FRUIT OF TRUTH
Opening Prayer
Mighty God, your Word offers me all that I need to live in ways pleasing to you. Help me to understand and apply its truths.
Read TITUS 1:10–16
Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good
10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”[a] 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
Footnotes
- Titus 1:12 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
In what ways do you find it difficult to stand for truth in today’s environment?This new community of Christians appears to have had more than its fair share of challenges: false teaching, determined deceivers, people who were in it only for themselves, and those who were plain and simple hypocrites (vv. 10–12)! I’m reminded of Christ’s teaching about the fruit that a tree bears: it is the clearest witness to the health of the tree (Matthew 7:16).
Paul’s urgent and stark words expressed the necessity for the building up of this group of Christians who were, spiritually speaking, in their infancy. Without this, they would be unable to produce fruit, which had to be their primary focus. They had received ‘knowledge of the truth’ (Titus 1:1), which spoke of the true God; therefore their lives needed to be witnesses to this. Truthfulness and purity should stand out in their lives, because without these, this community would be in jeopardy (v. 15)— just the same as salt losing its saltiness (Matthew 5:13).
How apt these words are for the 21st century Christian who inhabits a postmodern world of fast fashion, pursuit of perfection, intolerance, and dissatisfaction with ourselves.
Apply
Look at the news headlines. Sort news items into the following categories: truth and falsehood. What are the consequences for people involved? How far-reaching are the implications? Individual, family, or ethnic group?
Closing prayer
Repeat these words: ‘I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High’ (see Psalm 9:1, 2).
Book and Author Intros
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