Trustworthy and Sound

Titus 1:9–14

They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. (Titus 1:11)

值得信赖且健全（纯正）

提多书 1:9-14

这些人的口总要堵住。他们因贪不义之财，将不该教导的教导人，败坏人的全家（提多书 1:11） 

In one of his parables of the kingdom, Jesus spoke of the need for church leaders to guard their flocks from false doctrine. He compared his church to a field in which a man had sown good seed, “but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away” (Matt. 13:25). When the time for harvest came, instead of a good crop, weeds abounded and corrupted the yield. Jesus warned that this can happen among his people, so that if false teaching is unopposed, it infiltrates the church.

耶稣在他的一个天国比喻中谈到教会领袖需要保护他们的羊群免受错误教义的影响。他将他的教会比作一块田地，一个人在其中撒下了好种子，“及至人睡觉的时候，有仇敌来，将稗子撒在麦子里，就走了。”（太13:25）。到了收割的时候，不但没有好收成，反而杂草丛生，败坏了那地。耶稣警告说，这种情况可能发生在他的子民中，因此，如果不反对错误的教导，它就会渗透到教会中。

The key moment in this parable occurred when the owner’s watchmen failed to guard the field against weed-bearing intruders. For this reason, the New Testament frequently exhorts church leaders to be on their guard against heresy. When Paul passed through Ephesus for the last time, he gathered the elders to warn them of their duty to guard the gospel in the church. The language he used shows how urgent the need is for doctrinal watchfulness: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.… Therefore be alert” (Acts 20:29–31). This was not a cheerful parting message! But it shows how seriously Paul took the danger of false teaching.

这个寓言中的关键时刻发生在主人的守望者未能保护田地免受杂草入侵者的侵害时。因此，新约圣经经常劝诫教会领袖要警惕异端。当保罗最后一次经过以弗所时，他聚集了长老们，警告他们有责任在教会中守护福音。他所使用的语言表明了教义警醒的需要是多么迫切：“我知道我去之后，必有凶暴的豺狼，进入你们中间，不爱惜羊群。……所以你们应当警醒”（徒20：29-31）。这可不是什么令人愉快的离别信息！但这表明保罗是多么认真地对待错误教导的危险。

We may see Satan’s strategies against the church in two main directions. We most often think of persecution from outside the church, both from the surrounding culture and from anti-Christian governments. The New Testament often remarks on this threat and warns of our need to show courage in the face of suffering. But the other attack arises from within the church in the form of false teaching. This is an even more deadly threat to God’s people. For while persecution has the tendency to strengthen believers and even increase the size of the church, doctrinal corruption leaves Christ’s people weak, scattered, and confused. If Christians ever have to choose between persecution and false teaching, the perspective of the Bible encourages us to dread heresy above all other plagues.

我们可以从两个主要方向看到撒但针对教会的策略。我们最常想到来自教会外部的迫害，包括来自周围文化和反基督教政府的迫害。新约经常评论这种威胁，并警告我们在面对苦难时需要表现出勇气。但另一种攻击来自教会内部，以错误的教导形式出现。这对上帝的子民来说是一个更加致命的威胁。因为虽然逼迫往往会增强信徒的力量，甚至扩大教会的规模，但教义的腐败却使基督的子民变得软弱、分散和混乱。如果基督徒必须在迫害和错误教导之间做出选择，圣经的观点鼓励我们对异端的恐惧胜过对所有其他瘟疫的恐惧。

It is from this perspective that Paul urged Titus with a final and essential qualification for church leaders: they “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught” (Titus 1:9).

正是从这个角度出发，保罗向提多提出了教会领袖的最后一项基本资格要求：“坚守所教真实的道理”（多 1:9）。

Sound in Doctrine

Titus 1:7 described elders as “overseers,” pointing out the authority committed to them to rule the church in Christ’s name and by his Word. If there is a danger that guardians would fail to keep watch against error, then it is essential that these watchmen themselves be sound in doctrine. The word for “doctrine” is simply “teaching” (Greek: didaskalia). It informs us that there is a body of truth taught by the prophets and apostles and recorded in Scripture. The gospel consists not merely of sentiments and ideals but of truths that can be taught and learned by Christians. Since Paul emphasizes “the trustworthy word” (Titus 1:9), there must be an unfaithful contrast; since Paul calls for sound doctrine, there is obviously unsound teaching that must be opposed.

教义上的健全

提多书 1:7 将长老描述为“监督”，指出他们被赋予奉基督的名和话语治理教会的权柄。如果存在监护人无法警惕错误的危险，那么这些监护人本身就必须在教义上保持健全（和合本译作“纯正”）。 “教义doctrine”这个词就是“教导teaching”（希腊语：didaskalia）。它告诉我们，有一套由先知和使徒教导并记录在圣经中的真理。福音不仅包含情感和理想，还包含基督徒可以教导和学习的真理。既然保罗强调“道是可信的”（多 1:9，和合本译作“真实的道理”），那么必然存在着不忠实的对比。既然保罗呼吁健全的（纯正的）教义，显然就必须反对不纯正的教义。

Elders must be characterized by a firm hold on the trustworthy and sound teaching of Scripture. This soundness comes from the faithful teaching they receive, ideally through the exposition of Bible texts by ministers who are called and equipped to preach. We are living in a time when church attenders often prefer an impressionistic approach to teaching. Instead of the didactic proclaiming of the Bible’s message, they prefer moving stories and explorations of the pastor’s feelings. Since some believe that such an approach is more likely to fill the pews, too many preachers abandon or neglect their primary calling as teachers of biblical truth. Paul urges Titus, “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). In 2 Timothy 4:1–2, Paul urged his other protégé, Timothy: “I charge you in the presence of God …: preach the word.”

长老的特点必须是牢牢抓住圣经中值得信赖和健全的教导。这种健全性来自于他们所接受的忠实的教导，最好是通过被呼召并有能力传道的牧师对圣经经文的解释。我们生活在一个教会参加者往往更喜欢印象派教学方法的时代。他们不喜欢说教式地宣讲圣经的信息，而是更喜欢感人的故事和对牧师感受的探索。由于有些人认为这种方法更有可能填满座位，因此太多的传道人放弃或忽视了他们作为圣经真理教师的主要使命。保罗劝告提多，“但你所讲（laleō）的，总要合乎那纯正的（hygiainō）道理（didaskalia，教义）”（多 2:1）。在提摩太后书 4:1-2 中，保罗劝告他的另一位门徒提摩太：“我在神面前、、、嘱咐你……务要传（kēryssō）道（logos）。”

The biblical model of sound preaching is often referred to as expository preaching. This approach preaches through a text (preferably working through whole books or at least significant portions of Scripture), with the aim of proclaiming the message, explaining its meaning, and applying its mandate to those who hear. This is not to say that there is no place for more inductive approaches to small-group Bible studies, in which participants are encouraged to discuss how a passage impacts their lives. Moreover, it is always important for individual Christians to study the Bible regularly on their own. But since there is a danger of corrosive error, more inductive approaches rely on a pulpit ministry that sets the standard by teaching sound doctrine and giving faithful applications.

纯正讲道的圣经模式通常被称为解经式讲道。这种方法通过经文讲道（最好是整卷书或至少圣经的重要部分），目的是宣讲信息，解释其含义，并将其强制应用到听到的人身上。这并不是说没有地方可以采用更具归纳性的小组圣经研究方法，鼓励参与者讨论一段经文如何影响他们的生活。此外，对于基督徒个人来说，定期自己学习圣经总是很重要的。但由于存在腐蚀错误的危险，更多的归纳方法依赖于讲台事工，通过教导纯正的教义和忠实的应用来制定标准。

We see this expository approach throughout the Bible. One example arose when the Jews returned to Jerusalem after their Babylonian captivity. God sent Ezra the priest to lead this flock, which he did by the didactic proclamation of the Bible. Nehemiah 8 records the great event when Ezra gathered the people before the Water Gate and read publicly from “the Book of the Law of Moses” (Neh. 8:1). The people stood before him while he read “from early morning until midday” (v. 3), while the other Levites “gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading” (v. 8). Ezra knew that sound doctrine must be taught and embraced from the text of Scripture. We follow his example and that of other biblical models when we emphasize expository preaching today, “setting forth as clearly, systematically, and completely as possible the truths of God’s Word and only those truths.”

我们在整本圣经中都看到这种解经讲道法。犹太人被巴比伦囚禁后返回耶路撒冷时就有一个例子。上帝派祭司以斯拉带领这群羊群，他通过教导式宣讲圣经来做到这一点。尼希米记第 8 章记载了以斯拉在水门前聚集人民并公开宣读“摩西律法书”（尼 8:1）的重大事件。当他“从清早到晌午”念书时，百姓站在他面前（第 3 节），而其他利未人则“讲明意思，使百姓明白所念的。”（第 8 节）。以斯拉知道必须从圣经经文中教导和接受纯正的教义。今天，当我们强调解经式讲道时，我们会效仿他和其他圣经模式的榜样，“尽可能清楚、系统和完整地阐述上帝话语的真理，而且唯独阐述这些真理”。

We noted that a more impressionistic or emotional approach to preaching will often be popular, but one thing it will not do is to produce a well-instructed congregation from which elders will emerge who “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught” (Titus 1:9). Elder candidates must therefore be sound in doctrine before their calling and ordination. Moreover, in preparation for their office, they must receive more careful instruction in theology so as to develop discernment. This instruction provides one primary purpose of the great confessional statements, such as the Heidelberg Catechism and the Westminster Confession of Faith. These documents are of great value for all Christians, but their main purpose is to establish the bounds of sound teaching and instruct those who will rule over the church’s doctrine. The Westminster divines produced two catechisms, one larger and one shorter, for Christian instruction. It is noteworthy that today even teaching elders usually prepare for their ordination examinations from the Shorter Catechism, rather than the much more extensive Larger Catechism, when the original intended audience of the shorter version was the young people of the church. I well remember one of my seminary professors’ extolling the value of the Shorter Catechism, remarking, “The Scottish schoolgirl with her Geneva Bible and Shorter Catechism was a profound theologian!” So it should be for all people in the church, young and old. But those called and ordained to the office of elder should attain to a higher standard of knowledge, so as “to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).

我们注意到，一种更加印象主义或情感化的讲道方式往往会很受欢迎，但它不会产生一个受过良好指教的会众，从中会涌现出“坚守所教的真实的道”（多1：9）的长老。因此，长老候选人在蒙召和按立之前必须在教义上健全（纯正）。此外，在为担任职务做准备时，他们必须接受更仔细的神学指导，以培养洞察力。这一指示提供了诸如《海德堡教义问答》和《威斯敏斯特信仰告白》等伟大的信仰告白的一个主要目的。这些文件对所有基督徒都有很大的价值，但它们的主要目的是建立健全教导的界限，并指导那些将统治教会教义的人。威斯敏斯特的神学家制作了两本教义问答，一份较大，一份较短，用于基督教教学。值得注意的是，今天，即使是教导长老也通常根据简短教义问答来准备按立考试，而不是更广泛的大教理问答，而简短版本的最初目标受众却是教会的年轻人。我清楚地记得我的一位神学院教授赞扬了《小要理问答》的价值，他说：“拿着《日内瓦圣经》和《小要理问答》的苏格兰女学生是一位深刻的神学家！”因此，教会中的所有人，无论老少，都应该如此。但那些被呼召和任命担任长老职务的人应该达到更高的知识标准，以便“将纯正的教训劝化人。又能把争辩的人驳倒了”（多1:9）。

In ancient times, a faithful shepherd was armed with two implements: the rod and the staff. We hear of this in Psalm 23:4, where David says to the Lord, “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” These items were intended, respectively, for defense (the rod) and guidance (the staff). When predators drew near, the shepherd wielded the rod in combat, and when sheep began to stray, he used the curved staff to draw their heads back in line. Likewise, a sound elder is able both to instruct and to rebuke. John Calvin wrote that the elder “ought to have two voices: one for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves.”

在古代，忠实的牧羊人手持两种工具：杖和杆。我们在诗篇 23 章 4 节中听到了这一点，其中大卫对主说：“你的杖，你的杆，都安慰我。”这些物品分别用于防御（杖）和引导（杆）。当掠食者靠近时，牧羊人会挥舞杖进行战斗，而当羊群开始走失时，他会用弯曲的杆将它们的头拉回到一条直线上。同样，健全的长老既能教导，又能责备。约翰·加尔文写道，长老“应该有两种声音：一种是聚集羊群；另一个是用来驱赶狼和盗贼的。”

It is obvious that in order “to give instruction in sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9), an elder must have a high and reverent view of Holy Scripture. He must hold it to be God’s authoritative Word, free from error and sufficient for building up the faith of believers. This is not to say that a ruling elder must have the teaching gifts needed to preach a sermon or even to lead a stirring Bible class. Some ruling elders will possess significant gifts of teaching, but Paul’s emphasis is that the elder must be able to answer questions and give helpful doctrinal instruction to Christ’s sheep. Tim Chester asserts that “the emphasis falls not so much on skills, as on holding fast to the truth. It is not so much about an ability to teach, as a passion for the truth.”

显然，为了“教导纯正的教义”（多 1：9），长老必须对圣经有崇高而虔敬的看法。他必须认为它是神的权威话语，没有错误，足以建立信徒的信心。这并不是说治理长老必须具备讲道甚至带领激动人心的圣经课程所需的教导恩赐。一些治理的长老会拥有重要的教导恩赐，但保罗强调长老必须能够回答问题，并向基督的羊提供有用的教义上指导。蒂姆·切斯特断言，“重点不在于技能，而在于坚持真理。与其说是教导能力，不如说是对真理的热情。”

Two key words in Paul’s charge help us to see his emphasis. The word for “instruction” in Titus 1:9 combines the prefix para-, “alongside,” with the verb kaleo, meaning “to call out.” The idea is that an elder must be competent to come alongside Christians and exhort them biblically. The second key word is “sound,” with the word hugiainouse, meaning “healthy.” Therefore, an elder must be able to meet with men or women and provide a sound understanding of biblical truth that will lead to a healthy faith. The fact that elders are to have this ability carries with it the calling to engage often in this kind of ministry.

In addition to the ministry of the guiding shepherd’s staff, the elder must also wield the protective rod of rebuke: “and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). The idea here is to oppose, speak against, and confront the errors of those who would lead believers astray. This ministry requires courage, conviction, and also character, remembering Paul’s earlier emphasis that elders are not to be “arrogant or quick-tempered” (v. 7). In today’s context, Paul is not calling elders to engage in ceaseless warfare on social media, but rather calling them to guard their own flocks, especially from false teachers within.

保罗的嘱咐中有两个关键词可以帮助我们看出他的重点。提多书 1:9 中的“劝化（parakaleō）”这个词结合了前缀 para-（“旁边”）和动词 kaleo（意思是“呼召出来”）。这里的意思是，长老必须有能力与基督徒在一起肩并肩并按照圣经劝化他们。第二个关键词是“健全”，单词“hugiainouse”的意思是“健康的”。因此，长老必须能够与男人或女人见面，并提供对圣经真理的正确理解，这将带来健康的信仰。长老们必须具备这种能力的这个事实意味着他们是蒙召经常从事这类事工的。

除了引导牧羊人的工作人员之外，长老还必须挥舞斥责的保护棒：“又能把争辩的人驳倒了”（多1:9）。这里的意思是反对、发声反对和面对那些会使信徒背道的人的错误。这项事工需要勇气、信念，也需要品格，请记住保罗之前强调长老不可“不任性，不暴躁”（7节）。在今天的背景下，保罗并不是呼吁长老们在社交媒体上进行无休止的争战，而是呼吁他们保护自己的羊群，尤其是免受内部假教师的侵害。

The Plague of False Teachers

In a healthy church situation, elders will more frequently engage in the ministry of encouragement instead of rebuke. But for Titus in Crete, Paul’s emphasis lay on rebuking those who teach error. Indeed, given the grave danger posed by Satan’s more subtle attack of infiltrating the church with heresy, Christian leaders must be prepared to take an equally vigilant stand. Writing to Titus, Paul breaks down the danger in terms of the men who teach falsely, the effects of their heresy, and the cultural context from which they emerged.

假教师的瘟疫

在健康的教会环境中，长老们会更频繁地参与鼓励而不是责备的事工。但对于革哩底的提多来说，保罗的重点是斥责那些教导错误的人。事实上，考虑到撒但用异端渗透教会的更微妙的攻击所带来的严重危险，基督教领袖必须准备好采取同样警惕的立场。保罗在写给提多的信中，从错误教导的人、他们的异端的影响以及他们产生的文化背景方面详细分析了涌现的危险。

First, Paul specified the men against whom Titus must contend: “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers” (Titus 1:10). It stands to reason that those who trouble the church with false teaching do not respect the authority of leaders. William Barclay compares them to “disloyal soldiers who refused to obey the word of command.” They are, further, “empty talkers,” that is, teachers whose doctrine produces no sanctifying change in the lives of their hearers. Moreover, they are “deceivers.” False teachers can be counted on to conceal the real trajectory of their doctrine. They often fly under false covers, such as seminary professors who sign a pledge to uphold biblical inerrancy and proceed to undermine the Bible in their classrooms.

首先，保罗明确指出了提多必须反对的人：“因为有许多人不服约束，说虚空话，欺哄人。”（多 1:10）。按理说，那些用错误教导扰乱教会的人，是不尊重领袖的权威的。威廉·巴克利将他们比作“拒绝服从命令的不忠诚士兵”。此外，他们是“空谈者（合和本译作“说虚空话”的人）”，也就是说，他们的教义不会给听众的生活带来成圣的改变。此外，他们还是“骗子（合和本译作“欺哄人”的人）。假教师可能会掩盖其教义的真实轨迹。他们常常打着虚假的幌子，比如神学院的教授签署了维护圣经无误的誓言，然后在课堂上破坏圣经。

Titus 1:11 adds a common motive to such wolves in sheep’s clothing: they teach “for shameful gain.” The ancient world abounded with traveling philosophers and religious teachers who paraded their oratorical prowess for financial riches, sometimes drawing large followings. The evangelical church of today is likewise beset with clever and charismatic charlatans who prey outrageously on the gullible and desperate, tying faith in God to the financial support of their ministries. Daniel Akin describes them as “spiritual seducers, disguising their personal ambition and theological agenda in the trappings of religious piety and prosperity.” The word prosperity has been attached to the word gospel, describing a particular menace today of gifted preachers who offer financial riches and material abundance to those who contribute to their private jets and lavish mansions. While the motives of their followers often match those of the false teachers, the reality is that great harm is done to the biblical gospel, especially in the impoverished developing world. These often-popular teachers, who pursue celebrity rather than Christian soundness, must be publicly opposed by faithful ministers and churches.

提多书 1:11 给这些披着羊皮的狼增加了一个共同的动机：他们教导“是为了可耻的利益（合和本译作“贪不义之财”；ESV: for a shameful gain）”。古代世界到处都是旅行的哲学家和宗教导师，他们为了财富而炫耀自己的演讲技巧，有时会吸引大批追随者。今天的福音派教会同样被聪明而有魅力的江湖骗子所困扰，他们肆无忌惮地欺骗那些容易上当受骗和绝望的人，将对上帝的信仰与他们事工的财政支持联系起来。丹尼尔·阿金将他们描述为“精神诱惑者，以宗教虔诚和繁荣的外表来掩盖他们的个人野心和神学计划。”繁荣一词与福音一词联系在一起，描述了当今对有天赋的传教士的一种特殊威胁，这些传教士对那些奉献私人飞机和豪华宅邸提讲经济财富和物质丰富。因着他们的追随者的动机常常与假教师的动机一致，现实也是，这对圣经福音造成了巨大的伤害，特别是在贫困的发展中国家。这些经常受欢迎的教师追求成为名人而不是基督教的健全，必须受到忠实的牧师和教会的公开反对。

The effect of false teachers is as predictable as it is destructive: “they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach” (Titus 1:11). In those early days of Christianity, most churches met in private homes, so Paul is possibly describing whole congregations. But in large churches, heretics also infiltrate into the homes of likely targets. Paul warns in 2 Timothy 3:6 of those “who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions.” The charlatans of Paul’s time were known for accumulating large followers of women, from whom they were suspected of receiving sexual favors. Through the Internet and other media today, it is easy for false teaching to spread into the ears of all Christians, unless they are forewarned and guided into truth.

假教师的影响是可以预见的，同时也是具有破坏性的：“这些人的口总要堵住。他们因贪不义之财，将不该教导的教导人，败坏人的全家。”（多 1:11）。在基督教的早期，大多数教会都是在私人家里聚会，所以保罗可能是在描述整个会众。但在大型教堂中，异端分子也会渗透到可能目标的家中。保罗在提摩太后书 3:6 中警告那些“那偷进人家，牢笼无知妇女的，正是这等人。这些妇女担负罪恶，被各样的私欲引诱。”。保罗时代的江湖骗子以拥有大量女性追随者而闻名，他们被怀疑从女性那里接受性恩惠。今天，通过互联网和其他媒体，错误的教导很容易传播到所有基督徒的耳中，除非他们得到预先警告并引导他们接受真理。

Paul finally notes the cultural context from which these false teachers arose on Crete. In a remarkably frank comment that suggests the more private nature of his Pastoral Epistles, Paul states: “One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true” (Titus 1:12–13).

保罗最后指出了革哩底这些假教师产生的文化背景。保罗在一篇非常坦率的评论中指出，他的教牧书信更加私人化，他说：“有革哩底人中的一个本地先知说，革哩底人常说谎话，乃是恶兽，又馋又懒。这个见证是真的。所以你要严严地责备他们，使他们在真道上纯全无疵。”（多1：12-13）。

Paul is referring to the sixth-century b.c. Cretan philosopher Epimenides, who gained fame in Athens and was extolled as one of the seven wise men of Greece, along with such luminaries as Plato and Aristotle. Epimenides was called a prophet not only because of his high status but also because he accurately predicted a Persian attack ten years before it happened. Paul’s quotation is ascribed to his ode Concerning Oracles, which responded to the false claim of the Cretans that the god Zeus was buried on their island (the problem being that in Greek mythology, Zeus was not dead!). So notorious were the Cretans that the Greek language developed a verb, kretizo, based on their name, to signify lying and cheating.

保罗指的是公元前六世纪。革哩底岛哲学家埃庇米尼德斯，在雅典声名鹊起，与柏拉图、亚里士多德等人并称为希腊七贤之一。埃庇米尼德斯被称为先知，不仅因为他的地位高，还因为他在波斯袭击发生前十年就准确地预言了它。保罗的引用被认为是他的颂歌《关于神谕》，该颂歌回应了革哩底岛人关于宙斯神埋葬在他们岛上的错误说法（问题是在希腊神话中，宙斯并没有死！）。革哩底岛人是如此臭名昭著，以至于希腊语根据他们的名字发展了一个动词“kretizo”，表示说谎和欺骗。

The point is not that Paul had a prejudice against Cretans. Rather, he wants Titus to be aware of the characteristic sins of his culture and to reprove most sharply these well-documented tendencies. Walter Liefeld notes that there are “particular belief systems that have generated different worldviews.” Instead of avoiding the sin of greed when preaching on Wall Street, or of hedonism in Hollywood, or of quiet self-centered materialism in suburban America, faithful preachers will apply their teaching most pointedly to correcting the prevalent sins directly before them.

问题不在于保罗对革哩底岛人有偏见。相反，他希望提多意识到他的文化的典型罪恶，并最严厉地谴责这些有据可查的倾向。沃尔特·利菲尔德指出，“特定的信仰体系产生了不同的世界观”。忠实的传教士不会在华尔街传教时避免犯贪婪的罪，也不会在好莱坞讲道时避免享乐主义，也不会在美国郊区避免安静的自我中心的唯物主义，而是会最有针对性地运用他们的教义来纠正他们面前盛行的罪。

The gospel enables us to both hate the sins around us and love the sinners with a desire for their salvation. Instead of shunning notoriously sinful places and people, Paul brought the gospel directly to this dishonest, brutish island. Calvin marvels: “It was truly a wonderful purpose of God, that he called a nation so depraved, and so infamous on account of its vices, to be among the first who should partake of the gospel.… In that country so corrupt, as if in the midst of hell, the Church of Christ held a position, and did not cease to be extended.”

福音使我们既恨恶周围的罪恶，又爱罪人，渴望他们得救。保罗没有避开臭名昭著的罪恶之地和人民，而是将福音直接带到了这个不诚实、野蛮的岛屿上。加尔文惊叹道：“上帝确实有一个奇妙的旨意，他把一个如此堕落、因恶习而臭名昭著的国家称为第一批应该分享福音的国家……在那个如此腐败的国家，如果在地狱之中，基督的教会仍占有一席之地，并且没有停止扩展。”

In order to protect the church and extend its influence, Titus and his fellow elders must exercise their ministry of rebuke. The false teachers “must be silenced” (Titus 1:11). The word for “silenced” means “to muzzle,” as is done to an animal to prevent it from biting. It also had the connotation of silencing a false argument by effective reasoning. Paul therefore wanted Titus to teach directly against the prevailing heresies, pointing out their errors and exposing their dangers. This requirement highlights again the need for the biblical and theological training of elders. Calvin writes that “they must be armed not with a material sword but with the Word of God, with wisdom and virtue, that they may be enabled to resist the ungodly.”

为了保护教会并扩大其影响力，提多和他的长老同僚必须履行他们的责备职责。假教师“必须得闭嘴（合和本译作“这些人的口总要堵住”）”（多1:11）。 “得闭嘴”这个词的意思是“套住嘴”，就像对动物所做的那样，以防止它咬人。它还具有通过有效推理压制错误论点的含义。因此，保罗希望提多直接教导反对盛行的异端，指出他们的错误并揭露他们的危险。这一要求再次强调了对长老进行圣经和神学培训的必要性。加尔文写道，“他们必须用上帝的话语、智慧和美德来武装，而不是用物质的剑，这样他们才能抵抗不敬虔的人。”

Paul continues: “Therefore rebuke them sharply” (Titus 1:13). A surgeon needs a sharp scalpel to remove a tumor that is killing the body, and the confrontation of false teachers likewise calls for a sharp word. In many cases, heretics must be publicly excluded from the church. As faithful shepherds, elders must not provide a lectern for false teachers but must be willing to remove those shown to be wolves. Yet even in such severe cases, they are to remain motivated for the salvation of those who are disciplined: “rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (v. 13). It is possible that Paul means that Titus should rebuke the Cretan Christians generally, promoting their soundness. Yet church discipline always aims not only at the protection of the flock but also at the restoration of the rebellious ones.

保罗继续说：“所以你要严严地责备他们”（多1:13）。外科医生需要一把锋利的手术刀来切除正在杀死身体的肿瘤，而面对假教师同样需要尖锐的言语。在许多情况下，异端分子必须被公开排除在教会之外。作为忠心的牧人，长老们不可为假教师提供讲台，而必须愿意除掉那些被视为狼群的人。然而，即使在如此严重的情况下，他们仍要继续努力拯救那些受管教的人：“所以你要严严地责备他们，使他们在真道上纯全无疵。”（13节）。保罗的意思可能是提多应该普遍责备革哩底岛的基督徒，促进他们的健全。然而，教会纪律的目的不仅是为了保护羊群，也是为了复兴叛逆的人。

The Cancer of False Gospels

It is possible to identify not only the false teachers in Crete but also the character of their false teaching. In Titus 1:10, Paul describes them as representing “the circumcision party.” There can be little doubt what Paul means by this label, since he spent much of his life being opposed by these heretics who arose from Jewish Christianity.

假福音的毒瘤

不仅可以识别革哩底岛的假教师，还可以识别他们错误教导的特征。在提多书 1 章 10 节中，保罗将他们描述为代表“那奉割礼的”。保罗用这个标签的意思是毫无疑问的，因为他一生的大部分时间都在受到这些来自犹太基督教的异端分子的反对。

Scholars have established that a large Jewish community had settled in Crete, and it seems that out of this group arose teachers who claimed to be Christians but rejected justification through faith alone. The label “circumcision party” reflects their teaching that salvation requires not only faith in Jesus but also the adoption of Jewish ritual practices such as the circumcision of male children as essential to salvation. This controversy had already been resolved during the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15. Titus would need little introduction to it, since his appearance in Jerusalem with Paul had prompted the demand that Gentile believers be circumcised. That famous council, joining apostles and elders, had defended the gospel by refusing to require circumcision or any other Jewish cultural marker arising from the Old Testament. In Galatians 2:7–9, Paul noted how Jewish Christians refused to share tables with Gentile converts unless they adopted the Old Testament customs. Paul responded with one of his greatest and clearest statements on the doctrine of justification:

学者们已经证实，一个大型犹太社区已在革哩底岛定居，似乎从这个群体中出现了一些自称是基督徒但拒绝唯独通过因信称义的教师。 “割礼党”这个标签反映了他们的教义，即救赎不仅需要对耶稣的信仰，还需要采用犹太仪式习俗，例如对男孩进行割礼，这对于救赎至关重要。这个争议在使徒行传第 15 章记载的耶路撒冷会议期间已经得到解决。提多不需要对此进行介绍，因为他与保罗一起出现在耶路撒冷，促使要求外邦信徒受割礼。这个著名的委员会与使徒和长老一起，拒绝要求割礼或任何其他源于旧约的犹太文化标志，捍卫了福音。在加拉太书 2 章 7-9 节中，保罗指出，犹太基督徒拒绝与外邦皈依者共享餐桌，除非他们采用旧约习俗。保罗用他关于称义教义的最伟大、最清晰的陈述之一来回应：

We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Gal. 2:16)

既知道人称义，不是因行律法，乃是因信耶稣基督，连我们也信了基督耶稣，使我们因信基督称义，不因行律法称义，因为凡有血气的，没有一人因行律法称义。（加2:16）

Added to the false requirement to base justification on the law as well as on the gospel, Paul notes that his opponents were also devoted “to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth” (Titus 1:14). These “Jewish myths” likely included elaborate, unbiblical genealogies (1 Tim. 1:4). They may also have included superstitious rituals and ceremonies, none of which offer true value to the Christian life. William Barclay comments: “They tried to persuade them that the simple story of Jesus and the Cross was not sufficient, but that, to be really wise, they needed all the subtle stories and the long genealogies and the elaborate allegories of the Rabbis.” Christians follow in their footsteps today when they, for instance, develop fanciful theories and fictions regarding Christ’s return, demanding that followers accept them as gospel truth.

保罗指出，除了以律法和福音为基础称义的错误要求之外，他的对手还热衷于“犹太神话和离弃真理之人的命令”（多1:14）。这些“犹太神话”可能包括复杂的、不符合圣经的家谱（提前 1:4）。它们还可能包括迷信的礼仪和仪式，这些都没有为基督徒生活提供真正的价值。威廉·巴克利评论道：“他们试图说服他们，耶稣和十字架的简单故事是不够的，但要真正明智，他们需要所有微妙的故事、漫长的家谱和拉比的详尽寓言。”例如，今天的基督徒追随他们的脚步，提出有关基督再来的奇特理论和虚构故事，要求追随者接受它们作为福音真理。

Particularly relevant today are “the commands of people” that exceed the requirements of God’s Word. This usually occurs by zealous moralists who seek to preserve conduct not only by teaching the wholesome commandments of Scripture, but also by inventing their own regulations designed to safeguard moral behavior. Today, rules may be invented that require believers to listen only to Christian music, to avoid attending movie theaters, or to vote for a political candidate or party. These prohibitions not only go beyond Scripture but also promote a false view of Christian salvation. For example, a person may refuse to drink alcohol as a matter of legalistic principle, yet may exhibit a complete lack of grace toward family members. Or someone may take a particularly strict approach to Sabbath observance, yet neglect evangelism and ministries of mercy for those in need. In many cases, the gospel itself becomes secondary, receiving little emphasis in teaching and worship. This legalism can occur even when legitimate biblical concerns for morality are emphasized. Tim Chester writes:

今天特别重要的是超越神话语所要求的“人的吩咐”。这种情况通常发生在发热心的道德家身上，他们不仅通过教导圣经中有益的诫命，而且还通过发明自己的法规来维护道德行为，从而寻求维护行为。今天，可能会发明一些规则，要求信徒只听基督教音乐，避免去电影院，或者投票给政治候选人或政党。这些禁令不仅超出了圣经的范围，而且还宣扬了对基督教救赎的错误观点。例如，一个人可能出于法律原则而拒绝饮酒，但可能对家庭成员表现出完全缺乏恩典。或者有人可能对安息日的遵守采取特别严格的态度，但却忽视了对有需要的人的传福音和怜悯事工。在许多情况下，福音本身变得次要，在教导和敬拜中很少受到重视。即使强调圣经对道德的合理关注，这种律法主义也可能发生。蒂姆·切斯特写道：

The irony is this: when we react against some aspects of our culture, and set up rules to protect ourselves from them, we ignore other ungodly aspects of that same culture. We limit the demands of godliness, reducing it from becoming Christlike to becoming a little less like our culture in a few ways. Christian maturity is exchanged for not sleeping around, not getting drunk, and turning up to Bible study.

具有讽刺意味的是：当我们对文化的某些方面做出反应，并制定规则来保护自己免受这些方面的影响时，我们忽视了同一文化的其他不敬虔的方面。我们限制敬虔的要求，在某些方面将其从变得像基督降低到变得不太像我们的文化。基督徒的成熟是用不乱睡、不喝醉、坚持学习圣经来换取的。

Of course, Christians should not commit adultery or fall prey to drunkenness and would do well to study the Bible. But one can accomplish these outward behaviors without the gracious transformation of one’s life by the Christ of the gospel. Paul instead advocates for a kind of Christian holiness that flows out of the gospel through union with Christ in faith, and exhibits itself in a loving, kind, and gracious commitment to the purity of heart in which God delights.

当然，基督徒不应该通奸或酗酒，最好学习圣经。但是，一个人可以完成这些外在行为，而无需福音的基督对一个人的生命有着恩典的改变。相反，保罗提倡一种基督教的圣洁，这种圣洁是通过在信仰中与基督联合而从福音中流露出来的，并表现在对上帝所喜悦的纯洁心灵的爱、仁慈和恩典的承诺中。

Disciples Committed to Christ

Observing Paul’s calling for the qualifications and ministry of elders should give Christians a good sense of how to pray for the men who serve in this office. Elders must devote themselves to character growth and also to a critical ability to discern between true and false teaching. They will often be burdened with the spiritual needs of struggling Christians, to whom they give biblical encouragement. Much harder is the demanding task of standing up to troublemakers in the church and especially cunning false teachers. In light of this vital calling, Hebrews 13:17 urges Christians to encourage their leaders, who “are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

委身于基督的门徒

观察保罗对长老资格和事工的要求，应该能让基督徒很好地了解如何为担任这一职务的人祈祷。长老必须致力于品格成长，并培养辨别真假教导的批判能力。他们常常会背负着挣扎中的基督徒的精神需要，并给予他们圣经的鼓励。对抗教会中的麻烦制造者，尤其是狡猾的假教师，是一项艰巨的任务。鉴于这一重要呼召，希伯来书 13:17 敦促基督徒鼓励他们的领袖，因为他们“为你们的灵魂时刻儆醒，好像那将来交账的人。你们要使他们交的时候有快乐，不至忧愁。若忧愁就与你们无益了。”

Moreover, realizing the high stakes involved both for themselves and for the church, believers are well advised to pursue their own spiritual growth, in terms of both biblical knowledge and gracious character change. One of the best ways to encourage pastors and elders is to become more and more zealous in following the Savior they serve and love. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31). Why not commit your life to following Jesus more closely through the study of his Word, communion in prayer, and an eager application of the gospel to your own worship, service, and character? You can hardly imagine what Christ will do in and through you if you will pursue fervent discipleship in his name. He may even make you an elder, called to shepherd the precious flock of Jesus, or give you some other calling for valued service to his church. He will certainly do something even more significant, for as Jesus continued, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (v. 32).^[1]

      此外，认识到对自己和教会来说都涉及到很高的风险，信徒们最好在圣经知识和恩典的品格改变方面追求自己的灵性成长。鼓励牧师和长老的最好方法之一就是越来越热心地跟随他们所事奉和所爱的救主。耶稣说：“你们若常常遵守我的道，就真是我的门徒。”（约 8:31）。为什么不把你的一生投入到通过学习祂的话语、祷告中的交通、以及热切地将福音应用到你自己的敬拜、事奉和品格中来更紧密地跟随耶稣呢？如果你奉基督的名热心地追求门徒身份，你很难想象基督会在你里面并通过你做什么。祂甚至可能会让你成为长老，被呼召牧养耶稣宝贵的羊群，或者给你一些其他的呼召，要求你为祂的教会提供有价值的事奉。祂肯定会做一些更重要的事情，因为正如耶稣继续说的，“你们必晓得真理，真理必叫你们得以自由”（32节）。

^[1] Daniel M. Doriani and Richard D. Phillips, 2 Timothy & Titus, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2020), 158–169.