TIT 1:10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.
12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.
15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
1:10-11 In these verses Paul begins to discuss the false teachers who elders/overseers might have to exhort and convict with sound doctrine. There are three things that these false teachers are guilty of; insubordination, idle talk and deception. The statement “especially those of the circumcision” indicates that the majority of these false teachers were Jewish.
insubordinate: These men were men who did not honor authority and were unruly. The scripture here does not indicate whether their insubordination was only within the church or in the public arena also. Since the subject here is the church then we can be sure that they were at least insubordinate in the church. They did not recognize the authority of the elders or of Titus.
idle talkers: Second these men were idle talkers. The idea of idle talk is that these men are speaking foolish or senseless things. I am sure we would not have to look very hard today to hear preachers who are full of foolish or idle talk. In context this was happening door to door. These men were going about to members of the church and speaking idle things.
deceivers: Not only are these men full of idle talk but they are deceivers. They were similar to the false teachers of today and of every decade. They would mix their foolish teaching with biblical and intellectual language so that people would believe it.
Paul clearly states the objective to Titus. The mouths of the false teachers must be stopped. There is only one way to stop the mouths of the false teachers and that is with sound doctrine. If the elders/overseers can with sound doctrine refute the false teachers then they will loose there audience.
These men had been subverting whole households. It is very likely what is meant here are house churches. There were no large church buildings at the time of the early church so the common practice in the early church was for the church to meet in smaller groups in homes. When the weather was good the church as a whole in each town would meet in some public place or hill side where the people could all gather together. These false teachers were teaching their false doctrine to gain money dishonestly.
1:12-14 One of the false prophets made the observation that the Cretans were all liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons. Many of the early church fathers identify this quote to a Cretan prophet from the 6th century B.C. While it may be true that the original statement was made by a Cretan prophet of the 6th century B.C. from the context it appears that this statement was being repeated by one of the Jewish false teachers. Paul has already stated that the majority of the false teachers were Jewish (of the circumcision) and again in verse 14 he connects these false teachers to Jewish false teachers by mentioning Jewish fables.
Paul acknowledges that the observation about the Cretans is true so they need to be rebuked so that they will be sound in the faith. Again we have the need for sound or trustworthy faith and doctrine. Two things that can lead to a faith that is not sound or trustworthy is giving heed to fables or commandments of men. In this case it was Jewish fables but any fables or false teaching will lead people away from a sound faith. Commandments of men also lead people astray. The gospel is a gospel of grace so to teach the commandments of men instead corrupts the true gospel. Jesus quoted Isaiah (Isa 29:13) when he spoke on this very subject of commandments of men. He said; “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’ (MAT 15:7-9).”
Paul says that Titus is to rebuke the Cretans sharply. It is not popular to rebuke or correct people now days, but the Biblical pattern is clear. People today will say you shouldn’t judge. They will even quote the Bible and say “judge not that ye be not judged”, but this is taking the Bible out of context. This passage that we have been studying is a prime example that it is expected for spiritual leaders to exhort, convict and rebuke with sound doctrine.
1:15-16 Here Paul contrasts two types of people, the pure and the defiled. Since he has already discussed two types of people in this chapter we can be sure that these are the same, the elders/overseers and the false teachers. Paul says that for the pure, which are those who qualify as elders/overseers, all things are pure. What are the “all things” that Paul mentions here? Commentators generally agree that Paul is referring to food and drink here. Most likely the false teachers were teaching that people needed to refrain from certain foods. Paul said in 1 Timothy;
1Ti 4:1, 3-4 (ESV) Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith … and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
While it is probably true that the false teachers’ doctrine included dietary laws I think this was only a small part of their false doctrine. Since the pure are the elders/overseers then it follows that the pure things are the faithful word and sound doctrine that they had been taught. Titus and the kind of men he was instructed to ordain held the Word of God as pure.
On the other hand the defiled are the false teachers who do not hold the faithful word as pure. These men’s minds and conscience are defiled. They profess to be Christians but they are not. They deny God in their works. Specifically in this case the works that they are doing that deny God is the teaching of false doctrine, to such an extent that they are leading whole households astray. They are abominable in their teachings and disobedient to the faith.
The Berean Stand 
Commentary, Elder, Pastor, Titus
The Epistle of Paul to Titus, Chapter One – Part 2
TIT 1:10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.
12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.
15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
1:10-11 In these verses Paul begins to discuss the false teachers who elders/overseers might have to exhort and convict with sound doctrine. There are three things that these false teachers are guilty of; insubordination, idle talk and deception. The statement “especially those of the circumcision” indicates that the majority of these false teachers were Jewish.
Paul clearly states the objective to Titus. The mouths of the false teachers must be stopped. There is only one way to stop the mouths of the false teachers and that is with sound doctrine. If the elders/overseers can with sound doctrine refute the false teachers then they will loose there audience.
These men had been subverting whole households. It is very likely what is meant here are house churches. There were no large church buildings at the time of the early church so the common practice in the early church was for the church to meet in smaller groups in homes. When the weather was good the church as a whole in each town would meet in some public place or hill side where the people could all gather together. These false teachers were teaching their false doctrine to gain money dishonestly.
1:12-14 One of the false prophets made the observation that the Cretans were all liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons. Many of the early church fathers identify this quote to a Cretan prophet from the 6th century B.C. While it may be true that the original statement was made by a Cretan prophet of the 6th century B.C. from the context it appears that this statement was being repeated by one of the Jewish false teachers. Paul has already stated that the majority of the false teachers were Jewish (of the circumcision) and again in verse 14 he connects these false teachers to Jewish false teachers by mentioning Jewish fables.
Paul acknowledges that the observation about the Cretans is true so they need to be rebuked so that they will be sound in the faith. Again we have the need for sound or trustworthy faith and doctrine. Two things that can lead to a faith that is not sound or trustworthy is giving heed to fables or commandments of men. In this case it was Jewish fables but any fables or false teaching will lead people away from a sound faith. Commandments of men also lead people astray. The gospel is a gospel of grace so to teach the commandments of men instead corrupts the true gospel. Jesus quoted Isaiah (Isa 29:13) when he spoke on this very subject of commandments of men. He said; “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’ (MAT 15:7-9).”
Paul says that Titus is to rebuke the Cretans sharply. It is not popular to rebuke or correct people now days, but the Biblical pattern is clear. People today will say you shouldn’t judge. They will even quote the Bible and say “judge not that ye be not judged”, but this is taking the Bible out of context. This passage that we have been studying is a prime example that it is expected for spiritual leaders to exhort, convict and rebuke with sound doctrine.
1:15-16 Here Paul contrasts two types of people, the pure and the defiled. Since he has already discussed two types of people in this chapter we can be sure that these are the same, the elders/overseers and the false teachers. Paul says that for the pure, which are those who qualify as elders/overseers, all things are pure. What are the “all things” that Paul mentions here? Commentators generally agree that Paul is referring to food and drink here. Most likely the false teachers were teaching that people needed to refrain from certain foods. Paul said in 1 Timothy;
While it is probably true that the false teachers’ doctrine included dietary laws I think this was only a small part of their false doctrine. Since the pure are the elders/overseers then it follows that the pure things are the faithful word and sound doctrine that they had been taught. Titus and the kind of men he was instructed to ordain held the Word of God as pure.
On the other hand the defiled are the false teachers who do not hold the faithful word as pure. These men’s minds and conscience are defiled. They profess to be Christians but they are not. They deny God in their works. Specifically in this case the works that they are doing that deny God is the teaching of false doctrine, to such an extent that they are leading whole households astray. They are abominable in their teachings and disobedient to the faith.
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