own set of blueprints for the building. The assistant’s design is appealing at first glance, but there are significant problems hidden beneath the surface: the walls aren’t strong enough, the foundation is unstable, and some rooms are placed in impractical locations. While the assistant’s blueprints appear to align with the vision of the community center, they distort the true design. If followed, the building will be unsafe and unfit for use.

The architect must make a choice: ignore the imperfections and hope they work, or confront the assistant, correct the design. If the faulty plans are followed, the building could collapse or fail to serve its intended purpose, and the community would suffer. The architect understands the seriousness of the situation and decides to act decisively, instructing the assistant to follow the correct design. While this might cause a commotion, and the assistant may even leave, the goal is to help the assistant see the error and build the building so that it can stand strong and serve its purpose.

In the same way, Paul instructs Titus to confront false teachers who distort the gospel, rebuking them that they might turn from their impure ways; they are currently unfit for gospel ministry, and a church built on their teachings is destine to stray into heresy and ultimately crumble.

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Confront The Deceivers (vv.10-13)

Interpretation:

Remember from last week that Paul told Titus that elders have to hold firm to truth and true doctrine. Well, in verses 10-16, he dives into why that’s so important.

He says that “there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially…the circumcision party” (v.10). These are rebellious people who were not just wandering from the truth, but pursued their own “truth” apart from the gospel. These people are Jews, and the emphasis of the circumcision party was on Jewish legal practices in addition to Jesus. This shouldn’t surprise Titus or the elders in Crete, because Jesus promised false teachers would rise up. Matt.7:15-17

Matthew 7:15–17 ESV

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

They would’ve insisted on Gentiles practicing Jewish rites, particularly circumcision, and Paul described them as:

Rebellious, particularly in regards to Paul and Titus’ authority.

Empty talkers, speaking hollow words with no substance.

Deceivers, leading other to believe and practice things that are untrue.

Paul says these false teachers have to “be silenced” because they’re “upsetting…families…teaching for shameful gain” (v.11). The need here is so serious that Paul uses the picture of muzzling an animal. However, it’s not just silencing them, but the goal is to enable repentance. They were upsetting entire families, which could be a possible reference to house churches. And, they were doing so with impure motives. They had no desire to genuinely spread the gospel and the truth of the faith. Instead, they were in it for themselves. In all likelihood…remember Titus is to appoint elders…these are not qualified leaders but opportunists who wanted to seize the moment and further their own interests.

To add weight to his argument, Paul quotes the 6th century poet/philosopher Epimenides: “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons,” adding “this testimony is true” (vv.12-13a). The actions of the false teachers in the churches mirrored the behavior of the Cretans in Epimenides’ proverb — they were deceptive, immoral, and greedy, driven by their animalistic desires and selfish greeds.

The situation called for a response: “Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in faith” (v.13). False teachers should be confronted in such a way that exposes error in an effort to restore and encourage right belief. So, like a surgeon removing diseased tissue for the health of the body, confrontation for the sake of a healthy church must take place. Through this spiritual surgery, we address error with the hope of healing, leading to spiritual health and vitality. This is NOT punishment but protection and preservation of truth, making sure that sound doctrine remains firmly in place in the church.

Illustration:

Imagine you're on a hiking trip with a group of friends, and you’re relying on a compass to guide you along the trail. The compass is there to show the true direction, ensuring you stay on the right path and reach your destination safely. However, one person in your group has a gut feeling that there’s a better direction, a better path to take. This turn leads everyone in the wrong direction. As the group follows the incorrect path, you end up lost, wasting time and energy, and even putting yourselves in danger.

As soon as you notice the bad directions, the one leading astray needs to be confronted and corrected, because the entire group will end up in serious trouble. Immediately you stop, re-orient, and correct course, placing the group back on the right path.

In the same way, Paul urges Titus to confront the false teachers in Crete whose deceptive teachings are leading people away from the true gospel. Their distortions are causing division, confusion, and even moral corruption. To protect the faith and unity of the church, Paul insists that they be silenced and rebuked, so the church can stay on the right path and continue to live out the true gospel.

Application:

Just as a faulty compass can lead a group astray, false teachings disrupt the church's unity, cause moral decay, and lead people away from the truth. It’s essential to confront and correct these errors to keep the church firmly rooted in the gospel.

Correct the Defiled (1:14-16)

Interpretation:

The false teachers have apparently devoted themselves “to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth” (v.14). They were following spiritual fables and empty rituals, hollow substitutes for true faith.

Myths would be in line with fictional tales that deviate from the truth of Scripture, possibly even based on OT traditions and genealogies.

The commands of people would be rather similar to the traditions of man that Jesus often had to confront.

Mark 7:7–9

Mark 7:7–9 ESV

in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

The issue of the matter truly is a person’s relationship to Jesus. This is why Paul says, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure” (v.15). What’s Paul getting at? He’s emphasizing that purity is an internal matter, a matter of faith, not an external matter of practices and procedures. True purity comes from a relationship with Jesus that results in a transformed mind and life. Such faith has a way of sanctifying all things. However, for the unbelievers, nothing is pure because they’re corrupted by unbelief. This echoes Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15:11

Matthew 15:11 ESV

it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

In that passage, He clarifies what He means, saying Matthew 15:17–18

Matthew 15:17–18 ESV

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

These unbelievers “profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work” (v.16). You can see the evidence of a true believer in a life that’s becoming more like Jesus. False teachers, on the other hand, claim to know God but their lives say otherwise. Their actions tell the truth about their belief. These false teachers focus on ritualism and misguided, self-righteous spirituality, substituting their own religion for true belief. In reality, they are:

Detestable — someone who is loathsome or disgusting to God.

Disobedient — refusing to submit to the commands of those in authority.

Unfit for any good work — morally reprehensible and unable to perform their moral obligations.

Notice the paradox and contradictions of the false teachers:

They strive to make themselves commendable to God, but they’re actually detestable.

They insist on strict obedience even though they disobey the gospel.

Trying to teach a morality that adds to the finished work of Jesus, they prove themselves unfit for any good work.

Many people assert that they know God, but how can we tell if this is truly the case? While we cannot know for sure in this life, observing their lifestyle can provide insight into what they truly value and whether their life aligns with God's priorities. Our actions reveal much about our beliefs. 1 John 2:4–6

1 John 2:4–6 ESV

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Illustration:

Several years back, I noticed that I would develop this strange pain that, at first, felt like I really needed to…burp…right under my rib cage. It was quite painful, but it wouldn’t last forever, and I didn’t think much of it because it only happened once…maybe twice a year. Well, this pain started occuring more frequently, and when it came on, it would last longer. At the time, there didn’t seem to be much of a rhyme or reason, but it eventually got to the point where I went to the doctor. He makes his diagnosis — heartburn. Alright, off I go with a prescription for omeprazole. Seemed to make sense at the time, only, it didn’t work. We came back from Guatemala and I ate fried chicken at the Popeyes in one of the airports…sick as a dog on the way home. Sunday came, I preached and got a little relief that afternoon before coming to church that night for a mission report. Afterwords, we had a meal…fired chicken! That was it, I was done for. Omeprazole didn’t address the real issue. And when the pain started to come on again, it seemed to come on with a vengeance!

It got to the point where Shanna, after seeing me lying on the cold tile floor in pain trying to get a little relief, said we’re getting to the bottom of this. We got to a doctor who truly saw what was going on. Taking a heartburn medication isn’t going to help — you’ve got an infected gall bladder. You’re doing the wrong thing if you want to get better. We need to get inside and get this thing removed. That’s the only thing that’s going to heal you. So we did…and now…I can eat fried chicken again! That’s the moral of the story, do whatever you need to to eat fried chicken…just kidding!

Seriously, Paul instructs Titus to rebuke sharply those who promote false teachings like “Jewish myths” and human-made rules, which look appealing but can’t heal or transform anyone. These distractions are like wrong diagnoses—they focus on external rituals and human efforts, but true purity and transformation come only from faith in Christ. Just as the wrong medicine can’t heal the body, these false teachings can't purify the soul. Paul emphasizes that we must confront these distractions and call people back to the true gospel that changes hearts and brings genuine healing through Christ.

Application:

False teachings can sound good at first, but they can’t bring the true change or healing people need. The real cure is found in the gospel of Jesus, which transforms us from the inside out, not in outward rituals or human-made rules.

Experience

False teachers abound in the world of Christianity today. This isn’t so much a problem in many local churches, but what Christianity represents to the world as a whole, it certainly is an issue. How do we as a church guard against the false doctrines that seem to run rampant today?

We preach Christ alone. We preach Christ and Him crucified, proclaiming that there is eternal life in Him and in Him alone, that there is no other name given among men, by which we must be saved.

We preach grace alone. We preach that man is hopelessly and helplessly lost in their sin. We preach that there is nothing a man can do, both because of his status as a sinner, and his natural inclination is to rebel in sin, to save himself. It is the gracious gift of God.

We preach faith alone. This is not a works salvation. It is a confidence in the finished work of Jesus that responds to matchless love of God with a life of surrender. It is abandoning all of ourself in order to live for all of who God is.

We preach Scripture alone. In the vein of Paul’s instruction to Timothy, we confess that 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”. So we 2 Timothy 4:2 “preach the word;” being “ready in season and out of season;” reproving, rebuking, and exhorting, “with complete patience and teaching.” because we realize 2 Timothy 4:3–4 “…the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” No one needs our opinions. The world needs the Word of God.

We preach to the glory of God alone. We refuse to be bound up in personal glory. And, when we preach and people respond, we give glory to God alone. And, when we preach, we preach not just that people would be saved FROM sin and hell, but that they would be saved TO AND FOR the glory of God, that the riches of His mercy and grace might be magnified, that we might life for His sake, and because this world is ultimately not about us and all about Him.

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