Titus 1.14-Paul Presents Two Results of the Cretan Apostate Teachers Being Sound With Regards to the Christian Faith
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 16, 2014
Titus: Titus 1:14-Paul Presents Two Results of the Cretan Apostate Teachers Being Sound With Regards to the Christian Faith
Lesson # 10
Please turn in your Bibles to Titus 1:1.
Titus 1:1 From Paul, God’s servant indeed an apostle of Jesus, 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 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. (My translation)
Titus 1:14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. (NASB95)
“Not paying attention” is composed of the negative particle mē (μή), “not” and the verb prosechō (προσέχω), “paying attention to.”
The verb prosechō means “to occupy one’s mind with something, devote oneself to” and its meaning is negated by the negative particle mē, “not” indicating that Paul did not want certain unidentified apostate pastors in Crete to at any time “occupy their minds” with Jewish myths.
The participle form of the verb prosechō is a participle of result indicating the actual outcome or result of the action of the main verb elegchō (ἐλέγχω), “begin the process of rebuking and continue to do so,” which appears in Titus 1:13.
This indicates that “as a result of” being sound with regards to the Christian faith, these apostate pastors on the island of Crete would not be occupied with Jewish myths.
In verse 13, we see that Paul commanded Titus and the Cretan church to severely rebuke these apostate overseers.
The purpose of administering the third and final stage of church discipline is that these apostate elders would be sound with regards to the Christian faith in the sense of being free from doctrinal error.
Now here in verse 14, Paul is presenting the result of these men being sound in the faith.
So the result participle prosechō in verse 14 emphasizes the outcome or result of Titus and the Cretan church administering the final stage of church discipline.
The intention of administering the final stage of discipline was so that these apostate pastors would be sound in the faith whereas the outcome of this is that they would no longer be occupied with these Jewish myths.
This verb prosechō could be interpreted as a participle of purpose which would indicate the second purpose for which Paul wanted Titus and the Cretan church to administer the final stage of church discipline to these apostate elders.
However, the purpose of church discipline is not so that a Christian would not be occupied with Jewish myths but rather so that their doctrine would be free from error resulting in godly conduct.
Titus 1:14 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 Titus 1:13, we noted that Paul ordered Titus and the Cretan church to begin the process of severely rebuking these men and to continue to doing so in order that these men would be sound with regards to the Christian faith.
Now, here in verse 14, Paul presents two results of these men being sound with regards to the Christian faith.
The first is that these men would no longer be occupied with Jewish myths and the second is that they would no longer be occupied with the commandments originating from men.
What are these Jewish myths and commandments originating from men?
These Jewish myths refer to the false doctrine taught by the Judaizers.
Interestingly, in 1 Timothy 1:4, these myths are mentioned along with “endless genealogies.”
Then, in Titus 3:9, Paul does not mention these myths but rather “genealogies.”
Within Judaism, genealogies played the key role of establishing a person’s bloodline and link to a particular family and tribe.
Rights by birth determined in this way allowed, for example, entrance into the priesthood.
These genealogies could also refer to the accounts of people in the early parts of Genesis.
This usage opens up the possibility that Paul is identifying the practice among the Judaizers of speculating on stories about the early biblical characters as well as actual genealogical lists such as occur there or in other more speculative noncanonical Jewish writings (e.g. Jubilees).
Speculation fitting roughly into this category was known to have been practiced in Jewish communities.
The reference in Titus 3:9 to the disputes about the Law helps to locate the source of this practice within the repository of Jewish literature.
Thus, it appears likely that these Jewish myths are related to the stories related to the genealogies taken from those provided in the Old Testament.
In Titus 1:14, “the commandments originating from men” harkens back to Isaiah 29:13.
In Matthew 15:9 and Mark 7:7, the Lord Jesus Christ referred to Isaiah 29:13 in order to contrast the Jewish obsession with rites of purification which were not in the Old Testament and the teaching of the Old Testament.
The Pharisees were obsessed with traditions or doctrines which were not found in their Old Testament.
In fact, they would use their traditions in order to avoid keeping the Old Testament rules and regulations such as honoring one’s father and mother.
The apostle Paul adopted the idea of Isaiah 29:13 in dealing with the situation the Colossian church was facing (Colossians 2:22).
Here in Titus 1:14, “the commandments originating from men” also alludes to Isaiah 29:13 but in reference to the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law, which were not applicable during the church age (cf. Mark 7:15; Luke 11:39-41; Colossians 2:29-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-5) as indicated by Titus 1:15.
The Judaizers’ obsession with dietary regulations of the Mosaic Law were described here by Paul as “the commandments originating from men” even though God did give Israel dietary regulations since the Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 7:14-23 taught that there were no longer any dietary regulations for God’s people.
Thus, the dietary regulations of the Mosaic Law were nothing but the regulations of men since God no longer commanded adherence to these regulations of the Mosaic Law.
The gospel declares that the one who trusts in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior has died to the Law (cf. Romans 7:1-6).
Thus, these dietary regulations are not applicable to the Christian.
In Titus 1:14 Paul says that these Judaizers rejected the truth, which refers to the apostolic teaching of the gospel.
By continuing to teach adherence to the dietary regulations of the Mosaic Law, they were rejecting the apostolic teaching of the gospel in that they contradicted the gospel which says that the Christian has died to the Law.
Thus the Christian has died to the dietary regulations of the Law through their identification with Christ in His death on the cross, which freed them from these regulations.
The apostle Paul does not identify if these men were believers or non-believers when he describes them here in Titus 1:14 as rejecting the truth.
There is nothing in the context which would indicate their relationship to Jesus Christ.
However, more than likely when Paul says that they rejected the truth, he is referring to both Christians and non-Christians since the Judaizers were composed of both Christians and non-Christians.
Furthermore, a Christian can reject the truth of the gospel by adhering to the dietary regulations of the Mosaic Law when the gospel declares he has died to the Law through his identification with Christ in His death.
The non-Christian rejects the truth of the gospel of course by not exercising faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
You cannot be saved by adherence to the Law, thus you can not live by adherence to the Law.