GOD CANNOT LIE, SORDIT GAIN, COMMANDMENTS OF MEN

Titus 1.2

"GOD cannot lie." This words echoing the previous statement of Paul in which he said, "GOD remains faithful, He cannot deny Himself." By these words Paul reassure all Christians that GOD does not changing His Mind as human do, but He always faithful to His Own words, promises, oaths, and covenants. Sometimes GOD does change His mind, but He do it not because He is unstable in His words and promises like humans do, but for the sake and love of those who plead to Him (Exodus 32.11-14) (Amos 7.1-6).

And no matter how many times humans break with GOD they own promises, oaths, and agreements with Him, GOD always faithful and keep His words, His vows, and His promises intact. His own Holy nature does not allow Him to lie.

This cause GOD constantly to renew His covenants with His people of Israel, because if one generation kept His Commandments and Statutes and faithful to Him, the next generation may be not and would not keep His Commandments and go astray. GOD promised to Israel to be their GOD forever, and because of this promise He constantly renew His covenant after every fall generation, in order to continue to keep His people under His Covenant.

Such faithfulness is impossible to find among humans, but GOD is not a human being and His Own Principals and Ideals are His Own substance, matter, and core of His Own Holy Spirit. His Own personality and character made of love, compassion, mercy, and faith, He cannot defile His Own Being by a lie.



Titus 1.5-9

In verses from 5 to 9 Paul commanded Titus to appoint oversees (leaders, pastors, authority) in the cities of the Crete where are churches started to function. Paul also described what kind of people should be put in position of the leader-overseer. In his descriptions of such people Paul concentrated on the Spiritual qualities and morality of the leaders of the church, and not on their education, status among people, or their position in society.

Particularly Paul mentioned one important and very common sin among humans, defect, which is greed and love for sordid gain (7.11). Unfortunately, beside all other problems in the churches and transgressions, the greed for sordid gain remains one of the worse transgressions that is common to all churches throughout the ages.

Leaders of the churches still do not understand that they can't serve two Masters, Mammon and GOD. Collecting money, paying salaries to church clergy, acquiring properties, playing on the stock market and investing donated money to make more money, all of these do not make the church the church of GOD but the church of Mammon.

Churches are no longer the House of Prayer, Repent, Learning Centers, and workers of GOD'S will, but became the house of rubbers, sellers and peddlers, just like Jerusalem Temple during the time of Christ. Paul foreseeing all of these dysfunctions and greedy pursuits in the churches, and he warned Corinthians, Timothy, and Titus, to fight this corruption and not allow this transgression to take a root in their church.

~ 7.11. Teaching for monetary gain: (Micah 3.11) (Acts 20.33-35) (2Corinthians 2.17) (John 10.1-12-13-16) (1Timothy 6.3-5) (Titus 1.10-7.11-16) (1Peter 5.2-4).



Titus 1.14-16

This is also very important issue and perhaps stands second after "sordid gain" in the corruption of the church. Every church on Earth is inflicted and penetrated by this particular and very specific dishonesty and fraud. The commandments of men completely overshadow the Commandments of GOD, and people follow not the Truth of GOD that in His Word, but the lie and deceit of the commandments of men.

In time of Paul these deceitful commandments were Jewish myths as Paul describe them, based on the Jewish traditions beside the Traditions of GOD. The Christians do not fall far away and from this iniquity of false teachings, and false traditions and their false doctrines. It is common in every church the establishment of their own customs, traditions, and doctrines that goes against GOD Commandments and His true Word.


Christians like to blame Jews for their disobedience and resistance against GOD, but they themselves do the same thing by resisting GOD with their own false myths, doctrines, traditions, customs, rituals, and teachings. Some forbid to drink coffee, some forbid to eat certain foods, some imply certain rituals and ceremonies to be perform which are not consistent or relevant with the Bible teachings.

Against such corruption of the church Paul made very precise and to the point statement, "To the pure all things are pure." Ignoring the Statutes and Commandments of GOD already make a person impure, because such person defiling himself/herself by the physical traditional doctrine of prejudges and assumptions, and neglected the Spiritual aspect of the Word of GOD, because physical things no longer matter, but the Spiritual Qualities and their Properties are everything for the life in Christ.

In verse 16 Paul writes about False teachers who profess to know GOD, but by their own deeds of false doctrines, rituals, customs, ceremonies, and traditions, they are worthless for any GOOD DEEDS, by these they are denying GOD'S Spirituality and consequently GOD Himself.

@Alex2165 says:

“…the greed for sordid gain remains one of the worse transgressions that is common to all churches throughout the ages.”

AND

“ It is common in every church the establishment of their own customs, traditions, and doctrines that goes against GOD Commandments and His true Word.”

AND

“Every church on Earth is inflicted and penetrated by this particular and very specific dishonesty and fraud.”

So Alex 2165 has set himself up as the Supreme Ecclesiastical Judge of All Churches of All Time, pronouncing stern condemnation upon every one of them.

If only he could have been their bishops and pastors!

I think it is a good general point well made that especially the western church serves money very often…

Ascetic X said:

@Alex2165 says:

“…the greed for sordid gain remains one of the worse transgressions that is common to all churches throughout the ages.”

AND

“ It is common in every church the establishment of their own customs, traditions, and doctrines that goes against GOD Commandments and His true Word.”

AND

“Every church on Earth is inflicted and penetrated by this particular and very specific dishonesty and fraud.”

So Alex 2165 has set himself up as the Supreme Ecclesiastical Judge of All Churches of All Time, pronouncing stern condemnation upon every one of them.

If only he could have been their bishops and pastors!

Click to expand...

I write exactly what I seen and experienced in my life, and this is true what every single church I ever visit in my life, I saw the same thing, lies, false doctrines, and greed, and I totally agree with Paul and with all other men of GOD who criticized church for their hypocrisy.

Your sarcastic remarks I will take as a good proof of my words, because you did not say anything in defense of the church.
Have a good day.

Alex2165 said:

I write exactly what I seen and experienced in my life, and this is true what every single church I ever visit in my life, I saw the same thing, lies, false doctrines, and greed, and I totally agree with Paul and with all other men of GOD who criticized church for their hypocrisy.

Your sarcastic remarks I will take as a good proof of my words, because you did not say anything in defense of the church.
Have a good day.

Click to expand...

You said every church throughout history was corrupted by greed. Now you back pedal and revise your assertion to be: all the churches you ever visited. You sound very angry, bitter, and self-righteous.

I do not have to defend any church. Your blanket condemnation was not in compliance with Jesus’ prayer that all believers be one as He and the Father are one.

You even claim “Paul with all other men of God criticized church for their hypocrisy.”

You might benefit from reading more closely and carefully the writings of the apostle Paul, the church fathers, and other men of God. Church history records both negative and positive things about churches, but does not document how every one of them was greedy.

Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. You seem to claim He was wrong.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus contradicts your allegation, by His describing good and bad things about various churches. He did not criticize them all for being greedy, lying, or having false doctrine, as you do.

Ascetic X said:

You said every church throughout history was corrupted by greed. Now you back pedal and revise your assertion to be: all the churches you ever visited. You sound very angry, bitter, and self-righteous.

I do not have to defend any church. Your blanket condemnation was not in compliance with Jesus’ prayer that all believers be one as He and the Father are one.

You even claim “Paul with all other men of God criticized church for their hypocrisy.”

You might benefit from reading more closely and carefully the writings of the apostle Paul, the church fathers, and other men of God. Church history records both negative and positive things about churches, but does not document how every one of them was greedy.

Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. You seem to claim He was wrong.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus contradicts your allegation, by His describing good and bad things about various churches. He did not criticize them all for being greedy, lying, or having false doctrine, as you do.

Click to expand...

You
“You said every church throughout history was corrupted by greed.”

Me.
Starting from the Book of Acts and all the way to Revelation, corruption of the churches revealed in all the writings of the Apostles.

You.
“Now you back pedal and revise your assertion to be: all the churches you ever visited. You sound very angry, bitter, and self-righteous.”

Me.
“Back pedal” From what? Is it not clear for you, or for anyone else in this matter, who actually read the Bible, that the corruption settled from the very beginning of the early church, and the Apostles, particularly Paul, because he was the Apostle of Gentiles, constantly reminded churches that he had established, about corruption, lies, and greed in the midst? There is nothing here, as you assorted to “back pedal” from, it is a FACT, which seems you are denying, or hate to hear!

You.
”I do not have to defend any church.”

Me.
Comfortable position you chose. You are not hot and not cold; you are like lukewarm (Revelation 3.16).

You.
“Your blanket condemnation was not in compliance with Jesus’ prayer.”

Me.
In this case not only me is not in compliance with Jesus’s prayer, but also Paul, and all His Apostles are not in compliance with Him, according to you.

You.
“that all believers be one as He and the Father are one.”

Me.
You are absolutely right; we must be one with Christ as He One with His Father.

Well, tell me then, why we have so many denominations and differences in doctrines, traditions, rituals, and believes? Why we so separated and different from one another? There is our unity in Christ to be the one holy church with Him and with His Father? Is it not because of our corruption?

You.
”You even claim “Paul with all other men of God criticized church for their hypocrisy.”

Me.
Is it not true?

You.
”You might benefit from reading more closely and carefully the writings of the apostle Paul, the church fathers, and other men of God.”

Me.
Thank you for your wise advice. I am not reading the Bible sir, I am study it, Book by Book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. You read it as another literature, but I study it as a source of life.

You.
“Church history records”

Me.
“Church history records”? What church history? Whose church history? Hundreds of historians wrote and still write church history, to which of them you are referring?

You.
“both negative and positive things about churches, but does not document how every one of them was greedy.”

Me.
That a shame! Should we put our trust in church’s historians and their numerous and countless books, or we better to study the Word of GOD - the Bible, and find out the straightforward truth for ourselves, which one of these two ways is better?

You.
”Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.”

Me.
Yes, the gates of Hell would not prevail against the TRUE CHURCH OF GOD, but corrupted church cannot be saved, because no corruption will ever enter the Heaven of GOD, but certainly the hell will prevail over corrupted church and will consume it.

You perhaps one of those who do not like hear criticism, but prefer soft account, portrayal, and mild depiction of the church.

But criticism is essential tool to keep the church in check and on the right path to Christ. Without criticism and discipline in the church, the church will go astray and will lose its primary function. This is why I study such criticism of the church by the Apostles with special intention to improve myself and others, to correct the problematic matters in the church, in order to achieve, as you yourself wrote, the unity with GOD.

You
“ You seem to claim He was wrong.”

Me.
Now you start lying and making things up, you produced false statement about me without any proof. I met people like you before, in this forum and outside, people who cannot prove their point but immediately making false statements and false accusations. The same thing some people done against Christ and His Apostles, saying, stating, and accusing them of words and statement what they never said.

You.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus contradicts your allegation, by His describing good and bad things about various churches.”

“He describing…” This is how you see it. I see it as He had criticized them and warning them of consequences of their corruption. Certainly, every church also does and good things, that is every church supposed to do. But what the point to thank yourselves for good things that church does, the things it must do (Luke 17.7-10), we should be gladder and prouder for the things we do not do, like corruption, greed, and evil.

You.
“He did not criticize them all for being greedy, lying, or having false doctrine, as you do.”

Me.
And here is another false statement of yours, and now you falsifying Jesus’ Words and His Statements. Jesus in every Gospel Book not only criticized the hypocrites and the wicked, He also warned them of the consequences, and will eventually punish all of them. Only a stupid and foolish person would not pay attention to the criticism and the warnings of GOD.