Bible Study Title: “Professing God, Denying Him in Deeds”
Text: Titus 1:15–16 (NKJV) 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. Titus 1:15-16
1. Abominable – “Offensive to God”Key Word Meaning: The word abominable (Greek: bdelyktos) refers to something detestable, vile, or repulsive to God—especially in the moral and spiritual sense. This word is often used to describe idolatry or corrupt actions that God cannot tolerate.
Supporting Scriptures:
Proverbs 15:8 – 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight. Proverbs 15:8
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 – 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Revelation 21:8 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
Explanation: To be abominable means not just to do wrong, but to embody practices that are completely contrary to God’s nature. People who profess to know God but live in such a way, that mocks His holiness, and they fall under this label. It includes those who mix false worship or immoral behavior with religious talk, making their whole life offensive to the One they claim to serve. Their works are not neutral—they repel God's presence.
2. Disobedient – “Rebellious in Heart”Key Word Meaning: Disobedient (Greek: apeithēs) means unpersuadable, stubborn, and unwilling to be brought under authority. It is not ignorance but willful defiance.
Supporting Scriptures: Romans 10:21 – 21 But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people.” Romans 10:21
1 Samuel 15:23 – 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:23
2 Timothy 3:1–2 – 1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Explanation: Disobedience here isn’t just an occasional failure; it’s a settled attitude of rebellion. These are people who refuse correction and resist God’s truth even while pretending to honor Him. It highlights a heart issue—not just rule-breaking, but willful resistance to God's authority and instruction. Their lives reflect spiritual mutiny, regardless of their religious claims.
3. Disqualified – “Unfit for Service”Key Word Meaning: Disqualified (Greek: adokimos) means rejected after testing, like a counterfeit coin. It refers to one who fails to meet the standard and is therefore not approved or usable.
Supporting Scriptures:
2 Corinthians 13:5 – 5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5
Jeremiah 6:30 – 30 People will call them rejected silver, Because the LORD has rejected them.” Jeremiah 6:30
Romans 1:28 –28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; Romans 1:28 (“Debased” here is the same root word as “disqualified”)
Explanation: To be disqualified doesn’t mean they once were good and then failed, but that they never passed the test of true faith. Outwardly they may look religious, but inwardly they lack genuine commitment-obedience. They are unusable in God's kingdom, like tools that cannot perform the job they were designed for. In the end, their works are evidence that they are unfit for any good work, having denied the very power of the gospel.
Conclusion: Paul’s warning in Titus 1:15–16 is sobering. It reminds us that a mere profession of faith is not enough; our works reveal whether our hearts are truly purified by God’s grace. Those who are abominable, disobedient, and disqualified live in contradiction to their profession and are ultimately rejected in God’s assessment. This calls each of us to self-examination and to pursue holiness not only in word, but in life.
