Week eight: Titus 2.15-3.3 THE PAST
By Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.
COPYRIGHT 2004
15. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all
authority. Let no man despise thee.
What a trilogy! SPEAK IT - EXHORT IT - REBUKE and do it
with authority - not like a namby pamby wimp, but with the authority of the
Word and your God.
"Speak it" would seem to be the thought of,
teaching what we have just gone through. Teaching in a practical way the things
of the Lord so that the student understands. Exhort, I assume is the thought
that after you have taught it, then exhort the people to do what they now know
to be true.
It is of interest that the lexicon adds the thought of
"articulate speech" or putting words together to communicate to
others. The thought of "articulate speech" amuses me, as some of the
preaching I've been subjected to over the years could not be fit into that
category. As we communicate, we need to do it in a manner which allows others
to understand what we are saying. It also requires that there be something to
be communicated. Many today have nothing to say, so they are unable to
communicate.
I might say that all three of these are in the present
tense, not a one time act, but a continuing manner of communication. They are also
all three imperative, or commands. Something that IS to be done.
Exhort is a word that is related to a word used of the
Holy Spirit - someone that is called along side for assistance. Normally we
understand exhorting as really blasting someone when they do wrong, but it has
more the thought of coming alongside someone that is doing wrong to assist them
back to right.
There may be a possibility of exhortation of those that
know the truth and don't act upon it.
“Rebuke” relates to communicating with one that knows the
truth and is acting against the truth. It is more the thought of what we think
of for exhorting. It is giving them a rebuke or attempting to bring them up
short to realize their position and need of changing that position. It relates
to conviction. Bringing one to conviction with words.
The word translated "all" is that word we
looked at earlier. It means generally all or every, but not necessarily each
and every of all possibilities. Use the authority, that you have been given, use
all of the authority you have been given, but don't necessarily use
Paul had almost all authority that was to be had in the
church at the time, but he extended some of that authority to Titus and Titus
was to use every whit of that authority, however I'm sure Paul did not mean for
him to take authority not given for use. Paul had given a mandate, a command
and Titus was to follow it.
"With all authority" relates to two things:
a. Having the authority in the first place. Titus had
authority, given him by an apostle, to do the work that he had before him. Paul
was simply reminding him that he had the authority and that he should act like
he had the authority. Not that he was to walk around telling people off, but
that He was dealing with the Word of God - TRUTH and that Paul had told him
what to do. He was the man to do the work and he was to go about doing the work
as if he were the man to do it.
b. Having the attitude that you have the authority and
right to speak, exhort, and rebuke. A person with authority cannot do what he
needs to do, unless he projects the authority. A police officer that says
meekly, please get down on the ground with your hands on the back of your head
will not live long. One that speaks with authority will have much better
chances.
Paul tells Titus not to allow anyone to despise him. I
don't think that he was telling Titus to go around making sure no one despised
him, but rather to teach and speak as one with authority so that no one would
despise him.
There is nothing worse than a person that has no
authority, acting like he does, unless it is a person that has authority and
does not use it properly.
There are multitudes of pastors in our country that feel
that they have all authority in their local church. This is not true Biblically
nor is it sensible logically.
God set up a proper system of church authorities, and we
have seen what grows out of improper systems of authority. We have the
denominational structures that tell local churches what to do, and we have the
Roman Catholic hierarchy which has evolved over the years to the point that the
priest is the only true representative of the people to God. If the priest says
you are going to hell then that is what will happen. People have no opportunity
to salvation except through their local priest.
I fear that the fundamental movement is going the same
slow road to the same improper activity as the Roman church centuries ago. I
see it in fundamental groups even today. A church group I know of began quite
fundamental, but in thirty years, the group has a strong hand in picking a
local church's pastor. The area pastors get together to interview prospects,
and if the prospect fails the interview, they cannot even candidate. WRONG!
There are other groups where pastors move in and seize
all authority, eliminating any church government that is there and sets himself
up as dictator, only he calls himself pastor - the Bible nowhere allows for a
dictatorship, no matter what these men say. They run their churches as if there
is no one else in the congregation that can do anything. I saw a post on an
internet board that a woman could not send get well cards, or "missed you
Sunday" cards without the pastor's permission and okay as to what was
going to be sent - including any message.
Getting back to Titus and being despised. Paul tells
Titus to allow no man to despise him. Evidently Paul figured someone was
present that would give Titus trouble when he started doing his duty. Paul
seems to have been quite insightful when it came to people he was working with
- not a bad quality to have in the ministry.
One translation suggests the thought that Titus wasn't to
allow others to look down upon him. This seems to be a good line of thought
relating to the word despise. This is the only place in the New Testament that
this word is used. It is a little different from our normal thought of despise,
to think terribly of another. This word has the thought of examining closely
and coming to the conclusion that you are above the other person. This if
allowed to continue could lead on into the bad feelings toward the other
person.
The Life Application Bible relates this to the
possibility of fear, fear of wealth, age, influence etc. on the part of church
people. Don't allow people to stand in your way of proper ministry.
I was asked to fill the pulpit at a church one time.
After saying yes, I remembered that the church was full of rich people as well
as quite a number of professors from a Bible college - in fact the president of
the college attended that church.
As I rose to speak, I was very nervous, but it came to
mind that God had brought this situation into being and that He was the power
behind the Word that I was preaching - what is there to be concerned with?
Nothing!
Just a little freebie, when I aged considerably and had
done a lot of speaking, a ton of study and finally teaching in a Bible college,
I realized that I was just like everyone else - I needed to be fed as well as
the new believer. All college professors, presidents, missionaries, evangelists
- all need to be fed so if God puts you in that position, imagine them the same
as anyone else - they are nothing special. Indeed, there have been many times that
the simple preaching of the Word has blessed me beyond measure.
Usually if you are using your authority properly, you
will not be despised, but if you are not using the authority properly or if you
are abusing the authority, you will bring about improper feelings with people.
1. Put them in
mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be
ready to every good work, 2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, [but]
gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Wow! Paul hadn't laid enough on them. He had to give them
another dose! PUT THEM IN
In their own context this meant they were to be subject
to leaders that were probably corrupt if not evil. Not a pleasant thought! Somewhat
akin to being subject to a Democratic president backed by a democratic
congress! BE SUBJECT is the admonition.
Even when the taxes go up and the services go down.
Even when the government takes more from you. You know,
when you can't trim your own trees in your own yard, because the city controls
them.
Even when they make the speed limit 55.
Even when they pass a DUMB law like 24/7 20 mph school
zone speed limits - one of the latest accomplishments of the Oregon
Legislature.
Even when they aren't what they are supposed to be - as
in liars, cheats and crooks.
Even when you see your hard earned taxes turned over to
those that are unwilling to work.
Even when you see the burglar that hit your house going
free because there is no tax money left to keep them in jail.
Be subject. Yes, there are limits to this. Be subject as
long as they don't overstep the bounds of Scriptural right and wrong. If the
government does decide to do wrong, then you have the right and allegation to
do what is right. You must at the same time take the consequences that the
government hands out.
Cases in point:
The 55-mph speed limit. It is clearly against the Bible
so I can break that law - right? WRONG. I don't know how many Christians I
know, that break the speed limit and then brag about it to other believers. If
you don't believe me, go into a church parking lot and count the radar
detectors in the cars.
How about abortion? Abortion is clearly wrong Biblically,
yet the government says that it is okay. It is not commanded or ordered by the
government so we don't have to say no to it. We do have the problem of our
taxes paying for abortions. That is a problem that seems to be growing today.
Obey magistrates or judges. You aren't to go against what
they say, unless, as we have mentioned they go against the clear teaching of
Scripture. Again, be ready to take the consequences.
If we are placed in a position of disobeying a
government, we will suffer the consequences, but the Lord will keep tabs on
what the government has been doing and those responsible will be held
accountable one day.
To be ready to every good work. Here we go again on those
good works. This by the way is in the context of being subject to
principalities and powers.
Let's consider what good works might be accomplished
within the realm of the government.
a. How about volunteering to help in some areas. We have
volunteer trash pick up, we have volunteer help with foster homes, with problem
teens, and many others, I suspect.
b. How about running for office? Local, state, federal.
It is not wrong to hold public office. It won't be easy - but not wrong.
There are many that see being in office un-Biblical, but
I see nothing against it as long as you are not going against your call from
the Lord to do something else. If we had more Christians in office, we would be
making more headway toward good.
I have read recently that Europeans are finally becoming
concerned about the Islamic take over of
It is not unlike our own
Is this bad? Well if you consider we are paying the way
for the illegal Spanish to come and live, we are in essence inviting them and
paying them to take over our country. In the past the nations battled and the
stronger moved their people in to take over the other country. Today we are
seeing natural take overs by the lack of imposition of common sense laws in our
own country and most likely the same in
Are these people horrible radicals looking to overthrow
our country? Not in the least, they are just people that want a better life. It
is our own blind inactive lawmakers that are allowing it to happen.
Why not give
Back to the government, there have been Catholic priests
in congress for many years. Roman Catholics have been elected to school boards,
and in years past actually controlled boards to the point where qualified nuns
were hired to teach in the public classroom. Wrong? No, they are exercising
their Biblical and public right. It would be considered, by the liberals, a
separation of church and state if it were Christians that were controlling the
board and hiring Christian teachers, but that is another discussion.
More and more believers are exercising this right and I
am glad to see it. It is too bad that the fanatics are running for office. They
detract from what they might be able to do by their radical statements and
radical views.
We really need conservative Christian people getting
involved in the system to guide it. Our system of government is great if the
majority is moral and upright, but when the majority becomes immoral and
unethical, the country cannot be on the right track for God.
The following are also in the context of being subject to
the government:
Speak evil of no man
be no brawlers
gentle
shewing all meekness
Within our being subject and if the case should come, not
being subject Biblically this should be our course of action. Speaking no evil,
not being brawlers, being gentle and meek.
That does limit what we do as we disobey the government
if we deem the government incorrect Biblically.
Since you asked, let’s consider our modern abortion
problem. Are the anti-abortionist protesters acting in a Biblical manner?
For the most part they are, but when it comes to
confrontation, they are not gentle and meek, but rather quite toward the
brawler end of the spectrum.
We are seeing a radical element entering into the
protests with burning, fighting and now killing which are not right in any
stretch of the imagination.
Speak evil of no man is of note in that it is the word
usually translated blaspheme. It normally relates to speaking ill of God
Himself, yet Paul puts it here in this context. We are not to speak ill of
those over us. Since, as in Romans 13 we know that the government is placed
over us by God then if we blaspheme the government we in essence blaspheme the
one that instituted the government - God.
Now, if you have a police officer that is yelling at you
(and it seems today they only have one mode of speech - full yell), remember it
is God that put him over you - if he is doing wrong it will be up to God to
deal with him, not you. That is a harsh wake up call for the officer that
mistreats those he has jurisdiction over. If he mistreats or abuses those God
has placed over him, then he will be held accountable.
Just how do we watch the governmental goings on and still
obey this phrase of Paul's? When they are making city codes dealing with your
private properties that restrict your use of your property, just how do you not
speak evil of them, for at times the government is getting evil in its
intrusion into our lives. Keep a good attitude and watch your tongue - hold it
if you need to, but don't speak evil of them.
This may well be hard. Years ago a friend had a man, a
huge auto dealership owner that bought property next to their rural secluded
home. As time went on the dealer began building a huge horse barn. Not only did
the zoning and roads people not know that the barn was part of his plan, no one
knew it until the construction was under way. All legal avenues were spent and
the law sided with a man that was devious in many of his dealings with them.
Not only did he build this huge barn, but he built it as
close to the property line as he could legally, so our friends looked out their
windows at this huge barn. They planted a tall hedge row to block the view, but
there was no way they could block out all the smells and traffic generated by
the facility.
I must admit I am not sure I could have followed Paul's
encouragement not to speak evil. I wonder at the patience and calm resoluteness
of our friends as they waded through these hard times. I probably would have
become a brawler as Paul tells us not to be.
Next, Paul tells us to "be no brawlers" or not
to be fighters. In relation to the above illustration, the friends did go through
all the legal processes available to them and I think that this is right and
correct. The Lord asks us to be in submission to our government, but says
nothing of using the rights that the government gives to us. To use the legal
system is quite appropriate if needed. However, due note should be given to the
whole of Scripture where we are told not to go to law with a brother - that
should be dealt within the church itself. (The word used here of "no
brawlers" is only found elsewhere in I Timothy 3.3)
I personally feel that going to law in any case where you
would be perceived as being vindictive or being evil should be avoided. In fact
many believers can't afford a lawyer so this is a mute point for many of us.
This principle is based on the next few thoughts of Paul.
We are to be gentle - quiet, patient, equitable or fair
according to the lexicon. To go to court out of retaliation does not seem right
and correct for the believer. To go to stop injustice would seem to be a good
use of the judicial system. To correct wrong would also be a good use, but to
go for maliciousness sake, I don't think we are on Biblical ground.
We are to show gentleness or mildness to all men. The two
words "all" in this verse are that concept of all but not necessarily
every. In general we are to be gentle to all men - does that allow you to blast
some now and then and be okay - NO. The idea might be something along the line
of be gentle to all you have dealings with. You don't necessarily have to be
gentle to the man in
3 For we ourselves
also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and
pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another.
Paul seems to be putting himself in with Titus, and for
that matter, in the plight of all lost men before they meet Christ. None have
anything to brag about.
True, there are some believers that are raised in
Christian homes that lead good moral lives until they accept Christ, but the
testimonies of these people which I have heard indicate that under the surface,
even they suffer from this same plight - disobedient to God/deceived by the
Devil/serving lust and pleasure secretly/hating people/etc.
Paul seems to be stating that since we were that way, we
should not be surprised if others are that way. We should not be surprised if
they treat us that way. We should not be surprised if they act like lost people
- WE SHOULD BE TOLERANT OF THEM UNTIL they are saved -- then teach them
differently.
There seems to be another side to this in that these
authorities may be this way, but they too need the saving knowledge of Christ.
They too can become as we - thus changing their very character which will
change the way they govern or show their authority over us.
I am sure that if we think back over our unsaved life
that we can find real examples of how foolish we were in times before Christ
made a difference in our lives. When a teenager running with a bunch of church
kids, they being saved and me being the foolish lost one, I rode around with
them one night getting into all sorts of mischief. At one point I had the idea
of breaking a window. I told them to stop the car, I ran up to a small business
building and put my fist though the window. How utterly stupid and foolish! On
two counts, the danger of great loss of blood as well as the utter uselessness
of the act.
Yes, the unsaved person is a foolish creature. They are
off hating and serving lusts and pleasures - sounds about right from what I've
seen in the lost people I know. The sad part is that many Christians are still
living in their former life. They have never moved beyond spiritual childhood,
and how could they with no meat coming from the pulpits of today.
The tern translated "serving" is the word
usually used for servant - one that has placed themself under the bondage of
another. This term is used of serving God in I Thess 1.9 "For they
themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye
turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;"
APPLICATION:
1. This may be a little heavy but I think it needs to be
said. Verse fifteen speaks of exhorting - the thought in this passage is to be
sure these people know what is right and how to do right.
In the Old Testament prophets (Ezek. 33.1ff) there is a
strong warning to the watchman - be sure you warn of danger. If the people
don't listen that is their problem and not the watchman's, however if the
watchman knows there is danger and does not warn the people then their blood
will be on his hands.
Pastor, teacher, church leader, just how vivid and clear
are your warnings to those you see stepping off into wickedness. Isn't it a
clear application that if a man knows the Word and fails to share it with
people that need it and does not, that he will bear some responsibility for the
outcome?
If someone hears what is brought forth and disregards it
then the responsibility will be his own.
I have said many many times that the divorce rate in the
church is so high because we have not been teaching proper doctrine relating to
the family and marriage. If these doctrines were implanted properly in our
people’s lives, the problems that appear would not be dealt with by a divorce.
Divorce is not an option yet church people opt for it all the time. Oh, the
responsibility of some pastor or teacher along the line that failed to teach
them properly.
This relates to all our teaching, we must be doing better
in our churches so that people know what they are choosing to do is right or
wrong. That is why the New Testament speaks to the greater responsibility of
the teacher.
The thought of caring for the people is very clear in the
following passage as well as others in the New Testament. I Pet. 5.1 "The
elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not
by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;"
Also, check out the following: Heb. 13.17 "Obey them
that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls,
as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with
grief: for that [is] unprofitable for you."
2. Let's dwell on this thought of being subject to the
principalities and powers. We normally relate this to the governments that have
sway over our heads, be it federal, state or local, or even in some cases
housing authorities and organizations you have placed your self under - well,
yes, even unions.
We are to submit as volunteers to these entities, but the
words are not really locked into the thought of government, they relate to any
authority or power that is placed over us. That would include a husband, a
parent, a pastor or any other authority that is automatically over you.
A far out example of this might be for you Christian
teen, when you are cutting up in a store or café, and you are asked to leave,
there is an authority over you and God would have you submit in a gentle and
meek way, not blow them off as so much hot air.
Adult, when you are being obnoxious and are asked to move
on, please do so, for you are commanded to in this passage.
Parishioners, when the pastor reprimands you Biblically,
open your mind to his thoughts and act accordingly. If he has a Biblical point,
you should submit to his wise counsel.
I am not sure I appreciate this passage about being
gentle and meek when I have to go home in a few minutes and call a tree removal
service that has been totally obnoxious in their dealings with us and try to
figure out a solution. But, Paul put it in here so I figure God knows right
even though. He never had to live through this situation :-) I think
rationalization should be in order here. NOT! Funny how these little life
lessons show up when we most don't want them, but most do need them!
“Magistrates” also is a general word for any authority or
superior. These comments relate well to the work place as well as to the
governmental area of life.
3. If we take that definition of the lost in verse three
and compare it to the normal person that we know - average American, many live
above this description. They are totally lost, but for some reason have chosen
a higher life for themselves.
However, today we have moral corruption as the standard
and our society is degenerating into that which they follow. Our politicians
are morally corrupt, our business leaders are morally corrupt and many of the
leaders in all areas of life are morally corrupt. Thus society is sliding into
their example rather than taking the Word of God as their guide.
Most believers are doing the same thing; they want to be
accepted so rather than take the moral high ground that God requires, they
settle for going along with the crowd. When you see a school or the city
government or the state government giving a Christian a hard time, it isn't a
bunch of Christians in trouble it is one Christian standing alone for what is
right. Thankfully there are legal groups that are standing with these
individuals and God's ways are being shown correct, but take away these few
legal groups and Christianity would be squashed under the heavy foot of
immorality.
If Christians don't get their lives straight and if they
don't start standing for God, this country will continue to decay.
You can demean the strict fundamentalists of the fifties
and sixties all you want, but when they started to die off and quiet their
rhetoric, the decline of Christianity and its holiness in this country also
began. There are few that call for holiness of life in the church today. There
are few that call for taking a stand against wrong. There are few that are
preaching the Word, thus the prior two are the case.
It has been my observation that when a believer does take
a stand it is the "Christian" community that tends to be the
detractors rather than the lost. The lost understand when they hear that your belief
and your stand are based on the Word of God, but the "believer" gets
upset because they disagree with your interpretation of what the Word says and
will detract greatly from anything you try to do before the lost.
Is it not the lost that we are to be confronting with the
Word, rather than demeaning those that we are supposed to be like? It is hard
to tell who the real Christians are these days, the lost live like Christians
and Christians live like the lost - the Devil, the deceiver is alive and well.
The verse states that these are deceived, but today I fear the believers are
the ones deceived.
4. So, how about all this talk about good works?
Specifically this seems to be the context of doing good works in relation to
the principalities and powers. Some take this to mean doing well under their
authority - obeying the laws, giving of your taxes freely etc. however I would
suggest that it is more far reaching than that. Under their authority do good
works - all sorts of good works, be they for the government, or within the
government. Doing what is right in any situation. If we are doing well, the
government is going to benefit.
If we do good for the poor the welfare system is less
strained, if we teach moral conduct the police agencies will be less burdened,
and if we teach proper marriage principles the courts will be released from
some of their work. All of these are beneficial to the government, but are
primarily commands of God, thus good works seems to relate specifically to the
government, but generally to any good works we can find to become involved in.
We Christians are supposed to be involved with them. We
believers are supposed to be full of them. Consider "Average
Joe/Josephine" Christian for a moment. What good works do you see Christians
doing these days - the average Christian? Not the person that is totally
involved in the church, teaching, visiting, etc. but the average pew sittin,
chorus singin Joe and Josephine - what good works are they doing these days?
Personal opinion, they have taken this verse quite
literally and no further. They are "ready" to every good work, not
that they actually get involved in good works, but they are ready to do them if
the opportunity knocks. The problem is that they have been taught how to rationalize
to the point that they may be good and ready, but this isn't quite the right
time to jump in and do one. They are waiting for that perfect opportunity to do
a good work - why wait - well who knows what rationalizations lurk in the minds
of men/women.
Good works should be a part of your character - a portion
of who and what you are - an integrated portion of your being is constantly
involved in good works. You are doing them as a result of who and what you are.
You are doing them as if they were your calling and duty. You are doing them as
a result of your love for the Savior - the one that did the ultimate good work
for you.
When the neighbor wants to borrow something, you have
opportunity to do a good work. When your coworker asks you for the umpteenth
time to do something for them you have opportunity to do a good work. When you
see someone spill things on the floor, you have opportunity to do a good work.
When you are talking to someone and see an opening for the Gospel and you go
forward, you have opportunity for a good work. When you see someone new moving
into the neighborhood, you have opportunity for a good work - either help them
carry things or at least greet them and invite them to church or better yet to
your home for a meal to help them in their moving. When you see someone
struggling to change a tire, you have opportunity for a good work. When you see
someone struggle with a situation, you have opportunity for a good work.
Even when you have someone being nasty to you, you have opportunity
for a good work. When you .... I think you get the picture - any and every time
we have the chance to serve another human being we have opportunity for a good
work. Good works ought not to stop at the church door when we leave, or when we
enter - good works are for all people, not just believers, or just for the
lost.
Good works may even be ignoring the nastiness of someone
in the store, or someone on the sidewalk that takes up the whole walk. I know,
I need to listen to this :-) even those nasty drivers that think they own the
road - as opposed to our rights and "our owning the road" - we all,
as believers, need to adjust our lives and minds to the fact that we are what
we are only because of Christ's work on the cross. We are special because of
Him and to Him, but we aren't so special as humans - just part of the mix that
can make the mix better by doing good works instead of adding to the poor
ingredients of life by being like a lost person.
Not to dismiss "service" in the church.
Teaching, visiting, assisting and all those neat things should also be a part
of our good works. We all have a gift from the Spirit that needs to be active
in the church. We all should be helping in the ministry of the church in some
manner.
5. In relation to the "speak" and
"exhort" of verse fifteen Barnes comments: "The sense here is,
he was to do it decidedly, without ambiguity, without compromise, and without
keeping any thing back. He was to state these things not as being advice or
counsel, but as the requirement of God."
Gill relates: "And rebuke with all authority; such
as imbibe errors and heresies, or indulge to vice and wickedness, with the
authority both of Christ and his church, in the name of the one, and by the
order and vote of the other, that the reproof may come with the greater weight;
and in a grave and solemn manner, suitable to the dignity of the ministerial
office and character, and with that sharpness and severity the offence
requires."
Dare I say anyone following these two great preachers
thoughts would be run out of most churches today? Can you envision someone
preaching on the evils of women pastors in a Methodist church with such force
and courage? Can you envision someone preaching on the evils of homosexuality
in many churches today with such force and courage? Can you envision someone
preaching on holiness of life with such force and courage? Not something that
would be accepted in many "evangelical" churches of our day.
Preaching like that is - not popular - indeed most that I
know of that have done so are not in the ministry as such, they have been run
off by those that don't like waves in the church.
When I was a missionary on deputation, I used to stick a
little comment on what I was seeing in the church into our newsletter. A friend
in California told me that he had talked with a pastor, one that I had never
met, and the pastor had told him that he thought "that Derickson guy
really knew what he was talking about and that he was right on when he spoke
out about the church - BUT that he shouldn't be talking about those things - he
was a missionary and it isn't his business, that it was pastor’s business to
talk that way."
I was tempted to write the pastor and tell him I had
heard about his feelings and that if I was ever walking by his church and saw
fire I would not tell anyone because I'm only a missionary and the pastor
should watch for fire :-) If the WORD says it, any Christian should be taking a
stand and being verbal about it, not just the preachers, teachers, and missionaries!
Be firm when you have the weight of Christ, God, and the
Word behind you - let the people know there IS an authority, let them know that
there IS responsibility, and let them know that there IS consequence.
One further aspect of this - causing hindrance to a person’s
name. Today I saw a letter to the editor that described the theft form the
lady’s front yard of a Kerry/Edwards sign. She went off into a tirade about the
tactics that the Bush administration had taken on. She openly in public
slandered a sitting president for what most likely was some teenager pulling a
prank - even if it was some misguided Bush advocate it is ludicrous to lay the
theft at President Bush's feet as his own deed.
Think before you verbalize your thoughts. Many people
spout before thought and this is very dangerous.
6. When commenting on speaking evil of no man Barnes
quotes another: "Doddridge renders it, "Calumniate no one." The
idea is that we are not to slander, revile, or defame any one. We are not to say
anything to any one, or of any one, which will do him injury. We are never to
utter anything which we know to be false about him, or to give such a colouring
to his words or conduct as to do him wrong in any way. We should always so
speak to him and of him in such a way that he will have no reason to complain
that he is an injured man."
Okay, that is a slam against almost every politician I've
ever heard and I fear it is rather a slam against many prayer meetings I've
been in. Basically imagine the person you are going to talk about is standing
beside you - how would you frame your conversation? If you can't say it to him,
why do you think you can say it about him?
7. In verse three the lost are treating one another as
trash. The word "one another" here is very closely related to
Ephesians 4.2 where the word is used of believers. The thought I get from the
verse is that what we once were is the exact opposite of what we should be as
believers. All those things in verse three are not to be a part of who we are
today in Christ. There should be no place in our lives for such things and
especially not toward other believers.
We are also to remember what we once were so that we can
understand those we witness to. They may not be pleasant people to deal with,
but they are in need of the grace that we have received.
Barnes puts it well when speaking to their deception.
"Deceived. By the great enemy, by false teachers, by our own hearts, and
by the flattery of others. It is a characteristic of man by nature that he sees
nothing in its true light, but walks along amidst constant, though changing and
very beautiful illusions."
8. In relation to "let no man despise you" the
thought is to think around someone. To think about the person and disregard
them might be one thought, while to think about the person and work around them
might also be the thought. Don't allow ANYONE to do this to you.
While in a ministry I was under the authority of a board
that was quite opposed to what the men I worked with were doing, and against
the direction we were going. God had called each and every one of the men I
worked with to the ministry at hand, while the board was appointed by the self
perpetuating board - the good old boy network if you will.
As time wore on the board seemed to be thinking around
the men. They were trying to find ways to make the men inconsequential to what
the board wanted to do. In one meeting of all involved it was quite obvious to
me what was going on and I made clearly the point that the board needed to
declare clearly their intentions and directions and see what those under them
would do - follow or leave, though I did not verbalize the last part. I made it
clear that the board needed to see if the men were on board with the board. The
board was working around, while they should have been working toward some
common goal. They wanted to make the men irrelevant to the board’s desire.
Ultimately due to policy changes I was forced to resign,
and within months the board made the other men irrelevant to the direction of
the institution. That board despised, or thought around those that opposed
their changes and went forward with their own desires leaving the men to follow
or leave. All of the men bowed, correctly, to the board’s authority and left
their ministries.
It should be a scary thing to disregard a man that God
has placed in a position of leadership. Titus was to combat this by forceful
speech - he was not to allow people to think around him and make him
irrelevant.
Much of what is wrong with the church today is because
many men have not stood and used their vocal abilities to combat the wrong that
has been introduced into the church.
9. The contrast here is clear. There is what man wants
and there is what God wants. There are man’s values and there are God's values.
There is man's city and there is God's city as Augustine puts it - everything
related to man is related to his desires, thoughts and dreams, while everything
Godly is related to God's values, desires, and direction.
We can't serve two Gods - we either serve God or we serve
the Devil. It is our clear choice and Paul in this text is quite clear where we
should be on the subject. We once were, lost and corrupt, but
At the same time, we are to be part of that city of man
helping build and guide that progress that it makes by being subject to the
leadership and doing good works. After all when the lost see the effect of our
good works, they will realize that our God, or faith, and our dedication have
brought about great good in their domain - God will gain the glory in the midst
of man's efforts, via our good works.
10. Keathley correctly points out that the problems of
our nation are not political, they are not differences of opinion between the
liberal and the conservative, the problems are spiritual, they are based on the
lack of moral direction of the countries people and leaders.
The United States lacks in the preaching of the clear
Gospel of Christ and it lacks in the plain good works of God's people. The
citizens of this country do not see believers as light and salt, but usually as
they themselves - there is little difference between believers and lost in how
they live and sadly, little difference in what they believe either. Some of the
recent polls of Christians show a gross lack of knowledge of the Word and
doctrine. Most believe much as the lost - they certainly can't live moral
upright lives if they don't know what morals are, nor if they don't know what
God desires of them.
Think about this for a moment. Why have the homosexuals
"come out of the closet?" Mostly because there was no moral outcry
against them. A few protests, a few pastors preaching against them, but overall
there was no moral outcry. We still have sodomy laws on the books, but the
legal system has closed their eyes to the homosexual problem because we have
allowed it to become a "different lifestyle."
Consider tobacco. We know it kills people, it has been
proven in court and medical facility that it kills people, yet the same
government that sued for millions of dollars allows the tobacco industry to
continue to kill people. Indeed, we are allowing the industry to export death
all over the world. Where is the moral outcry of Christians - we are irrelevant
to the Devil's desires and directions for this country.
Consider most any moral issue and you will find that we
have allowed the world to "THINK AROUND" us to the point that we and
our belief system, and our God is totally irrelevant. Why? Because the
believing community has allowed them to do so by not opening their vocal cords
to allow a little air to pass in refutation of the world system.
It is obvious from what I have stated that speaking evil
of something or someone is not to be done.
To speak in an untrue manner - to malign or degrade
someone is so very wrong. However to speak against the evil of these is quite
proper and needed - this is where sound doctrine enters in.
11. Remember 1.16 "They profess that they know God;
but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every
good work reprobate." - this stands in stark contrast to the false
teachers - their teaching is worthless, and their good works are worthless, but
the believer, teaching sound doctrine is worthwhile as are their good works.
Good doctrine produces good works. Unsound doctrine
produces questionable to worthless works. Does that ring any bells in relation
to the church? If the church is not involved in good works, can there be proper
teaching from the pulpit - something to consider, and on the back side if we
desire to see good works from our people shouldn’t we be teaching sound
doctrine?
12. The term "meekness" in verse two is not the
namby pamby weakling that is usually thought of but has the idea of great
strength being perfectly controlled. Barclay illustrates the word by relating a
wild horse that has been trained to the bit. That wild and strong horse that
was once free is now totally and perfectly controlled. The horse is full of strength,
but is controlled in the use of that strength only to the good that it can
produce.
Likewise the believer, must be strong, but also must be
controlled to use that strength of character to do the work of the Lord in a
controlled manner.
13. "Disobedient" in verse three relates to
rebellion toward a set law. Of God, of parent, or in this context possibly of
government. One might wonder why a person would become disobedient. Let's
consider the possible reasons.
a. Disagreement with the authority. If someone really
dislikes and/or disagrees with a president, they might go against laws and
protest, either peaceably or violently. This might arise from personal dislike
but more likely philosophical disagreement. Basically the lost are saying that God,
if He exists is not going to be telling them what to do and how to live their
lives. They disagree with God rather than His way of life or commands.
b. Disagreement with the rule/law. If someone really
thinks a law is stupid they might just disobey it. This is not necessarily a
Christian thing to do but some do. Many Christians, for example, speed while
driving. I heard one get quite aggravated when talking about seat belt laws. He
always drove old cars that did not have seat belts and he said he would never
put a seat belt on. The freedom is his - as well as the freedom to pay the big
fine when he gets caught.
c. Disagreement with the norm that tells one to submit.
Many young people reject convention and say they will not obey just to be
obedient. They will reject authority just on the basis of authority - why obey
- obedience being the problem rather than the authority - they just don't want
to obey no matter what they are to obey.
d. Rejection of all authority. The youth rejecting the
norm often move on into the habit of rejecting all authority, no matter what
that authority is. Not to mention, that they are actually submitting to the
authority of their philosophy as well as to those that agree with them in that
they are obeying their own conventions, just not following any others.
14. Verse three could well be translated as the following
according to Keathley, "For we also at one time were without understanding
ourselves, disobedient, with the result that we were deceived, enslaved to
various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful,
hating one another." This shows a progression to the "downward
spiral" according to Keathley; however is there a progression in the lost person’s
life? Isn't the fact that we are born sinners relevant? It seems to me we are
at the bottom when born and there is no possibility of a downward spiral.
Indeed, his translation indicates we start somewhere
above depraved and go downward. We can be deceived into giving up something we
have is his indication. The term translated "sometimes" is rather
misleading in this context. It can also, and more correctly, be translated
"formerly" or "at some time" which indicates at a point of
time in the past rather than the idea of sometimes which indicates at various
times.
15. The term "pleasures" is the Greek word from
which we gain our word hedonism. That philosophy which tells us that anything
that is pleasurable or that leads to pleasure is good and all else is bad. Thus
a spanking cannot be good, but lusting after your wife's sister leads to
pleasure so that is good.
Not unlike many of our churches today - anything that
brings pleasure in the worship service is good and acceptable. Not that worship
should be painful, but it should be neutral and bringing honor and glory to
God. We are to worship in the spirit, not in the flesh, a truth many
congregations have done a total flip-flop on.
16. Speaking of flip-flops, when Paul tells Titus to not
let anyone despise him, we have seen the thought that evidently his manner and
presentation of the word will keep them from despising him. This was the case
for decades in the modern church, but don't try it today or you will find that
you are despised - they will talk around you and you will be irrelevant.
Outspokenness is not tolerated in most of the church
today. You are rocking the boat, you are making waves, you are being divisive,
you are judgmental and all the other little phrases that make the naysayer feel
more comfortable as they sit with their mouths closed on the subjects of the
day.
17. It seems from the commentaries that there is adequate
indication from history that the Cretans were a rebellious lot. They were quite
active in their rebellion against Rome and indeed, quite involved in letting
Rome know of their disgust over their rule.
Now, if people that were under Roman rule and a people that were outwardly rebellious against that rule were told to be subject to that rule, certainly we ought to be able to handle these exhortations from Paul in our country. We have it quite easy when compared to Rome - I am not saying that the government isn't becoming more and more like Rome, but right now we have it quite good. We ought to do what we can within the system to steer our leaders away from the oppressive rule that they seem bent on, but at any rate - we are to submit to it because it is there due to the good pleasure of the God we have chosen to serve.