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Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds
Part 84: Handling Religious Fools
Titus 1:15-16, 3:9-11
August 5, 2012
PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING: Titus 1:12-16 (Peter T.)
RELIGIOUS BULLIES
I have been following the CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING industry for obvious reasons.
There is this one small publisher...took over from the owner...threatening Chip.
~* The name of that church was “SOUND DOCTRINE Church.”
Q How many RELIGIOUS BULLIES have you known?
You know the kind I am talking about: They know their THEOLOGY, debate all the finer points of this and that, and are FANATICAL about some obscure point of doctrine.
From this study, I have adopted a new name for these guys, “RELIGIOUS FOOLS.”
A fool doesn’t mean a stupid person:
Psalm 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.
This does not simply mean a LITERAL ATHEIST, but a PRACTICAL one, one who acts as if there is no God.
Compare that to Titus:
Titus 1:16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.
They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
~* A religious fool is a person who hides their practical atheism behind RELIGIOUS TALK or RULES.
They claim to know God, in fact they know quite ABOUT HIM.
As a pastor, I deal with these sorts a lot.
They are ATTRACTED to the CHURCH.
Worse yet, they are attracted to the pastor.
~* These people can do MORE DAMAGE than any number of immoral people in the church because they sound so good.
TITUS tells us something we really need to know: How to RECOGNIZE and DEAL with religious fools, because we all know some religious fools.
~* Even more importantly it tells us how to recognize the religious fool INSIDE of us.
INTRO TO TITUS
The book of Titus is a LETTER of ADVICE that Paul sent to young Titus as he was building the fledgling church in Crete, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean.
This was a TOUGH ASSIGNMENT.
Imagine sending a young HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER into an inner-city school known for violent students and a belligerent, unsupportive administration.
It’s always tougher when you are hit on both sides.
The CRETANS themselves had a BAD REPUTATION, “Cretans are always LIARS, evil BRUTES, lazy GLUTTONS.”
In fact, Crete had been a haven for pirates, so this is a rough place.
But on the other side are the “good guys,” other supposed Christians who are coming to help and teach lots of obscure, interesting doctrine, “foolish CONTROVERSIES and GENEALOGIES and ARGUMENTS and QUARRELS about the LAW.”
With that in mind, let’s reread the passage:
Titus 1:12-14 Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
This testimony is true.
Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.
RECOGNIZING RELIGIOUS FOOLS
There are two dead GIVEAWAYS for religious fools:
1. Excessive interest in religious talk.
There is something very interesting here that is not obvious at first:
Q WHO does Titus need to “REBUKE sharply,” the ex-pirates or the religious fools?
The Cretans.
Q WHO are TELLING them the Jewish myths that are distracting them?
The religious fools.
Here is the interesting part: Why are JEWISH MYTHS so INTERESTING to the ex-pirates?
It wasn’t for the culture experience.
~* Because it was way EASIER to OBSESS over obscure details of a theological theory than God changing your heart and actions.
It’s easier to argue over CALVINISM or the eating KOSHER than LOVING your NEIGHBOR.
It’s easier to make elaborate THEORIES about the sons of God marrying the daughters of men than to LOVE your WIFE.
It’s easier to become an EXPERT at APOLOGETICS than to live a life that is ATTRACTIVE to non-Christians
I have learned that this is a COMMON PATTERN.
It’s not like “Here is a person who is really into eschatology AND lacks humility and spiritual depth.
That’s weird.”
~* FAR SIDE comic: Don’t touch.
Whenever you see a person who is FIXATED on theological, watch their life closely to see if he is a RELIGIOUS FOOL.
WATCH YOUR LIFE AND DOCTRINE
Q Does that mean that DOCTRINE doesn’t matter?
Absolutely not!
Doctrine is VITAL, in fact NUANCED DOCTRINE is usually BAD doctrine that needs to be CORRECTED:
Titus 1:9 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.
SOUND DOCTRINE is only HALF the picture.
One of the most important pieces of advice for a pastor:
1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely.
Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
~* THEOLOGY must be LIVED OUT.
If we don’t live it, then we don’t actually believe it.
This is why the religious fools tend to focus on the OBSCURE stuff.
They don’t have to live it out in a way that requires HEART CHANGE.
SELF-CHECK
Q Do you have an UNHEALTHY INTEREST in theological details?
Q Do you take PRIDE in what you know?
Q Do you ever use your theology as a WEAPON?
This is a challenge for me at times.
I am most TEMPTED when I am TIRED and WORN.
I can get in a bad mood and want a fight.
I wouldn’t survive a bar fight, so I want to debate.
~* I am most inclined to INDULGE RELIGIOUS FOOLISHNESS when I am LEAST DEPENDENT on God
I am not saying don’t care about theology, but make sure that living it is just as important as knowing it.
2. Excessive interest in religious rules.
Titus 1:15 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.
This is an INTERESTING passage: Does this mean that a person with a pure heart can’t sin?
That is not what Paul is saying.
He is using a PLAY on WORDS.
First you need to understand the CONTEXT.
The religious fools spent a lot of time OBSESSING over the DETAILS of JEWISH law.
~* He calls them “the circumcision party,” with sounds as much fun as a PartyLight Candle party!
Many the Jewish Laws focus on what is RITUALLY CLEAN or UNCLEAN.
The Greek word translated “pure” can either mean ritually clean or morally pure.
Likewise, the word translated “defiled” can mean ritually unclean or immoral.
What Paul is saying is that those who are MORALLY PURE – actually know God and are obeying him – don’t need to worry about RITUAL PURITY.
Their real morality makes it irrelevant.
~* On the other hand, if you MORALLY IMPURE, no amount of rule following will change that fact.
Q Why is this so important?
Religious fools have an unhealthy interest in list of RULES that LOOK RIGHTEOUS but don’t go down to the HEART.
They work harder on obey rules and regulations than MOTIVES.
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