Sermon: Foolish Questions, Heretics, and Winter Plans (Titus 3:8-15)

Foolish Questions, Heretics, and Winter Plans Sunday, November 30th, 2025 Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA Titus 3:8–15

Prayer

O Father, we thank You for this precious letter, that you inspired the Apostle Paul to write to Titus, and which You have preserved for the church’s benefit, so that we hearing it today, 2,000 years later, might learn from the church in Crete, that we might discern what Your unchangeable will is for your holy people. So please bless now the preaching, the hearing, and the keeping of this Word of faith, for we ask this all in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

This morning, we come to the happy conclusion of Paul’s letter to Titus. And whenever you get to the end of a book in the Bible, it is often worthwhile to go back and reflect on how that book began and why it was written in the first place.

• Recall that Paul is writing a personal letter to his spiritual son Titus, and this letter is all about how to govern and care for the church.
  • And because this question of church government and discipline is important for the whole church to know about, Paul intends this letter to be read publicly within the many cities and congregations on the Island of Crete.
  • And so while this letter is addressed to Titus as a spiritual ruler, we see in the final verse of this letter (Titus 3:15), Paul proclaims “Grace be with you all (plural),” referring to all the saints in Crete.
  • So just in case the Christians in Crete are uncertain about Titus’ authority, preaching, and doctrine, they have this letter from the Apostle’s pen to confirm his ministry among them.
• Recall also the reason why Titus was left in Crete in the first place. Paul says in Titus 1:5, For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.
• So now that we have studied this letter in its entirety, we can more fully appreciate everything that was wanting and lacking in Crete.
  • 1. First and foremost, they were lacking a qualified eldership, and so chapter 1 was spent detailing Presbyterian government and what a bishop/pastor must be.
  • 2. Second, was this problem of false teachers, of whom Paul says in Titus 1:11, their mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
  • 3. And then after addressing this lack of leadership in the church, he spends the rest of the letter addressing what is wanting amongst the saints. And so in chapters 2-3 he addresses every class of people within the church: older men, older women, younger women, younger men, servants, and then all Christians in their relation to the civil government and the outside world.
• And this brings us to Paul’s concluding words and salutations here in verses 8-15, which contains specific instructions for Titus more personally but also has principles that the whole church ought to know and embrace.
  • So while this section is directed primarily at the pastors and elders in the church, it’s still important for all the saints to know these things and to be aware of them.

Outline of the Text

• In verses 8-9, Paul contrasts what is good and profitable with what is unprofitable and vain, and therefore to be avoided.
• In verses 10-11, He tells Titus how to deal with heretics who persist in what is unprofitable and vain.
• In verses 12-15, He directs Titus to fulfill some of his presbytery duties to assist other ministers.
  • So we have here: 1) What to avoid, 2) How to deal with heretics, and 3) How to help other ministers.

Verses 8-9 – What should Titus avoid?

8This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

• So looking at verse 8, what is this faithful saying that Titus is to affirm constantly? It is nothing less than the doctrine of God’s grace that leads to good works which is what he just explained in the verses prior, and which has been then theme of this whole letter, the marriage between wholesome doctrine and wholesome living, God’s grace that leads t