Titus 1.10-14
 

Pray Psalm 82.8.
Arise, O God, judge the earth;
For You shall inherit all nations.

Read Titus 1.10-14

Prepare.
1. To what work of elders does this passage refer?

2. Why is it important that elders do this work well?

Meditate.
One of the most important works of the elders is to guard the congregation against false teaching. This duty requires that elders exercise oversight of all the formal teaching that goes on in the church – that they select and train the teachers, provide advice and direction for their work, and help them grow in their understanding of sound doctrine. Local churches are built on the foundation of Scripture, or they are not built at all, and elders have the responsibility of making sure the teaching offered in the church lines up with sound doctrine.

There will always be those who want to introduce false teaching. When they get a foothold in a church, their influence can be most damaging (v. 11). Whole congregations can be subverted and divided by their teaching. In the situation on Crete, smooth-talking teachers were attempting to import secular views – such as were espoused by Epimenides – which actually had the effect of confusing the matter of truth. If Epimenides, a Cretan, believed that all Cretans were liars, then he was a liar, too, in which case his teaching about Cretans would be false, and Cretans would then be truth-tellers. But that snags him on the original statement again. And it was true, as Paul insisted (v. 13), that Epimenides actually espoused this confusion. Maybe we can’t really know the truth at all?

The elders of the church need to be ready to discern false teaching and put a stop to it with sound teaching in love. They must not allow the churches to become sidetracked to all manner of secondary issues (v. 14), which are blown out of proportion by those who make them badges of true faith. The commandments of men must not be allowed to take precedence over the whole counsel of God in Scripture.

Which, again, is why sound doctrine needs to be the foundation and capstone of the work of elders.

Reflect.
1. How does false teaching find its way into a local church?

2. Why is it important that elders provide oversight and direction for all the teaching in the church? How should they do that?

3. Why does false teaching subvert and divide local churches?

For when God commands that we speak and preach the word and that we refute and condemn “in season and out of season” those who “teach the things which they ought not”—as I can prove by the words of the Lord and the apostles—let no man think that I can be enjoined to silence in these matters. Augustine (354-430), Letters 35.3

Guard me, Lord, against all false teaching, and help me to grow in sound doctrine as I…

Pray Psalm 82.8.
Pray for the unbelievers in your life – friends, neighbors, family members, co-workers – that God might open their hearts to the Gospel. And pray for the elders of your church, that they may guard it well against all false teaching.

Sing Psalm 82.8.
Psalm 82.8 (Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
Rise up, O God, in splendor according to Your worth!
Rise up in pow’r to judge all the nations of the earth!
Rise up, O God our Savior, and hear our fervent call,
For You possess and rule o’er the nations one and all.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).