Pure, Defiled and Unfit

We are finishing up the last verses of Titus Chapter 1. Then we will dive into Chapter 2. We are explaining each chapter to fully understand how it applies to everyone’s life. Then in posts to come, we will discuss how to apply the principles to marriage, family, parenting, and more. Let’s look at the verses, http://blb.sc/00ICPY

This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of people who reject the truth. To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

The Cretans

The beginning of verse 13 is referring to the previous verse where Paul was explaining to Titus the known reputation of the Cretans. “So notorious were the Cretans that the Greeks actually formed a verb kretizein, to cretize, which means to lie and to cheat; and they had a proverbial phrase, kreitzein pros Kreta, to cretize against a Cretan, which meant to match lies with lies, as diamond cuts diamond.” (Barclay) https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/titus-1/#:~:text=a.%20Cretans,for%20His%20glory.%E2%80%9D

The Cretans were not good people and because of this Paul is commanding Titus to put a stop to it but to also be sure to appoint leaders who are also able to stand up to them, stop their wicked ways and turn them to the truth of the Gospel.

Pure and Defiled

Verse 15 has a lot to do with the legalism of the Jewish culture according to the Torah. The Torah is the first 5 book of the Old Testament, the books of Moses. It can also refer to the full 24 books of the Hebrew Bible and also Torah can even mean the totality of Jewish teaching, culture, and practice, including Jewish law. I have always been intrigued with Jewish practices and can totally appreciate such commitment to one’s faith. Many of the customs and ceremonies are beautiful. We even learned through one of those DNA genealogy tests that we have some Jewish heritage, which I find as a Christian, exciting to know that we have a direct lineage to God’s chosen people. And yes, I know that as a Christian we are grafted into the vine, adopted into the family but still it’s cool!

Ritual purity is of utmost importance according to the Torah. So, when practiced according to Jewish Law those Christan Jews believed they were always pure but on the flip side if you did not practice the ritual, you could not be clean. However, those who have been purified through faith in Christ they remain pure & touching something unclean would not affect that. Acts 15:8-9 reads and God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, those that are defiled, unclean under their sin and have not come to faith in Christ, nothing is pure. Nothing.

Detestable, Disobedient, and Unfit

To understand the final verse lets read Romans 2:17- 24

Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law, and boast in God, and know his will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law, and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and truth in the law — you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal” — do you steal? You who say, “You must not commit adultery” — do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob temples? in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

This is the thing you can call yourself holy, but you are known by your fruits. When your fruits are rotten, you are unfit for any good work! This makes me also think of the saying Do not let your good be evil spoken of (Romans 14:16). We do not want our witness to be that of a defiled, detestable, disobedient, unfit person. How does that bring glory to God?