What does Titus 1:10 mean?

Verses 5–9 discussed qualifications for Christian church elders. Starting in verse 9, Paul changes focus to address false teachers which existed on Crete, and elsewhere. Paul notes that there are many of these false teachers. The problem of phony teachers was a large-scale problem for Titus and other Christians on Crete. They were "empty talkers and deceivers." This indicates that their error was in words, rather than physical persecution. In particular, Paul noted "those of the circumcision party." These people were a movement within the early church who taught Gentile Christians that they must be circumcised and obey the law of Moses to live as obedient followers of Christ. The church at Jerusalem addressed this controversy approximately 14 years earlier, around AD 50. At that time, it was understood that circumcision and Torah-observance was not required of Gentile converts (Acts 15). This interpretation was widely circulated, yet opponents clearly remained even years later.