One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Titus 1:12-13

Upon first glance this scripture might present some "logical" problems. This Cretian is telling us that Cretians are always liars. Shall we give this assertion any credibility? What does the apostle Paul say about this Cretian's veracity? Paul settles the matter by saying, "This witness is true". I don't see Paul saying that this Cretian prophet ([Possibly] Epimenides) is one of us. He is called one of themselves, one of the Cretians. We see him called a prophet, but he isn't a prophet of God. He is a prophet of the Cretians. In some ways Epimenides is like John Calvin. Calvin believed that God foreknew and predestinated the elect. He embraced this along with a multitude of heresies. Does holding a modicum of truth lend credibility to the Calvinism? No, Calvin had a ray of light but walked in the darkness of heresy.

Today there are those that preach a modicum of truth but don't preach the Way the Truth and the Life. When listening to them one might hear them say "men are saved by grace". They may preach that "God is love". They may preach that "God has himself a Kingdom here on this earth called His Church". One can preach all these things and still not be an Old Baptist. I have never heard an Arminian that wouldn't tell you that Jesus Christ is Lord. They will tell you that you are saved by grace. But whom did Christ save? They will insist Christ died for every man, and it's up to man to do something to ascertain his own eternal salvation. They insist that Jesus did all he "could do" by offering salvation, now it's up to man.

There are still "Cretians" too close to many of us. They are unruly and vain talkers and deceivers whose mouths must be stopped. They subvert whole houses. They teach things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate. The exhortation is to "rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith". Rebuking those that are without will not benefit those that are without. Rebuking these vain talkers in front of those that are within the family of God will edify the child of God and present the soundness of the faith that was once delivered to the saints. There is something profoundly lacking in these "evil liars and deceivers". The gates of hell will come against the Church but our Lord promised the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. These that love and make a lie have a place … it is without. Bro. M. Hoogasian 4/9/2003