(Titus 1:10-16) What To Do With False Teachers

#4 WHAT TO DO WITH FALSE TEACHERS

(Titus 1: 10-16)

^[10] For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

^[11] Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

^[12] One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

^[13] This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

^[14] Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

^[15] Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

^[16] They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

The Bible has much to say about false teachers. Peter described such false teachers in 2 Peter 2, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

Jesus often spoke of false teachers and false prophets. He described how the last days would be characterized by a increase in false teachers. He said in Matthew 24:11, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

An excellent book exposing the false teaching of many modern day false teachers and preachers is a book entitled “The Agony of Deceit.” The subtitle is, “What Some TV Preachers Are Really Teaching.” In the book there is an appendix that lists seven rules for testing prophets:

a. Authoritarianism: According to Jeremiah 5:31, false teachers “rule by their own authority.” Quoted is Earl Paulk who stated, “Man has no right to private interpretation of the Word of God apart from those whom God sets in the Church as spiritual teachers and elders.” In other words, the average person sitting on the pew has no right to interpret Scripture. Only those like himself whom God has set in the church. There’s a Greek word for such teaching and it is the word “hogwash.”

b. What’s His Track Record: The Bible is clear about unfulfilled prophecies and many of the modern day false prophets prophesy events that don’t always come true. A prophesy of a true prophet of God always come to pass.

c. What Do They Prophesy: True prophets are often unpopular because they insist on telling people what they don’t want to hear, whereas the false prophet specializes in giving the people what they want.

d. They Are Man Centered: Isaiah 29:16 describes how the false prophet turns things upside down and around so as if to say they are the potter rather than the clay. False teachers always self and man-centered.

e. They Are Anti-Historical: Jeremiah 6:16 spoke of the how the false prophets mock the ancient paths.

f. They Are Greedy: Like Simon Magus in Acts 8, they are motivated by gain and greed.

g. They Present Themselves As Mediators Between God & Man: They see themselves as having special influence with God and the link between God and man.

In our last study in Titus we looked at how Titus was appointed by Paul to ordain pastors that were morally, spiritually, and doctrinally qualified. The men were to be those, “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (1:9). They were to be faithful to God’s Word and work. Paul has talked to Titus about what to do with the right kind of preacher, now in verses 10-16 we see what he is to do with the wrong kind of preacher. He has given commands concerning faithful preachers, now he gives commands concerning false preachers.

What are we to do with false teachers? First, we see that:

1. FALSE TEACHERS MUST BE REFRAINED

We read in verses 10-11, “^[10] For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: ^[11]Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.” Notice carefully that their “mouths must be stopped.”

The word “stopped” means “to put something over their mouth.” It speaks of silencing someone. It literally means “to bridle, gag, muzzle.” A good Tennessee translation would be, “put a cork in it.” False teachers cannot be allowed to spread their heresy or proclaim their false teachings in a Church.

As we look closer at Paul’s words we see that he describes:

A) The Deceptive Nature of Their Teaching

In Paul’s words we see that their number is “many.” It would seem that many false teachers were to be found in the Church. These are described as “unruly.” The word speaks of being insubordinate and, rebellious. These false teachers were spiritual, moral and doctrinal insurgents. They did not submit to the authority of God or His Word.

Paul also described them as “vain talkers.” The words mean “empty talkers.” What they had to say was senseless and without meaning. In the words of Shakespeare, they are "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." They rattle on and on with a bunch of nonsense.

They are also described as “deceivers.” The word means that these false teachers were seducers and mind-misleaders. When it comes to false teachers, in many cases it is not that they do not use the Bible. It is how they use the Bible. They twist or warp the Scriptures to promote their ideas and theories. They use just enough Bible to lead people astray, You could say they throw a little Bible in here and little here to promote their message.

A very popular preacher in our day is Joel Osteen. People everywhere are raving about him. As far as I am concerned, he doesn’t preach enough Bible to fill a thimble. If you will watch his program, oftentimes he never opens his Bible. Most of his preaching is about building your self-esteem, a self-help philosophy and positive thinking. His motto is, “Discover the Champion in You.”

He wrote a best-selling book entitled, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living At Your Full Potential, in which he focused on 7 points, all meant to "put you on a journey to a brighter future": 1) Enlarge Your Vision, 2) Develop a Healthy Self-Image, 3) Discover the Power of Your Thoughts and Words, 4) Let Go of the Past, 5) Find Strength Through Adversity, 6) Live to Give, and 7) Choose to be Happy.

I encourage you to listen to him and see if he talks about sin, the atonement, hell and repentance. A quote by Lois Romano of the Washington Post says it well: “Osteen, 41, does not sweat, yell or cry for sinners to repent. He preaches an energetic, New Age gospel of hope and self-help—simple Scripture—based motivational messages, notably devoid of politics and hot-button policy issues.”

Osteen, like so many, will throw a Bible verse in here and there to make it sound good. That is the way that false teachers seduce and deceive. As John MacArthur says, “Their words are smooth and they cleverly disguise their falsehoods in terms that make them seem truthful, frequently using biblical words and phrases that are distorted and taken out of context. But what they teach is bereft of truth. Their preaching and teaching is based on the musings of their own warped imaginations, speculations, and knowledge set up against the Word of God.”

One such example of these false teachers were “those of the circumcision” (Vs. 10) These were Judiazers (Jews within the Church) who sought to impose Old Testament ceremonial standards and traditions on the people. This was one particular group that was unruly, vain talkers, and deceptive.

Notice also how Paul explains:

B) The Destructive Nature of Their Teaching

The deceptive nature of their teaching is seen in how they, “Subvert whole houses” (Vs. 11). The word “subvert” means to “overturn or overthrow.” Paul described such in 2 Timothy 3:6, “For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts…”

These false teachers were influencing whole families and leading them astray by “teaching things which they ought not.” It was for this cause that Paul said their “mouths must be stopped” (Vs. 10). They could not be allowed to lead others astray.

Paul described their motivation. What they did, they “for filthy lucre’s sake.” All they were about was money. The word “lucre” speaks of “gain.” The word “filthy” speaks of that which is “shameful, ill-gotten.” Because they are deceptive, their gain is achieved shamefully and immorally.

Paul’s commands are to the point and without mercy. A gag needs to be put in their mouths. They must be shut up. Their teaching is false and destructive. False teachers can never be tolerated in the Church. They must be dealt with immediately and decisively.

Secondly, Paul not only tells us that false teachers must be refrained, but also:

2. FALSE TEACHERS MUST BE REBUKED

Paul says in verse 13, “Wherefore rebuke them sharply.” The word “rebuke” means “to admonish, confront, convict.” They are to be rebuked “sharply.” The word means “to cut as with a knife or axe… abruptly as with force.” It is not a matter of us saying, “Bless their hearts, they don’t know any better.” They are to be rebuked and sharply rebuked at that.

As we look close at this rebuke we see that it is:

A) A Rebuke That Is Deserved

We read in verse 12, “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.” The immorality, greed, and untrustworthiness of the false teachers about whom Paul warns were characteristic of the island's inhabitants in general, as testified by one of their own, a prophet by the name of Epimendes.

Epimendes was a highly respected Greek intellectual of the sixth century b.c. and in ancient times was considered to be one of the seven great wise men of Greece. As a native of Crete, he knew the people well. He said, “Cretans are always liars” This characteristic was reflected in the ancient phrase "to Cretanize," which was used as a figure of speech for lying.

Epidemdes also called them “evil beasts.” The idea behind “evil beasts” is that of behaving like a wild animal, living solely on the level of sensual appetites and passions.

As well, he called them “slow bellies.” They were nothing but lazy gluttons. Cretans hated to work but loved to eat. They were self-indulgent, greedy, lustful, overfed, and perhaps in poor physical condition. Paul affirmed in verse 13 that the six-hundred-year-old “witness” or testimony of Epimenides about the Cretans was still “true.”

Considering who these false teachers were and who they were like, they deserved to be rebuked. But this rebuke is not deserved, but we see that it was:

B) A Rebuke That Is Demanded

We read in verse 13, “This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” The witness of Epimedes was true, therefore Paul commands that they be rebuked. The purpose of the rebuke was “that they may be sound in the faith.”

As a surgeon cuts to bring about a cure, these false teachers were to be rebuked so that they would be Scripturally sound and settled.

Again, Paul’s words make it clear that false teachers and false teaching can never be tolerated or permitted in the Church. Paul’s words are for the Churches of today as much as it was the Churches over which he had left Titus. False teacher must be both refrained and rebuked. Furthermore, we see that:

1. FALSE TEACHERS MUST BE REVEALED

I know what some may be thinking, “I don’t think you ought to say anything about false teachers” or “call them by name.” Paul would not agree with you. He makes it clear that they are to be exposed and brought into the light. As we look at his words we see they are to be revealed for:

A) What They Are

We read in verse 14, “Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” Paul is telling us that we should not listen to false teachers and allow these false teachers to lead us astray. He identifies some of their false teachings that are to be revealed.

He speaks of “Jewish fables.” Paul was speaking of the myths and fanciful stories that were often told by Jewish people.

He also speaks of the “commandments of men.” Rather than God given commandments, they were teaching manmade commandments.

The summary of those who teach such things is found in the words “turn from the truth.” These words do not necessarily mean they turn others from the truth, but that they who teach such things have turned from the truth. What they taught made it very clear they had turned from the truth.

We read in verse 15, “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” Paul explains that those who are pure in heart are pure in life. His point is that these false teachers are impure in life because they are impure in their hearts. The heart of the problem was a problem of the heart.

Instead of being pure they were defiled. The word “defiled” speaks of that which is contaminated. They were spiritually and morally dirty. They were dirty and defiled in “mind” and “conscience.” They were defiled in how they looked at things and even in how they felt. They did not have a conscience that stung them with rebuke. They were so defiled they didn’t even see themselves as being wrong in their teaching and ways.

These false teachers were not only to be revealed for what they were, but also:

B) Who They Are

We read in verse 16, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Oh, yes, they claimed to be of God and teachers of His Word, but the simple truth they did not know God.

Who they were is evident by their works. Their deeds were a tattletale on what and who they really were. Their works was “abominable,” which means “detestable.” They were “disobedient” to God and His Word. They were “reprobate” which means they were “worthless.” As the old-times used to say, “They weren’t worth shooting.”

It is never wrong to refrain, rebuke, and reveal false teachers. What would be wrong is to tolerate and allow them to spread their heresies and influence others. False teaching and teachers are never to be tolerated or allowed in the Church.

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There are many who claim to be of God and sent of God. You could say that Paul calls their ordination, credentials into question. It matters not who, if they are false in their preaching and teaching, they can never be tolerated or sympathized with. They must be refrained, rebuked, and revealed.