Titus 1:9-16

“9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. 10 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 11 They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. 12 Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.” 13 This is true. So reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith. 14 They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth.15 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.”

After recognizing the rebellious Paul calls us to

2.         Rebuke the Rebellious

Paul not only tells Titus what these people are like but he calls Titus to confront and not to cower. Titus is charged with the responsibility of reprimanding the rebellious, but notice that he is not called to dialog or debate or discuss, he is called to silence. The idea is to literally close the mouth by means of a muzzle. Why was Paul so adamant that these false teachers not be allowed to speak because Paul didn’t want them spreading their venom. They were advocating that the only way someone could be saved was by keeping the Old Testament Law. In other words, they were teaching that salvation does not come about by the death of Jesus on the cross, but rather that people can save themselves by keeping the Law. Paul had zero tolerance policy for a “works-based” theology because he knew first-hand that it did not work. Remember Paul was a religious rebel before he ran into Jesus on the road to Damascus. He also knew that this kind of teaching was trying to gut the doctrine of God’s grace. The word “rebuke” is in the present tense, meaning that this is something that must be done continuously. And Titus is to make sure that he rebukes “sharply” and not softly because of the stakes. The picture is to knock down a door with an ax when a house is on fire so as to save the occupants. You see the goal of a rebuke is not just to reprimand but to restore. Paul tells Titus to rebuke sharply “so that they will be sound or strong in the faith.” We’re not to blast someone just because we’re angry. A rebuke should lead to realignment and repentance. The goal is not to blast but to bless. The word “sound” is where we get word “hygiene” from and is used metaphorically to describe someone who is spiritually healthy. When the Bible speaks of “sound doctrine”, “sound faith” and “sound speech”, it is talking about “healthy doctrine”, “healthy faith” and “healthy speech”. This is the kind of doctrine, faith and speech that makes people healthy. A spiritual rebuke should have as its motivation a return to spiritual health. Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15 that we are to go to someone when they have sinned against us, not to destroy them, but to rebuild the relationship: “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” So let me ask you is that your goal when you discipline your kids? Are you just yelling or are you striving to help them make changes? When you confront fellow Christians, don’t holler and vomit all over them instead help them to become healthier and holier.