Sometimes there are verses
in the Bible that stand out as more challenging than others. Today we
study one of those verses. Paul has been giving reasons that Titus
should be sure there are good qualifications in elders within the
church at Crete. Because of many false teachers and prophets who were
taking advantage of others by their doctrine, Paul desired that Titus
first of all be aware of them, but then also address these who were
causing trouble. In chapter one and verse fifteen Paul wrote:
Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them
that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their
mind and conscience is defiled.
Paul alludes to the very
core of human beings when he wrote, “Unto the pure, all things
are pure.” The idea of purity is clean, the use of which is not
forbidden, imparts no uncleanness, like a vine which is pruned to
bear fruit. It is free from corrupt desire, sin and guilt, blameless,
without fault or any mixture of falsehood, and not only sincerely
genuine, but also without guilt of anything. Paul sets this as the
standard of measurement by which to determine the motives of those
who would do damage to others within the church. Titus was to
determine whether those with whom he engaged were pure.
In contrast to purity, Paul
writes, “but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is
nothing pure;” The idea behind the word “defiled” is “to
dye with another color, to stain, pollute, sully, contaminate or
soil”. It is to “defile with sins.” In other words it is the
very core of a person that determines how their entire outlook will
be. To put it in simple terms, if they are rotten inside, they will
be rotten outside as well. These are not only defiled but also
“unbelieving”. They are without faith and trust in God,
and therefore their behavior follows their beliefs. Notice that the
description does not stop here.
Paul adds, “but even
their mind and conscience is defiled.” These with whom Paul
speaks are defile in their minds and consciences as well. They have
no way of truly determining what is morally good or bad because they
do not think in pure ways. Paul wrote of this same idea in the book
of First Timothy in chapter four and verse two:
Those whose minds and
consciences are defiled are in a medical sense like cauterized flesh
that has no sensitivity or awareness to impending attacks. In other
words, they are so defiled that they are not even aware of how bad
they are.
Now for the tough questions:
Are we pure? If we were to be measured by a scale of purity that
ranked one to ten, how would we measure up? Would we be a seven? An
eight? Maybe some might think themselves a nine? Does anyone think
themselves “defiled”? Perhaps a three? Or a two? Maybe some think
themselves a one? How do we rank? If those attempting this exercise
are anything like this writer, they are desiring a savior right now,
and yes, the Savior Jesus is right here. Jesus is pure. Jesus lived
in a pure manner. Jesus demonstrated what it means to have an
undefiled mind and conscience. When we feel some anxiety over our
lack in the area of purity, the best thing we can do is to turn to
Jesus. No one else can better display a life that was pure than He,
and when we cling to Him with all our might, His purity is enough to
make the most defiled among us clean.
Next time we will finish the
first chapter of Titus by looking at the professions of these to whom
Paul is referring, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is
more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
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