Paul emphasized the need to guard the church against false teaching to inform Titus how to deal with the problems false teachers create. The instructions in this pericope naturally grew out of Paul's emphasis on the elder's responsibility to handle the Scriptures accurately and to correct those who misrepresent them (v. 9).
1:10-11 Paul characterized the false teachers as rebellious (against God's truth) and empty talkers; their words were only human opinion rather than God's Word. He also said they were deceivers. Their listeners expected that what they were teaching was the truth, but it was not. Such men existed especially among the Jews, perhaps orthodox Jews, but mainly among Jewish Christians. Titus had to shut their mouths because they were causing great upheaval in the church. Their motive, Paul revealed, was money obtained illegitimately, probably by teaching falsehood under the guise of truth.
"When a teacher or a preacher looks on his teaching or preaching as a career designed for personal advancement and personal profit and gain, he is in a perilous condition."32
"The term households' may refer specifically to actual family units; however, the term probably refers to house-churches where most Christian instruction was conducted."33
I prefer the normal meaning of the word, which is family units.
1:12-13a The Cretan poet that Paul quoted was Epimenides, who lived in the sixth century B.C. This line from one of his writings had received wide acceptance in the Greek world as being true. Paul agreed with this poet. The Cretans generally tended to be liars, beastly, lazy, and gluttonous.
"So notorious were the Cretans that the Greeks actually formed a verb kretizein, to Cretize, which meant to lie and to cheat. . ."34
1:13b-14 Paul evidently felt these qualities marked the false teachers especially. Therefore he charged Titus to rebuke the false teachers sharply.
"Failure to confront problems within the church, whether theologically or practically based, may be indicative of a basic indifference with regard to God's truth or the nurturing of truly Christian relationships. The fear of giving offense and a highly individualized view of personal faith may discourage church leaders from following the biblical mandate to rebuke. The restoration that is possible both in fellowship and in sound doctrine is compromised by this reluctance to confront. Loving, sensitive, yet firm confrontation can result in stronger relationships and restored unity or perhaps a needed purging of those who deny the truth."35
Apparently Jewish myths and laws laid down by those who rejected God's truth fascinated these false teachers (cf. 1 Tim. 1:4; 4:3-7; 6:3-4; Col. 2:21-22).
The context does not clarify whether those who turn away from the truth are believers or unbelievers (cf. 2 Thess. 2:3). They could be Christians (cf. Luke 8:13; 1 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 3:12)36or non-Christians (cf. Luke 13:27; 2 Thess. 2:11) or both.
1:15 These "commandments of men"(v. 14) involved abstaining from certain foods (1 Tim. 4:1-4; Col. 2:20-22). Paul reminded his readers that to the pure in heart all things, including foods, are pure (clean; cf. Matt. 15:11; Mark 7:15, 20; Luke 11:39-41). However the impure in heart spread impurity wherever they go through their words and deeds (cf. Hag. 2:13-14).
1:16 Verse 15 looks at the attitudesof the false teachers whereas verse 16 views their actions. The divisive and destructive influence of the false teachers betrayed their inner attitude of impurity regarding God's truth. They were really abominable and disobedient to God as well as disapproved by Him. They could do no deeds He would approve.
"Of all bad men religious bad men are the worse."37
Whenever a person's talk and walk conflict it is usually his walk rather than his talk that reveals what he really is (1 John 1:6).
