Cretan
The book of Titus in the New Testament is a letter written by Paul to his spiritual son, Titus. In the letter, the Apostle instructs Titus on his position as overseer of the church at Crete, a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea. One of Paul's instructions to Titus was to "silence" those of the "circumcision," or those who would add to the good news that salvation is by grace alone, the requirement of circumcision found in the Jewish Law. Crete is a gentile nation, and therefore, the men of Crete do not get circumcised as infants as instructed by Jewish law. However, some false teachers had infiltrated the church and instructed believers that they must follow the Jews concerning circumcision.
According to Paul, these false teachers led people astray for "dishonest gain." The infiltrators were making money off the deception, and the Apostle clarified that Titus was to "rebuke" the people so that they would not follow the false teachings but be "firm in the faith." He also instructed his spiritual son to refute and oppose the false teachers and to appoint elders and Christian leaders within the Cretan communities to do the same. Why?
The Cretan prophet, Epimenides, did not hold back when describing the shortcomings of his fellow Cretans.
Adding any requirement to the Gospel will lead people from the path of righteousness unto death. False teaching is responsible for the destruction of Christian homes, churches, and lives. It is hazardous and disruptive. Paul would have none of it. Paul saw the Cretans as susceptible to being led astray by false teachings. They needed to be more diligent in reading scripture and having a steady prayer life. The Apostle summarizes his view of the Cretans by quoting Epimenides, one of their prophets. "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." Because of the Cretan people's propensity to go astray, Paul left Titus in Crete. The people needed a church with structure, and Paul picked his disciple in the faith to be their leader.
Paul went on in his letter to Titus to distinguish between the "pure" and the "corrupt." In connection with this false teaching on circumcision, the Apostle writes, "To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted." According to this scripture, when one is pure, blameless, and without sin, all things are pure. You cannot add additional requirements for purity because the pure is purified. However, the corrupted cannot be uncorrupted by adding a corruptible requirement. Painting a wooden structure does not create an uncorrupted structure. Both the wood and the paint are corrupted and will deteriorate. The structure may last longer, but it will not stand forever. It will require more paint and more paint and more paint. Circumcision is the paint, and the human being is the structure. Adding circumcision to the man does not change his corruption.
So it is with any religious requirement added to human beings. Judaism, Catholicism, Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, Protestantism, Reform, and the list goes on to include every human religion. Why? Every human religion strives to reach God and achieve some level of holiness acceptable to the Most High. It Can't Be Done. No part of human righteousness will ever be sufficient to an Eternally Holy God.
If that is the case, what purity is Paul talking about? How can anyone be pure? Why can't the pure be corrupted? Nothing is pure except through grace. We cannot attain holiness, righteousness, purity, or any other measure of right standing with God except through God's grace. Only He can make us pure, and praise be to His lovely and beautiful Name, He has made a way! The grace of God is found in His Son, Jesus Christ. God graciously sent His Son to die for us, the corrupted. Jesus, God's Son, faithfully served God the Father sinlessly so that in His death, He could impute righteousness to the corrupted ones who believe in Him. There is none - not one - human being who is not corrupt. As stated by Paul, "To those who are corrupted… nothing is pure." There can be no purity in the corrupt except through God's grace in Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, purity in Christ is true and everlasting purity. For this reason, the Apostle explains that to the pure, all things are pure. Christ's purity is incorruptible. No action by man or demon can ever change the purity of Christ Jesus. God forever seals it, unchangeable and irrevocable, so when a believer confesses their belief in Jesus Christ as Lord, the purity, holiness, and righteousness granted to that human being is forever. Amen.
But the corrupted is thoroughly corrupt, and nothing they do can be pure. Paul says, "Both their minds and consciences are corrupted." In other words, those who are corrupted are thoroughly corrupt in how they reason, what they think, and even what motivates them to think and act as they do. The very foundation of their actions is corrupt. How is there hope for such an individual? But Jesus! The Son of God, our Savior and Lord, is righteous in all His ways. He is entirely pure, and through grace, without corrupt works, our Redeemer gives, as a free gift, not by merit or indulgence, not by baptism, sacrifice or ordinance, not by law or even doctrine, but by grace, simply because the Loving Heavenly Father wants Him to, His uncorrupted, absolutely pure righteousness to us. Once imputed to us, we are secure in our Lord's salvation, and the right standing with God His sacrifice brings. As Paul enlightens in the Book of Romans: "Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
So, Christians, don't be deceived by false teachers who seek only dishonest gain. Don't put your works in a place where only the grace of God can make the necessary difference. Don't forfeit the absolute love God has shown you by following a false doctrine that declares God's grace is insufficient. There is one way by which a person may be saved, and there is only one thing that will save a human soul: the Declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord and the belief that God raised Him from the dead. It is corruption if you or anyone else makes it any more complicated than that.