Titus 1:10-16 THE REASON FOR GOVERNMENT IN THE ASSEMBLY The work of Titus, who had been given the trust for the steward, was not only to set things in order by pointing out elders so the believers would know who to turn to as guides, but also to stop the mouths of those who were unruly and rebuke them. Neither of these tasks is easy for those who lead God's people, but they are very necessary so that an assembly of believers gathered in the Lord's name will be an orderly church. Order is the theme of this first chapter. It began with Paul emphasizing God as the first authority. Then he is called "a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ," establishing his place in the order of things. Third in order, Titus is designated to "set in order things that are wanting." Next in order, he is to "ordain (point out) elders." Finally, to maintain that order, those who are out of order must be stopped.
False teachers who come among us may be misguided people who follow the books and teachings of men without really knowing what the Bible says and means about a subject. A more serious problem with false teachers is those who have wrong motives, and they want power over people and seek this by getting a following of those who are discontented or unlearned. Often, that is done for money as well as prestige and power. False teaching attacks the fundamental truths of scripture and the spiritual integrity upon which our faith is based. Deception and division are not Christian characteristics, and those in whom these are seen are either not Christians at all or are characterized by the two things previously mentioned. False teaching takes our attention away from our Lord Jesus Christ and directs it to a doctrine, a religion or a man. Many denominations have been formed and named in this way. False teaching normally has some form or action to follow that takes away from God's truth as written in the scriptures and compromises our faith. False teachers often promote their own literature or books about the Bible rather than turn you to the scriptures and the uniqueness of our Lord Jesus Christ as both God and Man. They find it hard to accept the fact that our Lord is like no one else and cannot be compared with a mere mortal man because He is eternal in His being. False teaching makes what a person thinks about a doctrine as important as the biblical teaching by which we know truth and by which we live.
Refuting false teachers begins by recognizing them as false teachers. The most prevalent false teaching in Titus' day came from Jews who would not accept the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They refused to believe in Him. The Cretan people may have been more inclined to accept false teaching than others because they had little ambition and were habitual liars. We are responsible for discerning what is right and wrong, and how to suit the teaching of truth to the listeners. The Holy Spirit will make plain to us what is right teaching when we "try the spirits (teachings)."
The character of the false teachers is that they tend to be "unruly." That means simply they refuse to submit to rule and become disorderly in their life among God's people. That not only causes confusion, but there comes an uneasiness that infects the peace and fellowship of the saints. "Vain talkers" describes them further in that they have a lot to say that is pointless and leads to nothing good. For some reason, they think they deserve to have a comment on everything and that people should pay attention to their pointless opinions. The Jews in Titus' day apparently thought the assembly believers should pay attention to their complaints and change the freedom they had in Christ for the bondage they wanted people to live under. "Deceivers" have an agenda of their own, which includes getting followers who will do what they say. It may be an attempt to financially profit from their teaching or to undermine a work of God and bring an end to the testimony of an assembly and turn it into one's own private "church."
Such people need to be silenced, even further, their "mouths must be stopped." When the word of God is applied to the situation, and we take note of the way God intends these people to be dealt with, they must be silenced. Not only those who are false, but the whole assembly must hear what the word of God says and why this step must be taken to correct that which is wrong. The nature of the work of false teachers is it subverts not just one or two people, but whole houses. Families are turned aside when even one family member pays attention to the propagated false teaching. In a family, there is often dissension caused by one family member who tends to sidetrack those who have been effective in their service for God in the assembly.