Titus 1:10-14-Paul Orders Titus to Discipline Apostate Pastors in Crete

Wenstrom Bible Ministries

In Titus 1:10-14, the apostle Paul instructs Titus to administer discipline to apostate pastors on the island of Crete who were adhering to the false doctrine of the Judaizers.

Titus 1:1 From Paul, God’s servant indeed Jesus’ apostle, who is the Christ for the purpose of producing faith in God’s chosen out ones resulting in an experiential knowledge of the truth, which is for the purpose of producing godliness 2 resulting in the confident expectation of eternal life, which the truthful God promised before eternal ages. 3 However, He has manifested His message at His own appointed time through the proclamation which I myself was entrusted with because of the decree originating from God the Father, our Savior. 4 To Titus, a legitimate spiritual child on the basis of a mutual faith: Grace resulting in peace from God the Father as well as the Christ who is Jesus, who is our Savior. 5 For this purpose, I left you behind in Crete so as to set in order that which is lacking, specifically, so as to appoint in each and every town elders as I myself commanded you. 6 If and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that any man is of a good reputation, a one-woman man, possessing faithful children, who are not accused of dissipation or rebellion, then you are to appoint them. 7 For it is, as an eternal spiritual truth, absolutely imperative the overseer as God’s steward be of a good reputation, not arrogant, not prone to anger, not an alcoholic, not violent, not greedy 8 but rather hospitable, loving what is divine good in quality and character, sound-minded, righteous, holy, self-controlled. 9 He must, as an eternal spiritual truth be characterized as being disciplined in firmly adhering to the trustworthy message which is according to the teaching in order that he would be able to exhort by means of that which is sound doctrine as well as to refute those who oppose. 10 For many are rebellious, empty talkers as well as deceivers, especially those from the circumcision 11 who must be silenced who because of their evil and sinful character are upsetting whole families by habitually teaching things which are improper for dishonest gain. 12 A certain one from them, their own prophet said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason, begin the process of severely rebuking them and continue to do so in order that they would be sound with regards to the Christian faith 14 so that they would not be occupied with Jewish myths as well as commandments originating from men who cause themselves to reject the truth. (My translation)

In verse 13, the apostle gives his approval of the quote from the Cretan poet and philosopher Epimenides who lived during the sixth century B.C.

He is saying that it is true that Cretan are always liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons in the sense that this conforms to reality.

The apostate teachers in Crete are evidence that Epimenides’ characterization of the Cretan people was accurate or was true.

These apostate teachers and much of the Cretan population fit the stereotype according to Paul’s experiences in Crete.

Paul affirms Epimenides’ characterization of the Cretan people because he found plenty of evidence of this characterization in the conduct of these apostate Cretan teachers.

So the apostle is authenticating Epimenides’ verdict concerning the Cretan people and then, Paul presents to Titus and the Cretan church the basis or the reason why they must severely rebuke the apostate elders on the island of Crete.

The reason why these apostate Christian teachers were to be severely rebuked by Titus and the Cretan church is presented in Titus 1:10-12.

In verse 10, Paul says that a man with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher must meet the doctrinal qualification listed in verse 9.

The candidate for the office of overseer must be characterized as being disciplined in firmly adhering to the trustworthy message which is according to the teaching in order that he would be able to exhort by means of that which is sound doctrine as well as to refute those who oppose.

Then, in verse 10, he says that the reason the candidate must meet this doctrinal qualification is that there many are rebellious, empty talkers as well as deceivers, especially those from the circumcision.

This is a description of the apostate teachers on the island of Crete.

Next, in verse 11, the apostle says that these men must be silenced who because of their evil and sinful character are upsetting whole families by habitually teaching things which are improper for dishonest gain.

In verse 12, he cites a man whom Cretans considered a prophet, namely, Epimenides.

He stated that “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

Then, in verse 13, Paul affirms that this testimony is true since these apostate Cretan pastors reflected these characteristics.

Therefore, by way of implication, Paul is describing these apostate Cretan pastor-teachers in Crete as going back to their pre-conversion lifestyle of being enslaved to the sin nature and Satan.

By using this quote Paul is saying to Titus and the Cretan church that these apostate teachers who he speaks about in Titus 1:10-11 are reflecting the standards of Cretan culture at its worst rather than the standards of the gospel and thus Paul’s apostolic teaching.

The Cretans had a reputation of being liars in the ancient world since they claimed to possess a tomb of Zeus who was a god who could not have died because he was a god.

The Cretan apostate teachers were liars because they were rebellious, empty talkers and deceivers as Paul states in verse 10 and they were rebellious to the gospel message and the teaching of the apostles in the sense that they refused to submit to the gospel message as communicated by the apostles.

Thus, they rejected the apostolic authority of the apostles.

They were empty talkers meaning that their teaching lacked content and thus could not produce any significant spiritual results, i.e. growth to Christ-likeness.

They were speakers whose message had no content which could never produce godly results since it is opposed to the gospel message taught by the apostles.

They were deceivers because they misled people with regards to the truth or caused people to not believe the truth or caused them to no longer believe the truth.

They led others astray from the truth by imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment or helplessness.

They deceived people by leading them away from the truth.

These apostate teachers were evil beasts in the sense that they were being governed by their old sin nature and were indoctrinated from the cosmic system of Satan.

Calling someone an evil beast in Paul’s day was equivalent to calling a person as a rude and wild person.

Interestingly, unlike most of the ancient world, Crete was noted in fact for its lack of wild beasts.

Paul is thus using irony here meaning that although Crete didn’t have any wild beasts, they were wild beasts themselves.

The apostate Cretan teachers were lazy gluttons in the sense that they were hedonistic who ate as a lifestyle of pleasure, implying they were characterized by voracious greed and idleness and they had a poor work ethic.

If you recall, in Titus 1:11, Paul reminded Titus that these apostate pastors must be silenced because they were upsetting whole families by habitually teaching things which are improper for dishonest gain.

Love of money was their motive for teaching false doctrine and we know from history that the Cretans had a reputation for loving money (Polybius Hist. 6.46.3).

There is irony being used here as well with this final description of the Cretan people since they were never idle because they were always involved in warfare or piracy.

In the ancient world, Cretans were infamous for their lack of self-control and excessive appetites and they were known for doing anything to turn a profit.

This supports Paul contention in verse 11 that these apostate pastors in Crete were teaching false doctrine for dishonest gain.

Therefore, we can see that when Paul employs this quote from Epimenides here in Titus 1:12, he does so because it supports his condemnation of these apostate pastor-teachers in Ephesus who he describes in Titus 1:10-11.

These men were reflecting unregenerate Cretan culture and society.

Those in the Cretan church would not be upset by Paul using this quote from Epimenides which condemns their culture because they understood from the teaching of the gospel that they were delivered from the behavior which characterized unregenerate Cretan society and culture.

So by implication Paul is saying here in Titus 1:12 that these apostate Cretan pastor-teachers who were functioning as overseers in the various house churches on this island embodied all that was despicable about Cretan culture and society.

Titus and the Cretan church were to confront apostate Christian teachers on the island of Crete as an expression of church discipline.

They were to rebuke these men in the sense that they were to administer the third and final stage of church discipline.

They were to administer this final stage of discipline by stating to these apostate teachers the charges Paul’s lists in verse 11.

They were to bring these men to the point of recognizing they have committed wrongdoing.