“This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;”
My Notes
What Does Titus 1:13 Mean?
Paul instructs Titus to rebuke certain people "sharply" (apotomōs—severely, with cutting precision) so that they may be "sound in the faith." The purpose of the sharp rebuke isn't punishment or humiliation. It's health—soundness, wholeness, freedom from disease. The rebuke is surgical: it cuts to heal, not to wound.
The word "sharply" doesn't mean cruelly. It means decisively. A surgeon who cuts hesitantly causes more damage than one who cuts cleanly. The sharpness of the rebuke is proportional to the severity of the error. Gentle correction is appropriate for gentle errors. Sharp correction is appropriate for errors that threaten the faith's integrity.
The phrase "sound in the faith" (hugiainōsin en tē pistei) uses medical language: sound (hugiainō) means healthy, whole, free from infection. The faith they hold has become diseased. The rebuke is the treatment. And the treatment needs to match the disease: a serious infection requires serious intervention. The sharp rebuke isn't Paul being harsh. It's Paul being a doctor who understands that some conditions require more than a gentle suggestion.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is there a conversation you've been avoiding because it requires sharpness? What's preventing you from having it?
- 2.Can you distinguish between sharp correction aimed at healing and sharp correction aimed at dominance?
- 3.If the goal of rebuke is 'soundness in the faith,' how do you ensure your confrontations serve that purpose?
- 4.Have you ever received a sharp rebuke that made you healthier? What made it effective rather than destructive?
Devotional
"Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith." The sharpness isn't cruelty. It's surgery. The goal isn't to wound but to heal. The faith has become diseased—infected with false teaching—and the treatment needs to match the severity of the infection. A gentle word for a deadly infection is malpractice.
Paul uses medical language: "sound" means healthy. The faith has become unhealthy, and the sharp rebuke is the prescription. You don't treat a serious infection with gentle encouragement. You treat it with strong medicine—decisively, completely, without hesitation. The sharp rebuke is the antibiotic. The goal is a healthy patient, not a comfortable one.
The balance is crucial: Paul doesn't say rebuke for its own sake. He says rebuke sharply so that they may be sound. The purpose clause changes everything. Sharp correction without a healing purpose is abuse. Sharp correction aimed at soundness in the faith is love. The motive determines whether the sharpness is surgery or violence.
If you need to confront someone—if there's a conversation you've been avoiding because it requires sharpness—Paul's framework gives permission: rebuke sharply. But check the purpose. Is the goal their soundness or your relief? Their health or your superiority? The sharp word serves the patient, not the surgeon. If your rebuke is aimed at making them healthy in the faith, the sharpness is justified. If it's aimed at anything else, it's just pain without purpose.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture