This new community of Christians appears to have more than its fair share of challenges: false teaching, determined deceivers, people who are in it only for themselves and those who are plain and simple hypocrites (vs 10–12)! I’m reminded of Christ’s teaching about the fruit which a tree bears: it is the clearest witness to the health of the tree (Matthew 7:16). 

Paul’s urgent and stark words express the necessity for the building up of this group of Christians who are, spiritually speaking, in their infancy. Without this, they will be unable to produce fruit, which must be their primary focus. They have received ‘knowledge of the truth’ (Titus 1:1), which speaks of the true God; therefore their lives must be witnesses to this. Truthfulness and purity should stand out in their lives, because without these, this community will be in jeopardy (v 15) – just the same as salt losing its saltiness (Matthew 5:13). 

How apt these words are for the twenty- first-century Christian who inhabits a postmodern world of fast fashion, pursuit of perfection, intolerance and dissatisfaction with ourselves. 

Ask the Holy Spirit to give you ears to hear all that you need to hear. Pray for a heart that will be able to discern what God is saying.

In today’s passage we discover various problems that Paul wanted to address in the church in Crete. We may not know the exact details, but there are some general themes that still resonate today. In particular, we are reminded that we need to be careful whom we allow to speak into our lives. Not every voice is helpful, and being able to discern between myriad voices may be challenging. Not only were there heretical teachings, but people were saying that they followed Christ, while not living that way.

Technology has enabled the world to be a smaller place. I can contact friends in far-flung countries with a few taps on my phone. Missionaries used to travel for months to reach their destination, but now the miles can be covered in hours and days. Sermons can be streamed from a different continent into our homes.

Technology has brought many benefits. At the same time, however, we can be bombarded by media stories, images, sounds and voices that we can struggle to filter. When we are faced with so much noise, there is a danger that false gospels and subtle heresies can creep in more easily than obvious atheist messages. 

Titus was being warned to protect the message of the gospel. He, along with other believers, needed to be discerning. We too need to ensure that what we give an ear to is beneficial to our faith. Likewise, we should consider what we say and why we say it. The good news is that God knows our motives. When we truly want to live for God, then, ‘To the pure, all things are pure’ (v 15). Let’s keep the main thing the main thing – and love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.¹

Consider how you are influencing others: would Paul (or God) commend you? What can you do today to help others find a God-filter for the voices they listen to?

¹ Mark 12:30