REMOVING THE VELVET GLOVES Titus 3:15, “Grace be with you all. Amen!” After this benediction, we have an appended note that reads, “It was written to Titus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Cretians, from Nicopolis of Macedonia.” If this note is factual, Titus certainly had his work cut out for him. Pastoring the Cretians would not have been an easy thing. The Apostle Paul said this about them, “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” A rebuke is neither pleasant to the giver or the receiver. A pastor at times must take off his velvet gloves and give a “sharp rebuke.” Lying, and the spreading of falsehoods, cannot be tolerated among believers, and must be addressed without sparing the niceties of gentleness. A doctor treats infection aggressively for the sake of the patient, and this is to be true here. Gossip and lying have to go lest they spread. Paul however quickly adds that the goal is more than stopping this evil . . . it is to establish the person sound in the faith. After all, "All liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." Habitual liars take heed.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 20:33:52 +0000
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