Titus 1:15-16
The power of God’s purity overcomes all unrighteousness for those that are children of God. The ESV Study Bible notes, “the issue here seems to concern Jewish food laws.”1 The unfortunate reality is that Titus was dealing with false teachers in and around the church. Paul’s remark that “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure” (Titus 1:15) is notable. What God has done for the believer frees them from the bondage of sin and law.
The Cretan false teachers were trying to add works to salvation. It likely sounded like, “you call yourself a Christian, but you don’t eat right. You eat pig. You are lost,” or “how dare you eat food from the temple? It is unclean, and so are you, sinner.” Of course, these are mere hyperbolic fictional statements. However, they sound all too familiar.
Too often, we focus so heavily on works post-salvation that we give people a false indication of true salvation. Importantly, we must understand that ceremonial practices are not of any value. For clarity’s sake, the ceremonial dietary restrictions were not of importance. Peter learned that lesson in Acts. You can read about this in Acts 10:9-15 and 11:1-18. It can be challenging to overcome, especially when you were raised to believe a ceremonial practice is necessary.
Also, Paul isn’t telling Titus. A believer cannot sin. So he isn’t saying that the pure cannot be sinful. He is addressing a more significant issue. Purity is from saving faith in Jesus Christ alone. A modern-day version of this might be you need to speak in tongues, must be baptized, need to obtain from all technology, or you need to remove all comfort from your life to be saved. Of course, not all issues are blatant; these are simply some clear examples of where people have added work to be saved. It is problematic and foolish. It is the difference between sound and unsound doctrine.
I’ve witnessed arguments on Twitter that doctrine isn’t as crucial as some claim. I’m afraid I have to disagree with this thought process. Doctrine is fundamental. Paul tells Titus in Titus 2:1, “teach what accords with sound doctrine.” We must know the truth and teach it.
It boils down to a simple reality. For the person who has believed in and confessed Jesus as Lord, they have been made pure in the eyes of the Lord. Those that haven’t believed and confessed, no matter what they do, are tainted with sin and are impure before God’s eyes. Paul goes as far as to say, “both their minds and their consciences are defiled” (Titus 1:15b).
The terrifying reality is that many of those who are defiled “profess to know God, but they deny him by their works” (Titus 1:16a). Each individual is deceived into believing they are doing God’s work when they are far away from God. It is a dangerous place to have a religion and no relationship. Too many have fallen prey to this trap.
In reality, we desperately need to defend against the impulse to add to God’s salvation. Instead, good works flow out of love and pursuing the one who died for us. When we shift our focus from earning grace to understanding God’s grace endures out of his love for us while we are broken and sinful, we are freed from religion and gain an eternal relationship.
Sound doctrine does not hamstring the believer; it unleashes them to serve the Lord faithfully. Having a relationship with the Lord is the only way to be saved. Relationship is greater than religion. Be freed.
- Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2349. ↩
