The healthy teaching the context talks about is linked with the healthy mind we have

been considering, although the word here is not sophron, but a part of the verb hugiano

`to be well in health', and then with regard to doctrine, to be sound, having no mixture of

falsehood. This healthy teaching has two ends in view: (1) to encourage the faithful

and (2) to reprove the opposers of the Truth.

The word translated encourage gives us the English paraclete rendered Comforter

and Advocate as applied to the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16: 7;

I John 2: 1). All who are determined to walk the way of the Truth rightly divided, will

need encouragement and how great this is when we go on to absorb the testimony of the

Lord given through His Prisoner! (II Tim. 1: 8). It leads to a full assurance of faith and

hope and steadfastness.

On the other hand we shall not go far before we meet the opposers. Satan will see to

this, for he has challenged God's truth right from the beginning and the battle is still

raging. The only equipment which is sufficient for all needs is this faithful Word

committed to us. To attempt to combat error in any other way is to meet it with the arm

of flesh and court defeat. We should hold it forth in a spirit of love and meekness as we

are enjoined in II Tim. 2: 25, knowing that the inspired Word is profitable for reproof

and correction as well as for doctrine and instruction in righteousness (II Tim. 3: 16, 17).

Thus Paul enjoined Titus to instruct those who were called to be overseers. The

qualifications were rigid. They must be faithful men who would cling fast to the faithful

Word and proclaim it in season and out of season, whether it pleased or displeased their

hearers. Only in this way could false teaching be successfully combated and the Truth

made known. We shall, D.5:, consider in our next article the nature of the opposition

that existed in Crete at the time of writing this epistle.

In our last article we considered the type of person that the Apostle Paul designated in

chapter 1: 6-9, who was fitted to be a bishop or overseer. We saw that the necessary

qualities were homely and lowly ones rather than of education, scholarship or worldly

position. An overseer in Crete had special difficulties to contend with, namely, the lax

character generally of Cretans (verse 12) and the opposition to the Truth that was

endangering the faith of believers.

This opposition Timothy had to face too, and this accounts for the similarity of

warnings in both I Timothy and Titus.  Paul describes the opposers as "many

insubordinate and vain talkers and mind-deceivers, specially those of the circumcision"

(1: 10). The word phrenapatai, translated deceivers, only occurs here and in verbal form