HOW TO HANDLE FALSE TEACHERS

How to Handle False Teachers

Titus 1:10-16
Rick Carmickle

July 1, 2018

Fifty days after the resurrection, Peter preaches the gospel to a large crowd in Jerusalem. In the crowd that day were Jews from the island of Crete (Acts 2:11). Many of them returned home as believers and began Christian fellowships around the island. Thirty-five years later (65 AD), Paul encourages Titus to establish leadership on Crete to protect the fragile fellowships as they grow into churches. But some believers were falling prey to the enticing words from false teachers. This is a dangerous situation, Paul warns Titus. But who were these teachers? Where did they come from? What were they teaching? And how can we identify false teachers today?

It is important to our spiritual health that we . . .
1. Recognize False Teacher (1:10-14)
False teachers are:
• Insubordinate – “undisciplined rebels”
• Empty talkers – “foolish and futile chatter”
• Deceivers – “mind-deceivers”

What is “the circumcision party”

The “circumcision party” are those Jewish believers who pushed onto Gentiles the extra-biblical legal requirements from second Temple Judaism, that were disputed by Jesus (Mark 7) and Paul (Gal. 2:11-14). This movement within the early church taught Gentile Christians that they must be circumcised and obey the law of Moses to live as obedient followers of Christ.

The church at Jerusalem addressed this controversy approximately 15 years earlier, around AD 50. At that time, it was understood that circumcision and Torah-observance was not required of Gentile converts (Acts 15). This explanation was widely circulated, yet opponents clearly remained even years later.
Recognize false teachers by their fruits (v. 11)
• Upsetting whole families
• Teaching for shameful gain

Don’t be such a Cretan (v. 12)
“Liars ever, men of Crete,
savage brutes that live to eat.” (ISV)

What do these false teachers teach? (v. 14)
• “Jewish myths”
• “Commands of people who turn away from the truth”

2. Rebuke False Teachers (1:11, 13-14)
• “they must be silenced” (v. 11)
• “rebuke them sharply” (v. 13)
Why do we dispute and rebuke false teaching?
• “that they may be sound [healthy] in the faith (v. 13)

3. Resist False Teachers (1:15-16)
We resist false teachers because . . .
• They don’t understand true purity and real defilement (v. 15)
• “They profess to know God, but deny him by their works” (v. 16)
• They are detestable (v. 16)
• They are disobedient (v. 16)
• They are unfit for any good work. (v. 16)