Paul has been instructing Titus to address the false teachers on Crete, and he leaves little doubt that these “rebellious people” are some of the very Cretans themselves.

You can see his statements about the people of Crete in Titus 1:12-14:

Paul does not paint a very good picture of the people on the island of Crete, but he does so by their very own words. He quotes a Cretan philosopher and prophet by the name of Epimenides, who lived around 600 BC. According to tradition, Epimenides predicted the Persian War ten years early, and may have been responsible for the Greeks to sacrifice to “the appropriate gods.” According to a Greek historian, this led the Athenians to create an altar “to an unknown god,” giving Paul the opportunity to address the Greeks in Acts 17:23.

The irony here is that Epimenides was a Cretan himself. Therefore, if he states that all Cretans are liars, then he is a liar, and his statement is a lie, making the opposite claim, that he is speaking the truth.

Paul, however, states that his statement is actually true, that Cretans have a reputation for being dishonest for the purpose of selfish gain. They were known as being “evil brutes,” or wild beasts, who would do whatever it took to get ahead, regardless of what it took. Since Crete has no wild animals, the native population took on that role, according to Epimenides. Pushing others out of the way to gain an advantage for themselves is characteristic of wild animals.

The third descriptor listed is that Cretans are “lazy gluttons.” The Cretans were known for indulging in their appetites with little regard for anyone else, whether that be their appetite for food, material possessions, sex, or whatever else they may desire.

Paul tells Titus that these are the kinds of men who are behind the false teaching, and that he is to rebuke them sharply. His goal is to be firm in his correction and instruction, helping converts to Christianity to stand firm in the faith.

These false teachers were promoting Jewish myths, much like what Timothy had to face in 1 Timothy 1:4. The Christians of Crete are to pay no attention to the commands of such men, because they have rejected the truth. Paul’s language here is strikingly similar to that of Jesus when he opposed the commands and legalism of the Pharisees in Mark 7:7 and Matthew 15:9. These false teachers have similarly perverted the truth, and the verb form conveys the idea that they have done so and are continuing to do so, repetitively.

Titus’ instructions are clear: He is to correct the churches on Crete and give instructions against such false teachings, giving instead the ability to stand firm in their faith.

That is a sound instruction for us as well. Standing firm in our faith is becoming increasingly difficult in twenty-first century culture, especially in Western culture. There are many false teachings and harmful myths that are being passed to us as truth. If we do not know the truth of God’s Word, we will not recognize these for the lies that they are. We too must stand firm in the faith.

Question: What do you do to stand firm in the faith? What have you found to be helpful? You can leave a comment by clicking here.