Titus 1:10-11 - Ministry or Business?

Titus 1:10-11 (ESV)

For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

There are two foundational accusations against those who are particularly divisive in the church. First, those of the “circumcision party” are particularly divisive. They were the ones who were going back to the Law of Moses. Salvation was by grace through faith plus obedience to the Law. It was about self-effort and self-discipline. Much of the false teaching and false gospels that we have today are centered on self. It may not be the Law of Moses, but it is about self in some way. Even faith becomes about self. It becomes about how much faith you have rather than the faithfulness of the one we are putting our faith in. Self becomes the measurement of how close you are to God.

 Secondly, they are teaching for shameful gain. It is not wrong to pay those who teach us the Word, and pay them well. Paul told Timothy that those who rule well and work hard at preaching and teaching are worthy of double honor (see 1 Tim 5:17). However, when proclamation of God’s Word becomes a business more than a ministry then there is problem. One man years ago told me that the Catholics make their priests take a vow of poverty. Protestants don’t do that. They just keep their pastors poor. That is shameful. Pastors who are more interested in income and benefits than in ministry opportunities are out of line. Churches, however, who keep their pastors poor are also out of line. But when ministry looks more like business than ministry, it’s time to ask some hard questions.