10)                   “For” – indicates a reason for the previous verse 9 information.  Verse 9 speaks of qualified leaders who know the Word and can use it to “refute those” who oppose “sound doctrine.”  Here in verse 10, the false teachers are identified who were spoken of in verse 9.    An elder must be able to expound and defend the truth.            

Some of the native born Cretans were Gnostic Jews (those of the circumcision group) and they joined the local Christian churches.  They spoke as having authority from the Jewish standpoint and held to misguided teachings.  They tried to attach Jewish customs and traditions onto Christianity, presenting this hybrid blend as being of higher philosophical insights.  They are not used to the authority of God’s Word and the pastor’s teaching.  See. Eph. 2:11-22.

                        Three terms describe these false teachers:

                                    1 – “rebellious” – they will not submit to any authority

                                    2 – “mere talkers” – fluent impressible speakers who accomplish nothing

                                    3 – “deceivers” – their talking leads many gullible followers astray

These are babes in Christ commenting on spiritual issues with which they are not familiar either in principle or in practice.  People seem to think nothing of making judgement as experts in the plan of God even if they know nothing about the plan of God or anything about His Word.

Prov. 29:11  and  1 Tim. 6:20;  1 Tim. 1:6,7    (about vain talk and foolish comments)

Eph. 4:11-15 … God’s prescribed plan to avoid being deceived.

            Heb. 2:8 – There will be NO insubordination to Jesus Christ!

11)              They “must be silenced” – their false teachings must be stopped for the sake of the churches’ well being.  They are ruining entire households or families – some think that because the churches met in the homes, this may indicate they were negatively effecting entire churches (households).  Either way, they were bad influences and needed to be stopped.  They were also doing their fast teaching with bad motives, that of dishonest gain.  Those who are negative may still be taught, however, they must either keep quiet and grow under the authority of the one teaching, or they must be required to leave.  Jesus silenced the Sadducees – Mt. 22:34.             (read Titus 2:7,8  and  1 Pet. 2:11-15)

False teaching can destroy a local church when it remains unchecked.  It can be in the form of any human viewpoint about any doctrinal topic. There must be a strong emphasis from the pulpit to protect the congregation from those who are vocal with false ideas.  They may be teaching … such as … giving advice from the human point of view from a platform of pseudo-authority.  The Cretans were very money oriented and would always pay someone well for his efforts.  These false teachers were not only leading people astray by their teachings but they were charging money for it.

12)              Paul masterfully uses a quote from one of their own writers (“prophets”) to lay a heavy accusation on them without having said it himself.  They have to accept Paul’s statement or consider their own prophet a liar.  “Evil brutes” – shows them to have lowered themselves to the beasts.  “Lazy gluttons” – indicates their desire to be filled without putting forth any physical effort of their own to earn an honest living.   We learned the Cretans were habitual liars and this would include: bragging, tall tales, exaggeration, etc. all for the desire for the praise of others.  False teaching is also lying.

13a)     Paul confirms the observation of verse 12 with the authority of an apostle stating it is true.  The statement is a divine viewpoint even though stated by a pagan.

13b)     Begin to define the action to be taken against these false teachers:

-         “rebuke them sharply” – they must be carved out of the church.  The pastor must be a strong figure and wise in the discernment and the Word to weed out these subtle enemies and remove them in protection of the flock in his care.

-         The disciplinary action includes the false teachers and those who accepted their message and were deceived. 

Those who stay pure to the Word will not be defiled, but even someone building upon solid truth can be led astray if they heed false doctrine.  Their personal spiritual health will be impaired if they feed on unhealthy doctrine.  The elder is the protector, the shepherd, of his own flock.  The teacher’s weapon is the Word of God.  It is their faith that must be un-corrupted.

14)       The result was to lead the Cretan Christians away from these false doctrines that were largely based on Old Testament records.  This rejected teaching is characterized as “the commands of those who reject the truth.”  They are merely unauthorized human commands from people who have rejected the truth.  There is a close connection between false doctrine and evil character.  There have been groups within the church since the beginning who build on fictions, intriguing and exciting the unstable and leading them astray.  Sayings like: “The Lord helps those who help themselves” sound real nice but they are not found in the Bible even if the person quoting it thinks it is.  This is a false teaching and a false doctrine that needs to be corrected.    Mk. 7:7,8 is a quote from Isaiah by Jesus to the Pharasees (who were the authoritative teachers of the time).  Read 2 Tim. 4:2-4!  Once we have learned or are learning the truth, we must be careful not to turn aside to anything else.  Read. Heb. 2:1-4;  2 Pet. 1:16-19; 1 Tim. 4:1-7   But the unstable person is intrigued by something that is new, exciting, and which appeals to his emotions (not reality though).  The ONLY sustaining commodity in life is the Truth of the Word of God.

15)              “To the pure, all things are pure” – Mt. 15:10-11; Mk. 7:14-19; Lk. 11:37-41) – the works of Jesus in dealing with Jewish food laws.  Acts 10:9-15,28 – Peter’s vision at Joppa.  Paul teaches that purity is not in adherence to normal external regulations but is the inner purity of the regenerated heart.  The person who is pure has been cleansed by some means.  The New Testament teaching is the cleansing of the soul by God.  1 Tim. 5:22 says to keep ourselves pure.  How?  James 1:25-27 – How can we keep ourselves unspotted from the world?  Sin starts in the mind and needs to die there.  We are to flee from lusts – 2 Tim. 2:22  - and call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  We are to little by little, nip sin in the bud while it is still only in the mind, before we act on it.   Read: 1 Tim. 6:9-11.  Recognize sin, confess it, and turn away.  Prov. 1:23; 2 Chron. 7:14.

Salvation is not by ceremony, but by the sacrifice of Christ.  Morality is not by ceremony, but by the purification of the soul through the Word of God.  Purity is required by the following:  the elder – Titus 1:6;  the older men – Titus 2:2; the older women – Titus 2:3; the young women – Titus 2:4,5; the young men – Titus 2:6

16)       Read: Matt. 7:15-23  -  these false teachers are making this false profession that they know God.  It is a hypocritical show of religious fervor.  How can they know God when we have seen that they are basically unbelieving people and not at all following the Word of God?  Look at:  Is. 65:1-5; Mt. 6:5-8; Mt. 7: 15-23 for some types of pseudo-religions exposed by the Word of God.  Prov. 30:12 – “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from the filthiness.”   2 Cor. 10:12 – “Wherefore, let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”  Read: Is.29:13,14  If we know the Word, we should be able to recognize these false teachers and stay away from them.
They are unqualified for every good work; good as defined by God not man.