©2011-2026, David E.
Robinson: At the Gates of Yerushalayim Ministries
Go to Part One Go to Part Two Go to Part Four
Lessons from the Wilderness: Special Edition – Part Three
False Teachers: A
Biblical Perspective [i] [ii] [iii] [iv]
The Titus Tension, To Protect and Restore:
How Godly Authority Leads the Body to Hear, To Love, To Return, To Become One Again
- Exegesis: Drawing the true meaning out of
a text based on its original context. It literally means "to lead
out".
- Eisegesis: Reading personal bias or outside
ideas into a text, making it say what the reader wants it to say.
- Hermeneutics: is the study of principles and methods used to correctly understand, interpret, and apply the text of the Bible.[v] Biblical hermeneutics overall, is “…the study of understanding how humans interpret messages of all kinds, whether written, spoken, enacted, or embodied. The term itself derives from Hermes, the messenger god of Greek mythology, highlighting the discipline’s concern with communication, messages, and meaning.”[vi]
While these three terms are most often used in biblical and theological study, they apply equally to the interpretation of any written work.[vii] I tell you this because these tools will help you if you will learn them. I discovered in my own writing the very danger this study addresses: inherited assumptions can quietly move from the background of interpretation into the text itself.
A Necessary Correction
Why I start Part Three this
way is simple: before I can ask you to examine anyone else's teaching, I
need to examine my own. In Part Two of this study, I made two
statements that require clarification. I do this because I have repeatedly
asked my readers not to accept something merely because a teacher says it. I
have asked you to search the Scriptures and determine whether what you have
been taught can actually be sustained by the biblical text. So, I must hold
myself to the same standards I set.
I talked
about one of the tools we can use in interpreting Scripture, the Apostolic
Precedent for Torah Observance[viii].
When discussing the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, I stated
that the four requirements given to incoming Gentile believers constituted an
immediate baseline, after which they would progressively learn the remainder of
Moses in the synagogues each Sabbath. Acts 15:21 certainly mentions Moses being
proclaimed in the synagogues every Sabbath, and my conclusion represents one
interpretation of the significance of that statement. But the text does not
explicitly say that the Council intended those four requirements as the first
stage of a program through which Gentile believers would subsequently assume
the remainder of Torah observance. I moved from what the text says
to what I believe the text implies without clearly telling you that I
had done so. That distinction matters.
Paul’s letters make it clear that the
controversy extended into concerns about circumcision, Torah, Gentile
inclusion, and the sufficiency of Messiah, but the motives and identities of
Paul’s opponents are more complex than my earlier wording allowed. I inferred
something that was clearly more complex with circumstances that are highly nuanced,
and not something to be declared with certainty.
So, why should
I correct myself? Why interrupt our study to tell you
this?
The answer is simple: teachability and correctability are the bridge between error and false teaching. A mistaken teacher who says, “Let us look together at the text” is in a fundamentally different spiritual posture from the teacher who says, “That cannot be true because our ‘denomination/church’ doesn't teach it”. No theological system is identical with God's revelation. Every system must remain subordinate to the biblical text and open to correction by it.
This brings
us directly to Titus. This is The Titus Tension.
Seeker vs. Subverter
The danger isn't merely that one inherits an interpretation or a system. Every one of us has. In all fairness, I have a system. You, beloved, have also. We all come the Word of God with inherited biases, pre-conceptions, and unfortunately, prejudices learned over a lifetime. I would argue then, that no reader approaches Scripture without an interpretive inheritance. No, the danger comes when inherited interpretation becomes immune to correction by Scripture.
Subsequently then, here in lies the greater issue: even a sincere teacher can become a transmitter of error without ever intending to become a false teacher. All that God desires is men and women become true leaders, true worshippers, with affiliation to none other than Him and His Messiah. This will be the True Spine of an ekklesia that the gates of hell cannot stop. Let who the Son of Man sets free, be free indeed.
Hence, at the end of the day, systems do what systems do: they misconstrue their true intentions. They (the system) will by the very nature of it, find a way to read assumptions into the text – and I will admit – some are not even aware they are. Eisegesis wins the day; and unless one has trained their self in exegesis and Biblical hermeneutics, they will never notice it.
The teacher/preacher who was taught an inherited theological system and sincerely repeats it cannot automatically be placed alongside the exploitative wolf of 2 Peter 2. This is the place we will start: not pointing at denominations, nor individuals, but at systems—systems that through tradition and repetition have created institutional processes of producing teachers, training a person to defend an inherited theological system before that person has ever learned how to test that system against the raw data of the text itself.
Against this backdrop, the laity has to understand they are responsible also; there are among the ekklesia, are preachers/teachers who are hounded out of a local congregation because they speak too much of sin or because their sermons make the laity uncomfortable. If that is the case, then it is one of two things: the “system” is broken, or the “body” needs a spiritual awakening and are resistant. If the system is broken though – it needs a godly hand to right the ship again.
Consequently, considering the above situations, the systemic failure occurs when modern pastors and even laity apply Titus as a blunt instrument. Throughout years of observation, though, a recurring pattern emerges: a parishioner approaches a pastor looking for clarification, not confrontation. They (the laity) notice a hard passage that may have been misinterpreted or ignored completely. They then pose questions which either the leader cannot answer, or they (the pastor) feel that their theology or authority has come under attack. When this happens, the pastor has fundamentally misdiagnosed the situation and one or more of the following may occur:
- They treat a Seeker like a
Subverter.
- They use a text meant to protect
the flock to protect their own ego.
- Or they mistake a cry for contextual truth as an act of division.
Titus was
never meant to be a flat broadsword to bludgeon the laity into silent
submission. It is a scalpel in the hands of a trained, dedicated surgeon,
designed to heal and not to hurt. To restore balance, we must equip both sides
of the pulpit with biblical tools. To do so, I humbly lay out before you,
members of the clergy and the laity, a way forward.
Tool Set #1:
The Pastor’s Self-Examination Mirror
· What happens when the teacher has been trained to equate “sound doctrine” with “the doctrinal position of the institution that credentialed me”?
or
· Have they been taught how to examine their theological
system by Scripture—or have they primarily been taught how to defend
Scripture according to their theological system?
With these
questions in mind, and considering honestly any issue that comes before you,
to properly apply this mirror, one must test their own heart with these
diagnostic metrics:
- Primary Doctrine vs. Secondary Interpretation: Is the person overturning the foundational Sovereign Lordship of Yeshua, or are they simply questioning your denominational perspective on a difficult, nuanced passage?
- Flock Protection vs. Ego Protection: Are you angry because the flock is in danger of being devoured, or are you defensive because a parishioner noticed areas where your sermon lacked exegetical correctness?
- Factions vs. Fellowship: Is the individual gathering a group to split your church (Titus 3:10), or are they coming to you directly and privately to find out what the raw text actually supports?
- System Defending vs. Text Proclaiming: Have you been trained to equate “sound doctrine” with “the doctrinal position of the institution that credentialed me”? If you ignore a hard passage because it doesn't fit your system, the parishioner isn't being divisive by noticing it—they are practicing biblical discernment.
This does not
mean the church or the pastors are under attack – it is as simple as the clergy
must practice due diligence when handling the Words of God, to explain tough
passages to their flock, to make sure your doctrines are derived from a careful
study using exegesis as your guide.
Tool Category 2:
The Believer’s Discernment Matrix
For those who have been bruised or silenced by unhealthy church authority, you need tools to recognize when Titus is being misused as a weapon of control rather than an instrument of covenantal integrity. Paul’s description of actual false teachers in Titus provides a clear contrast against a sincere, questioning believer. You also must examine your own hearts to be sure what you perceive as unhealthy authority is actually just that. You are responsible for due diligence also. Here is a guide for you:
|
The Actual Subverter in Titus |
The Sincere Context-Seeker in the
Pew |
|
Motivated by Personal Gain: Teaches twisted doctrines for
shameful financial or personal influence (Titus 1:11). |
Motivated by Textual Depth: Shares historical context, maps, or
archeological data to enrich the body's understanding. |
|
Insubordinate & Empty Talkers: Rejects apostolic truth and rebels
against foundational gospel authority (Titus 1:10). |
Collaborative & Teachable: Posture is conversational, offering
visual resources or questions to dig into the raw text. |
|
Creation of Destructive Factions: Intentionally recruits people to
form divisive parties and split the church (Titus 3:10). |
Building Up the Ekklesia: Contributes tools directly to the
shared study group to foster active, thoughtful discussion. |
|
Profession Denied by Lawlessness: Their character and lifestyle
reveal a fundamental rebellion against God's ways (Titus 1:16). |
Desires Covenant Alignment: Their lifestyle shows a deep
reverence for the holiness of God and the preservation of Truth. |
The Duality of Godly Authority:
To Protect and Restore
· If authority only protects itself by walling itself off from any questions, it becomes an abusive fortress that traps error inside.
· If authority only accommodates without boundaries, it allows the wolves to feast on the spiritually immature.
Not necessarily evil. Not necessarily
deception.
Not necessarily greed.
What we want from our ekklesia is Biblical Truth, spoken plainly, taught righteously, and received with the heart, mind, and soul.
The ultimate goal of the Titus Tension is explicitly woven into your calling as the body of Messiah:
- To Hear: Leaders and congregants alike must cultivate a listening ear that is entirely subordinate to God's revelation rather than human systems.
- To Love: Rebukes and corrections must never flow from pastoral insecurity or institutional anger, but from a severe, redemptive love that wants to keep the sheep from wandering into ruin.
- To Return: When an interpretation is shown to be out of context, the response from the pulpit must be a swift return to the text via humility and t'shuva (repentance).
- To Become One Again: The final horizon is the "One New Man". True authority does not create uniform, silent, browbeaten spectators; it builds a unified, mobilized, mature ekklesia that stands together against cosmic evil.
Let us change our way of seeing. Let us look at Scripture through the worldview and context of the Apostles, refusing to bow to denominational preference or defensive egos. Search the Scriptures with me. If there is error in my words, show me from the text, for I am teachable. Let us journey together, right the ship where it is broken, and protect the flock as if our own, and uphold our good leaders.
Let us all be as the Bereans:
10 vThe brothers2 immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to
Berea, and when they arrived they wwent
into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in
Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, xexamining the Scriptures daily to see if these
things were so[ix]
We ask that Your
Spirit will lead hearts and minds to see not insult, but to see Your grace,
Leading us, helping
us to understand, that sometimes correction is needed, and if so, allow
Those who will, will
Hear, Love, Return, and Become the Body of Messiah You desire.
Till then may The
Most High God and His Messiah Yeshua
Guide you my Beloved
In Yeshua’s Blessed
name we pray Amein
[i] FAIR USE DISCLAIMER: This blog site may contain content that is not authorized for use by its owner. All such material will be cited back to its original source. According to Section 107 of the Copyright Act: “…the fair use of a copyrighted work […] for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright…” I have made and will continue to make every effort to stay within all ethical and moral guidelines in the use of material presented here, and the use of these materials is solely intended for educational purposes only, and all efforts to obtain or sustain fair use of non-owned material will be made.
[ii] Author’s note: This site is for education only and is not affiliated with any institution, organization, or religious group. It is the sole production of its editor/author. Use of information from Jewish-themed websites (or any other source material) should not be construed as these sites endorsing or confirming any thesis introduced by the author of this epistle. I present the information from their respective sites for instructional purposes only and/or to aid in the readers understanding of the subjects discussed.
[iii] Author’s note: Throughout these studies, I will be using the NET Bible® and the NET Notes®: within the notes you will see symbols like this: ( א B Ψ 892* 2427 sys). These are abbreviations used by the NET Bible® for identifying the principal manuscript evidence that they (authors and translators of the NET Bible®) used in translating the New Testament. Please go to https://bible.org/netbible/ and see their section labeled “NET Bible Principals of Translation” for a more complete explanation on these symbols and other items pertinent to the way the NET Bible uses them. This is not to say that the NET® Bible will be our only source of God’s word but will be used as seen fit.
[iv] Author’s Note: In these studies, I have used the notes that come along with the passages I cite from the sources that I cite: these need a bit of a disclaimer though. As in all things, not everything that is footnoted is something that I necessarily agree with, especially if it contradicts what I believe pertains to any matters of the Torah or the commandments of God. I give you the notes as they are written by the authors of the material I cite from, so that you can see the information contained within them. It truly is not my place to edit them; if they state anything that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be it. I will address these issues if requested. That is not to say I should not challenge something I believe, in my humble opinion, might contradict the truth of God’s word; that I will do in the main body of my epistles for that is where my gentle dissent belongs. Most (but not all) of the differences will come when I quote from a source that displays a decidedly Western/Greek mindset, as opposed to a Hebraic perspective. I must be intellectually honest – I am biased toward the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and His son, Yeshua the Messiah. I pray then we all can find common ground as we study the Scriptures. Also, some may be put off by the length or depth of the notes; not everyone has access to the references I do, therefore I try to include the notes that come with the material I use, so each can see for themselves the information the originator has pointedly gleaned. I hope you avail yourselves to these inclusions – they help us to understand how the material in scripture is laid out – the thought process of the original writer.
[v] Adapted from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWuLThvcF3g
[vi]
https://www.logos.com/grow/live-hermeneutics-vanhoozer/
[vii]
https://www.gotquestions.org/exegesis-eisegesis.html
[viii] I define as the historical and behavioral pattern of Yeshua and his first-century apostles continuing to practice the Sabbath, dietary guidelines, and biblical feasts as recorded in Luke-Acts.
v ver. 14; See John 21:23
2
Or brothers and sisters; also verse
14
w
ver. 2
x
[Isa. 34:16; John 5:39]
[ix]
The Holy Bible: English
Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles,
2025), Ac 17:10–11.
