This is the fifth lesson in a series of lessons on the book of Titus. In this lesson I’m going to look at Titus 1:10-16 and talk about legalism.
One of the topics that caused a lot of debate and dissension in the early church in the first century AD had to do with whether or not Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in order to be saved. God had made it clear that the answer to that was no. However, there were quite a few Jewish Christians who continued to insist that Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. Essentially, those Jewish Christians were adding to the requirements for salvation and they were adding to the requirements for holy living. They were teaching requirements that did not come from God and are not found in the Bible. Adding requirements not found in the Bible is legalism.
In this lesson I’m going to look at several passages in the New Testament that tell us about this controversy. Then I will look at this passage in Titus where Paul gave Titus some instructions that pertain to this issue. At the end I’ll talk about what this means for us living in the 21st century.
Watch the video or scroll down to read a transcript.
Transcript:
Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. This is the fifth lesson in a series of lessons on the book of Titus. In this lesson I’m going to look at Titus 1:10-16 and talk about legalism.
One of the topics that caused a lot of debate and dissension in the early church in the first century AD had to do with whether or not Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in order to be saved. God had made it clear that the answer to that was no. However, there were quite a few Jewish Christians who continued to insist that Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. Essentially, those Jewish Christians were adding to the requirements for salvation and they were adding to the requirements for holy living. They were teaching requirements that did not come from God and are not found in the Bible. Adding requirements not found in the Bible is legalism.
In this lesson I’m going to look at several passages in the New Testament that tell us about this controversy. Then I will look at this passage in Titus where Paul gave Titus some instructions that pertain to this issue. Then at the end I’ll talk about what this means for us living in the 21st century.
As you know, Jesus was born around 0 AD. He did His ministry in the mid 30s AD. At the end of His ministry He was crucified, buried, rose again, and then went back to heaven. When He went back to heaven, He left behind His 12 apostles and He instructed them to go out and make disciples of all the nations. At that point, all the Christians were Jewish. However, within a short period of time, God made it clear to the apostles that Gentiles were welcome to believe in Jesus and become Christians.
For example, in the book of Acts we read about Peter having a vision of a sheet coming down out of heaven with unclean animals. The Lord told Peter to eat. Through that, Peter learned that God was welcoming Gentiles to become believers in Jesus. Peter went and preached the gospel to some Gentiles and those Gentiles became believers. Then we read the following in Acts 11, starting at verse one.
Acts 11:1 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3 saying, “ You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Before Jesus, the standard practice within Judaism was they did not eat with uncircumcised men. When Peter ate with uncircumcised men as part of his work as an apostle sharing the gospel, the circumcised Christians took issue with him. Peter went on to defend himself and explain how the Lord had taught him that Gentiles were invited to become Christians. That seemed to put the issue at rest, at least temporarily.
Shortly after that, the book of Acts tells us about Paul’s first missionary journey. At the end of Paul’s first journey, he returned to Antioch. Then we read this in Acts 15, starting at verse one.
Acts 15:1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”
Some men traveled from Judea down to Antioch, and were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved. Understand that we’re talking about the requirements for salvation. Later, some of the sect of the Pharisees who were believers said the Gentiles had to observe the law of Moses. This has to do with the requirements for holy living. If God did not say that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved and had to observe the law of Moses, then these Jewish Christians who were teaching both of those were adding to the requirements for salvation and the requirements for holy living, which means they were being legalistic. Later in Acts 15 we see the resolution to this and the answer was very clear that the Gentiles did not have to be circumcised nor obey the law of Moses.
When Paul wrote the book of Galatians, he summarized his life and talked about his former life before he became a Christian. He also addressed this issue of whether Gentiles have to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. He told the Galatians about his trip to Jerusalem with Barnabas. Here is what Paul wrote to the Galatians.
Gal. 2:1 Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. 2 It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. 3 But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
The leaders in Jerusalem knew that the Gentile Christians did not have to be circumcised. Part of the proof was the fact that Titus, being an uncircumcised Greek, was not required to be circumcised, even though he was one of Paul’s fellow-workers. As Titus participated in Paul’s ministry in the succeeding years, he was a visible symbol that the Gentiles did not have to be circumcised nor obey the law of Moses.
I mentioned that this was a controversial topic in the first century. We see a little later in Galatians just how controversial it was because even Cephas and Barnabas went astray on this topic for a short time. Let’s read about that in Galatians 2 starting in verse 11.
Gal. 2:11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
The problem here was that Peter feared the party of the circumcision. Peter certainly understood that Gentile Christians did not have to be circumcised. However, the party of the circumcision was so strong and vocal that even Peter feared them a little bit. His fear caused him to hold himself aloof. Paul confronted him about his hypocrisy. Again, this illustrates that this topic was a hot topic in the first century AD.
With all of that as some background, let’s read this passage in Titus. Remember, in the first section of Titus we learned that Paul wrote this letter, and he wrote it to Titus. In the second section we learned why Paul wrote it. Paul wrote this to give Titus instructions about what he was supposed to do in Crete. One of the instructions was to appoint elders. Then Paul listed the requirements to be an elder.
At the end of that section, Paul wrote that elders have to adhere to the faithful word so that they might be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute those who are contradicting. Elders have to be able to exhort and refute.
Starting in verse 10, Paul explained why elders have to be able to exhort and refute.
Titus 1:10 For many are unruly, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those from the circumcision. 11 It is necessary to silence them. They are upsetting whole families, teaching things that are not necessary for the sake of shameful gain. 12 One of their own, a prophet, said of themselves, “Cretans are always liars, evil animals, and lazy gluttons.”
Titus 1:13 This testimony is true. For this reason, reprove them severely, in order that they might be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who are turning away from the truth. 15 Everything is pure to those who are pure, but to those who have been defiled and are unbelieving, nothing is pure. On the contrary, their mind and conscience were also defiled. 16 They claim to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable, disobedient, and worthless for every good deed.
In verse 10 Paul wrote about men who were unruly, empty talkers, and deceivers. There are many things those men could have been doing that would have fallen under those categories, but then Paul wrote, “especially those from the circumcision”. Paul did not directly say he was addressing the believers who were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. However, those teachings and the people who were teaching those teachings would have fallen under the category of what Paul was addressing here. Paul wrote about “those from the circumcision”, and it was those from the circumcision who were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses.
In verse 11 Paul wrote that many were “upsetting whole families” and “teaching things that are not necessary”. Those descriptions apply to those who were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses.
In verse 14 Paul wrote about Jewish myths and commandments of men. The teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised qualified as a Jewish myth and a commandment of men.
Something else to notice in this passage is what Paul believed had to be done about these men. In verse 11 Paul wrote, “It is necessary to silence them.” In verse 13 Paul told Titus to reprove them severely. The men who were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses had to be reproved and silenced.
Now let me pose a question to you. What legalism do we see in our churches today? What legalism do you see in your church? In other words, what are the things that people are adding to the Biblical requirements for salvation? What are the things that people are adding to the Biblical requirements for holy living?
In order to be saved a person must believe in Jesus, believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and confess Jesus as Lord. Anything in addition to that is legalism. When we tell people how to be saved, we must include all the Biblical requirements for salvation without adding anything to the Biblical requirements.
Likewise, when we teach people how to live godly lives, we must teach everything in the Bible without adding anything that is not in the Bible.
If we identify any legalism in our churches, it must be addressed. Paul told Titus that those who were unruly, empty talkers, and deceivers had to be silenced. Paul told Titus to reprove them severely. If and when we identify legalism in our churches, it has to be refuted. One of the functions of elders is to exhort and refute.
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