πŸ‘‘ The Nature of the Beast

β€œOne of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are…evil beasts…” (Titus 1:12).

When that Cretian prophet said that the Cretians are β€œevil beasts,” he was saying that they were men who β€œdespise government…bruteΒ beasts” who β€œspeakΒ evilΒ of dignities” (II Pet. 2:10-12), men who β€œdespise dominion, and speakΒ evilΒ of dignities…as bruteΒ beasts” (Jude 1:8-10). A wild beast refuses to let a man impose his will on him, so men who won’t let civil rulers impose their will onΒ themΒ are called beasts.

When Paul added,

β€œThis witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13),

he was asserting that it is impossible to resist β€œthe powers that be” in government (Rom.13:1,2) and still be considered sound in the faith.

We see further evidence that this was a problem in Crete when Paul later told Titus,

β€œPut them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates… to speak evil of no man” (Titus 3:1,2).

Christians who speak evil of magistrates and other men in government are so plentiful these days that they could be called β€œLegion,” for they β€œare many” (Mark 5:9). But the Apostle Paul immediately regretted it when he learned that he had unwittingly spoken evil of the leader ofΒ hisΒ nation (Acts 23:1-5).

We sometimes hear Christians object that it is not speaking evil of dignities in government if the criticisms we level against them are true. However, everything Paul said aboutΒ hisΒ leader was true. GodΒ willΒ smite him someday because heΒ wasΒ a β€œwhited wall” (Acts 23:3), a hypocrite who feigned to judge PaulΒ accordingΒ to the law, but commanded him to be smittenΒ contraryΒ to the law. Yet we know that Paul considered the true words he had spoken against his leader to beΒ evilΒ words, for he went on to admit that he had violated the interdispensational principle of, β€œThou shalt not speakΒ evil of the ruler of thy people” (Acts 23:5).

This is reminiscent of Christians today who say we don’t have to obey our leaders in government becauseΒ theyΒ often act contrary to the constitution of the United States, the law of our land. But Paul regretted speaking evil of the leader ofΒ hisΒ nation even though he had commanded Paul to be smitten contrary to the law ofΒ theirΒ land, the law of Moses.

The bottom line is, there is simply no justification or excuse of any kind for the shameful way that God’s people often speak of the civil leaders whom Paul calls β€œGod’s ministers” (Rom. 13:6),

β€œWhereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord” (II Pet. 2:11).

Over the years, you may have had to struggleΒ mightilyΒ to be sound in the faith as you came to realize what Paul taught about difficult and sensitive subjects such as water baptism, speaking in tongues, and healing. But if your heart yearns to beΒ trulyΒ sound inΒ everyΒ aspect of the faith, if you long to be Pauline inΒ allΒ matters of faith and practice, I would invite you to consider following Paul as he followed Christ inΒ thisΒ critical area of the faith as well (I Cor. 11:1).

After all, the power that Pilate had to crucify the Lord was certainly anΒ evilΒ power, yet the Lord said that it was given to him β€œfrom above” (John 19:10,11). Learning not to speak evil of the often evil power of civil leaders is an unfathomably difficult path to tread at times for some, but it is the path trodden by the Apostle Paul and his Christ. And it is my earnest plea that it is the path you will choose as well. source

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