A Firm Foundation

You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.

Titus 2:1

You’ve probably heard of a certain famous leaning tower located in Pisa, Italy. What you may not know is that it’s actually a freestanding bell tower built for a church, the Pisa Cathedral. But when they started building it over 850 years ago they chose a poor foundation. The soft ground underneath the structure consisted of “ a dense mixture of clay, sand and shells” and couldn’t support the structure’s immense weight. (https://www.history.com/news/why-does-the-leaning-tower-of-pisa-lean) Over time the ground began to settle; and the tower began to lean. Today it leans nearly four degrees toward the south. It’s low side reaches a height of 183 feet 3 inches, while its high side is over 2.5 feet taller at 185 feet 11 inches. People come from all over the world to see the famous leaning tower.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa)

It seems to me that many Christians today are like that tower. They have not built their lives on the bedrock of sound doctrine, but on a mixture of concrete truth and the sand of error. So, they lean... in whatever direction the world pushes them. 

This is why Titus is instructed to be sure that he is teaching sound doctrine. It is so very important for our ministers to pour a solid theological footing for our people to build their lives on. It is so very important for individual believers to take time to review the basics of gospel truth and shore up their spiritual foundations, lest they should become a leaning spectacle for the watching world to see.‌‌ 

It can be tempting for preachers to try to come up with some new teaching instead of preaching the old truths. It can be tempting to go the way of the world and try to ensure that everyone leaves church feeling better about themselves as though the purpose of a sermon were to give everyone a self-esteem boost. But that isn’t what Titus is supposed to do. He is supposed to lay down the firm, unshakeable foundation of God’s old truth. And, he is to rebuke and encourage people as needed to keep them in that truth. And he is not to let himself be despised or silenced or ignored.

This is good advice for all of us as we share the gospel with the world around us. Don’t even think about adjusting the gospel to try to reach your friends and family for Jesus! You can't lay any more firm foundation for them than the old truths contained in God’s Word. They may ignore you. Tell them the truth anyway. Give them sound doctrine. They will choose whether they build on it or not. Your job is simply to lay it down before them.

You'll Know Them by Their Deeds

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

Titus 1:15–16

The early Christian church on the island of Crete had a problem. It was overrun with false teachers. And these verses from the end of Titus 1 give us a hint that these false teachers probably followed some special commands about what food they ate. And no doubt their adherence to these strict rules probably made them seem real holy, but they weren’t. Paul says “they claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”

So, they claimed to know God but Paul casts doubt on their salvation. Why? Because their actions don’t line up with their profession. Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. 

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Jesus said that the way to spot a false teacher is by their deeds. You will know them by their fruit. But you have to test them!

The application for us is apparent. Be a fruit Inspector! Before you date someone? Before you join someone’s Bible Study. Before you join someone’s church. You need to inspect their fruit. You should be looking at their life to see if their actions line up with their words, to see if they behave like a Christ-follower should. You need to put them to the test and see if they are the real deal or not. Don’t give someone influence over your life, don’t let someone become your pastor or your teacher, don’t allow someone to shape your beliefs or your character until you have inspected the fruit of their life and beliefs. Fruit doesn’t lie. If someone is living an unholy, detestable, disobedient life, then don't give them influence over yours. Learn to inspect the fruit in someone's life before you let them speak into yours.

The Need for Reproof

[A pastor] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.

‌Titus 1:10–11

Just as it is part of a shepherds job to protect his flock, it is part of a pastor’s job to protect his church. It isn’t unkind or unloving for a pastor to rebuke a false teacher and prevent him from tearing the families of his church apart. A pastor must protect the flock. This is part of his job.

The other day I was listening to a Christian radio station and one of their DJs came on and said something like, “If you haven’t figured it out yet, you won’t get any heavy stuff here. We keep it positive and encouraging all the time...." And I thought that’s exactly what’s wrong with so many of our church’s today. They keep it positive and encouraging all the time. Heavy topics? Not here. Difficult or confusing issues you need help thinking biblically about, we won’t touch them. Rebuke, correction, reproof? Not gonna happen. We just plaster a smile on our faces and try to make you feel good before we take your money and send you out the back door. That’s how some churches are!

If you ever wonder why the church would take up difficult topics. If you ever wonder why we would talk about what the Bible says about homosexual activity, transgender issues, abortion, sex outside of marriage, money, racism, divorce, or other hot button issues… It probably isn’t because your pastor enjoys it. It’s probably because it’s part of a pastor’s job to correct false teaching and error. There are many false teachers and influencers and talking heads in the world today trying to teach you their morality on all these topics! You are surrounded by false teaching on these topics. If yoru pastor won’t tell you what God’s Word says about them, then who will? Who will speak the hard truths to you? A pastor must correct the errors that threaten his people.

‌‌Parents. You need to think about this too. You need to understand that there are many false teachers trying to lead your kids into error. False ideas and false teaching enter your home through books, TV shows, video clips, and social media. You have to do the best you can to silence the false teachers in your kids life. You need to protect them as much as you can. Even still your kids will be exposed to error at school, at the park, at their friends house... everywhere they go. You can’t avoid it! If you don’t want them to believe these lies, then you are going to have to teach them the truth. Protect your families, parents. Cut sources of error out of their lives and be sure you are teaching them the truth.

‌‌And I would encourage all believers to do the same for themselves as well. The first mistake Eve made was listening to the serpent. Don’t make that same mistake. Watch out for false teachers in your own life. Don’t to be swept along by the flood of error in our day.‌

Faith & Knowledge

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—

Titus 1:1‌‌

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I‌n this verse Paul tells us that the purpose of his ministry, the purpose of his very life, boils down to two things... increasing the faith and knowledge of God’s people.‌‌ I think this is a small but helpful insight for us as we try to witness to those around us.

Trying to share the gospel with someone can be overwhelming, but this perspective that Paul has is wonderfully clear and simple. There are two ways you can have a Christian influence on the people you meet. You can help 1) increase their faith or you can help 2) increase their knowledge. I find that wonderfully simple and helpful. 

As I meet someone I want to witness to, I can ask myself, “What does this person need from me? Do they need faith or knowledge?”‌‌ Most of the time it isn’t that difficult to discern which one people need. As you build a relationship with a person and they find out you’re a Christian, their response to your faith will usually tell you what you need to know.

‌‌For example, some people will come to you with questions. That tells you that they need help with knowledge. It’s pretty hard for people to believe or put into practice what they don’t understand. And you can help them with that. You can be a resource that helps get answers to their questions. You don’t have to have a seminary degree to answer people’s questions about the Bible. Just share what you know with them. And if you don’t know the answer, then tell them you’ll look into it and get back to them. Then ask your Sunday School teacher or pastor or some other mature believer and go back to them with the best answer you can find. When you do this for people you increase their knowledge little-by-little and you clear obstacles out of their path of faith.

When other people find out you’re a believer, they’ll tell you right out that the Bible is wrong or they may even claim to be a Christian but will show you by their lifestyle that they lack living faith. These are the kinds of people you can help by increasing their faith. They don’t need answers to questions. They need someone to encourage them to place their faith in Jesus. They need someone to invite them to church, someone to invite them to a Bible study, someone to challenge them to pray. They need someone to inspire them to take little steps of faith towards God. You can do that for them.

I find it helpful to think in those terms. So, when you have a chance to be a witness to someone try to determine what it is that they need from you. Do they need 1) faith or 2) knowledge? Then simply share with them what faith or knowledge God has given you.‌