Titus 1:12-16

No one likes a sharp rebuke.  If you really get in someone’s face about something it inevitably leads to a dispute about how sharp the rebuke was rather than the issue being rebuked.  And yet, what the Cretans needed was a sharp rebuke so that they would be sound in the faith.  Perhaps it was because they were “Cretans” (this is where we get that term to describe someone who is a coarse sinner, a description given by one of their own prophets).  They needed a rebuke that would really get their attention.

Not only were they notorious sinners; Paul says in 1:15 even their mind and conscience are defiled.  To be sound in the faith requires that one be sound in mind and conscience.  Their consciences didn’t work, sending the wrong messages, because their minds were defective.  Transformation into the likeness of Christ begins with renewal of the mind (Rom. 12:2).  Let us consider what it means to be sound in the faith and then in the next couple of days we will consider a sound mind and a sound conscience.

When people hear “sound in the faith” they may equate it with sound doctrine.  But it is more than that.  Sound means healthy; it is to be well, not ill.  Synonymous with being sound in the faith is not giving heed to fables and commands of men (v14).  Certainly we must reject false teaching.  But giving heed indicates they were living according to the false teaching.  Healthy faith requires both rejecting the lie and repenting of the life lived according to the lie.

The result of being unhealthy in the faith is found in 1:15-16.  To the pure all things are pure I believe means that those who are sound in the faith have a clear understanding of truth and the issues of life; they don’t suffer from the confusion of an impure thought-process.  But those who are not sound are defiled; nothing is pure, meaning they just can’t get it right.  Their life choices are consistently wrong.  In the end they have a twisted view of their relationship with God: they claim to know Him but yet their life-style denies Him.  The words that describe their lives are strong: they are abominable, disobedient and disqualified.  And that is why they need a sharp rebuke!  Titus needs to be in their face, to give no quarter to their horrible choices.

There is much for us to learn from this.  Certainly we need to embrace the idea of being sound in the faith.  But can we think for a moment about the love of someone who is willing to give us a sharp rebuke when we need it?  We live in a society where tolerance of every bad idea is encouraged.  But the Bible is clear: bad ideas need to be rejected.  When someone rebukes us let us not take the opportunity to get offended at the supposed bad attitude of the one speaking to us.  Rather let us first ask God to help us hear and consider the message.  It may be the Holy Spirit seeking to snatch us from the extremes of foolishness that we might be transformed into the likeness of Christ!