A Teacher Worth Following Teaches the Word with Integrity
The wonder of the gospel is that men and women from all cultures can come and be transformed by Christ. Further, that the Christian faith can be lived out in whatever culture one might find themselves upon their conversion. This awesome reality brings with it challenges however.
Everyone who comes to Christ has been shaped by their own cultural traditions, societal values and the spirit of their age. Some of these preconditions may make it easier for some to understand and practice the Christian faith, while others may be at quite the disadvantage.
Unlearning is often harder than learning and some new believers have a lot of it to do. Their upbringing and culture have shaped their worldview, and their consciences in a way which clashes with their new-found faith.
This was the case for those who were saved on the island of Crete. Theirs was a tumultuous culture with a history of wars and civil wars. Pirates, marauders, and mercenaries called Crete home. Religiously, they were pagan, believing their island to be the birthplace of Zeus.
If Cretans who had converted to Christianity were to live as God’s people, they would need a lot of instruction, encouragement and plenty of real-life example. Paul left Titus on the island of Crete to serve these very purposes.
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you-- (Titus 1:5)
Titus was to set the churches in order, appoint qualified elders to lead the new congregations and deliver instruction regarding Christian theology and the ethics which flowed from it. In doing so, he would have to challenge head-on the preconceptions ingrained into the Cretan believers and show them just how different they would have to be from the culture around them.
In chapter 2, after having delivered to Titus instructions to pass on to the various demographic groups in the church, Paul then turns to the importance of Titus himself maintaining a blameless testimony before the Cretans and establishing himself as an example of godliness.
Titus would have to be a example of a life transformed by Christ - in every area. This, of course, would extend to his teaching ministry as well.
Titus 2:7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
“In your teaching show integrity.” In other words, his life and teaching would have to be integrated. His godliness would have to reach into and shape every aspect of his life – including what and how he taught. Those who heard Titus teach would have to understand that he thoroughly believed, and faithfully lived the scriptures.
We might say, his teaching would have to be “solid”. The idea is that his teaching was to be so thoroughly Biblical that it would be extremely difficult to pick apart, and his character so blameless that others would have a hard time finding fault.
These same standards apply today to any who would be a teacher worth following.
This is that teacher who knows the word of God and teaches it with both credibility and accuracy. When people hear this man teach the word of God, they should be able to see clearly that what he is saying is coming straight from the scripture. So much so, that if a hearer has a problem with what is taught, they find themselves arguing more with God, than the preacher.
Titus was to be a model of a teacher worth following. By doing so, he would paint a contrast between he and the pagan teachers on the island, and the hypocritical Jewish teachers who plied their trade in Crete.
The teacher worth following has conviction that the word of God is trustworthy and teaches it as such. Earlier in this book, Paul told Titus that all potential elders were to have this conviction:
Titus 1:9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
The teacher worth following has such confidence in the Bible as the trustworthy word of God that he, as a matter of unwavering commitment, teaches the word of God in its purity. That is, he is committed to the sufficiency of scripture.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
This is a conviction that the scripture is inspired by God and that it is the means through which God accomplishes his purposes. The word is perfectly fitted for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. It is through the word of God that the teacher is fully equipped for every good work.
It's for this reason that Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Preach the word when it is popular. Preach the word when it is unpopular. But give yourself to preaching the word. Use the word to reprove. Use the word to rebuke. Use the word to exhort. Preach the word patiently, believing that through it, God will accomplish all of his purposes.
Isaiah 55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
The teacher worth following holds the personal conviction that the word of God is sufficient and so he teaches it with integrity. The word integrity brings with it the idea of soundness, wholeness and without admixture. That is, purity. The teacher worth following teaches the unadulterated word.
His teaching is not a mixture of truth and error. He does not downplay the authority of the word of God, nor does he play up his own authority. He is careful to always recognize the line between the word and his own opinion. He does not confuse divine commands with his own preferences. In this way, he ensures that his teaching is always done with integrity.
It is awfully hard to poke holes in the teaching of a such a man without finding yourself arguing with God himself. Because in his integrity, he has taught only what God has said. He teaching is sound, and solid.
The idea of teaching with integrity not only means that the teacher worth following teaches the word of God without admixture of error, but it means that he teaches it with pure motives.
Peter addressed this in 1 Peter 5:
1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
Don’t teach out of obligation. Don’t teach for money. Don’t teach for power. But teach as faithful shepherds with genuine care for those in your charge. Teach as those who wish to please God who has entrusted you with the task. As you teach, set an example of all the things you are teaching.
The teacher worth following does not teach for money. He does not seek self-aggrandizement. He is not trying to make a name for himself. He is not trying to build his own kingdom. He is not trying to control others. He is teaching the word of God in its purity, with pure motives.
It's this approach to teaching the word of God that lends credibility to the message. Paul told Titus that if he were to teach this way, opponents would not be able to condemn or speak evil of him with any believability. Titus’ exemplary character and accurate teaching would lay bare any false accusations and actually put his opponents to shame. It would put Titus forth, among all his contemporaries, as a teacher who was actually worth following.
What cultural ideas did you have to unlearn after you came to Christ? Which was the hardest?
Have you experienced the sorry example of a Bible teacher whose character didn't align with what they taught? How did their lack of integrity affect your view of them? Your view of scripture? Your view of the church?
How have scandals among Pastors/Bible teachers affected the culture's view of Christianity? What kind of accusations do such situations open the church up to?
Can you think of a Pastor/Bible teacher who you believe teaches with the kind of integrity outlined here? Thank God for them and pray that they might be strengthened to continue.
