Word for Today: Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Titus 1: 10-16 Opposition to false teachers

Memory verse Titus 1:15(KJV)

“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”.

Yesterday we saw the qualities for leaderships, these qualities are not only essential for leaders alone but for everyone who wants to live a godly life for Christ. Today, we are going to learn about false teachers and their characteristics. There are many people who claim to be Christians but go about propagating their own gospel; they do not want the gospel of Christ to be preached hence they go about spreading their false teachings. Any teaching that is not in accordance with the bible should be discarded and regarded as heresy. False teachers are capable of turning the heart of the people against God; therefore they should be rebuked and silenced.

Paul gave Titus some of the attributes of false teachers. What are the characteristics of false teachers according to verses 10-16?

•        They are rebellious, mere talkers and deceivers. The main aim of false teachers is to deceive people from the truth. They are rebellious against the truth and against those teaching the truth.

•        They claim to know God but they deny him by their actions

•        They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing good.

Paul wrote this letter to Titus so that he can expose these false teachers who in the name of Christianity propagate wrong doctrines. Paul also warned Titus to be alert for the Cretans because they were famous for their liars. The Cretans had some notorious characters that Paul knew about, he buttress this by quoting a line from a poem by Epimenides, a poet and a philosopher who had lived 600 years earlier, which said that the people are liars, evil, brutes and lazy gluttons (verse 12)

There are many people in this world who claim to be followers of Christ, we may not know them for certain but a glance at their lifestyle can quickly tell us if they follow Christ or not. Our lifestyle speaks volumes.

As Christians we shouldn’t tolerate false teachings, otherwise they are going to spread like an epidemic. Be on your guard, by their fruits, we shall know them. As you go about your daily routine, meditate on Colossians 2:8 “ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ”.