Dealing with false teachers

 

Paul tells Titus that the elders whom he chooses to lead the congregations in Crete must guard the flock. One way they will do this is by dealing with false teachers.

Remember verse 11?

who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain. (Titus 1:11, NASB)

OK, so they "must be silenced...."

Now, it may not be possible to stop them from talking! But it should be possible to stop them from spreading their errors within the church. Elders must guard the pulpit and not allow false teachers to have the opportunity to preach or teach the flock. But they must also be on guard for these teachers infiltrating small groups within the church. Paul mentions that these men are upsetting even the smallest of groups within the congregation - the families. Smaller groups give false teachers more free rein in which to spread their lies and false teachings. It's easy for them to prey on anyone they find is not well-versed in the scriptures and then draw them in.

False teaching is dangerous because it damages people. People's souls can be damaged by incorrect teaching, so to confront errors is an act of love. We must be gracious, but we must be firm, and make certain that our pastors and teachers are teaching principles that are biblically sound.

False teaching is also dangerous because it often comes from those wolves we mentioned recently; you know, the ones who are disguised in sheep's clothing! These are people who profess to know the Lord. They seem really nice and are kind. They may invite us over for a meal, and invite us to a gathering. Everyone likes to feel like they are a part of a group....but their teachings are wrong! And that can be deadly.

So, we can see that it's really important to recognize false teachers and the danger they pose. How can the elders that Titus is going to choose "refute" them?

The first thing elders need to do is refute the false teachers by teaching sound doctrine. Paul said in verse 9:

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9, NIV)

Then, later in chapter two, Paul says to "speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine." He's emphasizing that, isn't he? Rather than always focusing on the false, an elder must also emphasize the truth. There's an old movie that shows a government agent being trained to spot counterfeit money. How? He is told to study genuine money. If he knows what the real stuff looks like, he should be able to quickly spot a counterfeit.  

Sound doctrine means doctrines and concepts being taught that will lead the hearer to spiritual growth, and then to maturity. For instance, teaching that just sounds nice, and makes us feel happy, and never confronts our sin.....that is not sound teaching. If an elder is doing his job, he will push back against false teaching by teaching sound doctrine - that leads to the fear of God and to holy living.

Sometimes, though, there is no way around it - false teaching must be exposed and refuted. A godly elder must point out the errors so that believers can learn. 
We'll study next time about the errors of the false teachers in Crete - and that may help us recognize false teachers in our world today.