Chuck Larsen

When Paul warned Titus about false teachers, he summed up their problem in one sharp sentence: “They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works.” (Titus 1:16) The statement can be understood in two ways, and both fit. On one hand, Paul could be saying that their behavior—rebellion, greed, and deceit—betrayed their confession. On the other hand, he may be referring to their obsession with religious “works,” such as circumcision, as proof of righteousness. In either case, the message is the same: their lives, not their lips, revealed what they truly believed. When people rely on good deeds to earn God’s approval, they are not just mistaken—they are denying the sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross. It is as though they are saying, “Nice try, Jesus, but I’ll finish this myself.” That kind of thinking not only misunderstands grace; it insults it. Salvation by self-effort is like trying to jump the Grand Canyon with a pogo stick—ambitious, perhaps, but doomed from the start.

The Galatians faced the same confusion when false teachers convinced them they could “improve” on grace. Paul challenged them bluntly: “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?” (Galatians 3:2) They knew the answer—it was faith, not performance. Yet human nature still whispers, “Surely, I can do something to help.” Even the prodigal son, returning home in rags, offered to become a hired servant so he could earn his keep. The father, however, ignored that suggestion entirely and threw him a party instead. God’s love works the same way. He doesn’t want employees; He wants children. Yet we keep trying to clock in and impress the boss. We measure ourselves by checklists, rituals, and rule-keeping, forgetting that the point of the gospel is not better behavior—it’s new birth.

Arthur Pink captured it well: “It is not what we can do for God, but what God has already done for us.” When the Philippian jailer cried, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) Jesus Himself defined “the work of God” as simply this: “to believe in the One He has sent.” (John 6:29) Our salvation rests not on what we accomplish, but on what Christ accomplished. As Paul wrote, “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 2:16) In other words, the only “work” worth trusting is the one already finished—nailed, sealed, and declared complete at the cross.

God has given us all things for our enjoyment, and Paul reminds Timothy, “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” (1 Timothy 4:4) That is a wonderful verse to quote when enjoying dessert—or even a second helping of it. Yet, there have always been those who try to make us feel guilty for enjoying God’s blessings. The false teachers in Galatia did just that, adding restrictions and rules to the Gospel, turning joy into judgment. Their favorite tool was guilt. It is a subtle weapon that works well on sincere people, and it robs believers of the freedom that Christ purchased. They condemn others for smiling too easily, laughing too loudly, or living too freely in grace. But when guilt becomes a form of manipulation, it ceases to be spiritual and becomes toxic. The Gospel is not a system of control but a proclamation of liberation.

Still, we all know something about guilt. David, the man after God’s own heart, felt it deeply and often. Guilt, when used rightly, can lead to confession and renewal. As long as we live in close fellowship with God, our consciences act like spiritual smoke alarms—they may be loud and irritating, but they keep us from burning down the house. John writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) James adds another layer, saying that true healing can come from confession not only to God but to one another. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16) It is remarkable how much lighter life feels when we stop pretending and start confessing. Guilt that leads to confession is a gift; guilt that leads to despair is not. The difference lies in who is holding the gavel—God or man.

False teachers love to point fingers; Jesus loves to wash feet. The law reveals our sin, but only Christ removes it. Hebrews says, “How much more will the blood of Christ…purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:14) Christ’s blood does what no sacrifice, no ritual, no self-punishment could ever do—it cleanses completely. God does not condemn the sinner who comes to Him; He forgives, restores, and renews. His kindness, not His condemnation, draws us back. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,” the writer of Hebrews says, “with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.” (Hebrews 10:22) That is guilt-free grace—the freedom to live forgiven, laugh redeemed, and enjoy everything God has made with thanksgiving.

Paul instructs us not to let myths and the traditions and rituals of others distract our attention from the central truth of the Gospel. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that makes all the difference in our lives. It is believing in Christ that sets us free, and it is abiding in that truth that keeps us free. After telling Titus to rebuke those who might add to, or take away from, the Gospel, he tells them not to be distracted either from this central purpose of God’s revelation. Do not turn your attention from God’s Word to the myths, stories, and practices of others at the expense of focusing on God’s Word. Living a life of true freedom depends on abiding in God’s word. Our focus must be undiluted by laws, undistracted by myths, and unblurred by tradition. He then talks about those whose attention is singular on Christ. He says, “To the pure, all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” That is Paul’s way of saying, “If your windshield is clean, the view is clean. If the windshield is mud, everything looks muddy.” And yes, some people cannot see a sunset without thinking someone is hiding a conspiracy behind the clouds.

There is confusion and corruption whenever something is added to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But to those who take the step of complete trust and faith in Christ, unadulterated by any works, have certainty and peace about their status and destiny. John intends for all believers to have this certainty when he says, “I have written these things to you who believe in the Son of God so that you will know you have eternal life.” It is only when the complete requirements of salvation have been met that there is purity of faith. Jesus is the one, and the only one, who can meet that standard. When we insist on adding some ritual or practice to the saving grace of the Gospel, we open the door to confusion and corruption. That is the theological version of writing a simple recipe, then letting your neighbor add three ingredients, your cousin add two more, and eventually you are so far from the original that you do not know if you are baking bread or making automotive sealant.

Things that keep us from acceptability with God are the things deemed unclean. To the believer in Jesus, Paul said, “I am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself” (Romans 14:14). Abstaining from this, or performing that, or practicing the other will neither cleanse a lost sinner nor make them acceptable to God. All external practices avail nothing for salvation. Those who live the most ascetic lives or those who live the friendliest lives are still defiled and will remain so until Jesus Christ becomes their savior. God did not send His Son to die and pay the penalty for our sins to become one of many ways to heaven. The way into Heaven is through Jesus, the door. “No one comes unto the Father but by me.” Anyone who claims he can know God apart from Jesus is, according to this statement, a false teacher making a false profession. There are many who attempt to convince us that the things that God has given to us for our enjoyment are sinful. They are wrong. Paul tells Timothy, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” First Timothy 4:4

As Paul concludes Chapter 1 of his letter to Titus, he gives his young partner in ministry a task that could wear out a seasoned ranch hand: keep the new believers from being herded onto every spiritual hobby horse that trots through town. Paul explains that Titus must help the church remain focused on the liberating truth of Jesus Christ, resisting the rituals, practices, and fanciful stories promoted by false teachers. These individuals did not merely tell long-winded tales; they distracted believers from the central message of the Gospel. Paul urges Titus to rebuke those who misplace their focus so that they might return to what is true. Yet he acknowledges that some listeners have already saddled up and galloped down the wrong path, rejecting apostolic authority and the Scriptures. Therefore, Titus is to concentrate on those who might still be rescued from error, warning them not to “devote themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth” (Titus 1:14). In modern terms, Paul might have said, “Do not let some guy with a microphone and a clever anecdote turn your attention from Christ to his hobby horse.” I have met many such riders. They are loud, fast, and occasionally need to dismount for their own safety.

Paul’s warning echoes Isaiah’s condemnation of Israel’s religious leaders who distorted truth for their own gain: “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote” (Isaiah 29:13). That same drift happened in Galatia and has taken root in countless churches throughout history. We face that danger in every generation. Error behaves like weeds in a garden—sprouting quickly, thriving aggressively, and showing a talent for growing precisely where you planted tomatoes. Freshly planted faith is especially inviting. That is why Paul wanted Titus to cultivate discernment among believers before the weeds took over the garden.

Jesus brings this entire subject into focus by declaring that truth is not merely a concept but a person. He says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32), and He identifies this truth with His own Word, explaining that a true disciple “abides” in it. Many Christians still feel anything but free, weighed down by guilt, fear, and memories of teachings that bent them rather than blessed them. I know that struggle well. Yet Christ insists that freedom grows where His truth is learned, trusted, and kept central. When we drift from it, we drift back into slavery. Scripture teaches us what matters, what is right, and where we should commit our lives. Paul’s final word to Titus captures it succinctly: “Avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” (Titus 3:9). Christ is the center. Everything else is yard clutter.