1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness –2in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,3and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Saviour,4To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Appointing elders who love what is good
5The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint[1] elders in every town, as I directed you.6An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[2] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.7Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless – not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.8Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.9He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Rebuking those who fail to do good
10For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.11They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach – and that for the sake of dishonest gain.12One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.’[3]13This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith14and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth.15To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.16They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
Titus 1
English Standard Version
Greeting
1Paul, a servant[1] of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, (2Co 1:1; 1Ti 2:4; 1Ti 6:3)2in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began[2] (Nu 23:19; Ro 1:2; 2Ti 1:1; 2Ti 1:9; 2Ti 2:13; Tit 2:13; Tit 3:7; Heb 6:18; Heb 9:15)3and at the proper time manifested in his word[3] through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; (Ro 10:14; 1Ti 1:1; 1Ti 1:11; 1Ti 2:6)4To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (1Ti 1:2; 2Pe 1:1; 3Jo 1:4; Jud 1:3)
Qualifications for Elders
5This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— (Ac 14:23; 1Ti 1:3; 2Ti 2:2)6if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,[4] and his children are believers[5] and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. (Eph 5:18; 1Ti 3:2)7For an overseer,[6] as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, (Lu 12:42; 1Co 4:1; 1Ti 3:8; 1Pe 4:10; 1Pe 5:2; 2Pe 2:10)8but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. (1Co 9:25)9He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound[7] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (2Th 2:13; 2Th 2:15; 1Ti 1:10; 1Ti 1:15; 2Ti 1:13)10For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.[8] (Ac 11:2; 1Ti 1:6)11They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. (1Ti 6:5; 2Ti 3:6; 2Pe 2:3)12One of the Cretans,[9] a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”[10] (Ac 17:28)13This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, (2Co 13:10; 1Ti 5:20; Tit 2:1; Tit 2:15)14not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. (Col 2:22; 1Ti 1:4; 1Ti 6:20)15To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. (Lu 11:41; Ac 10:15; Ro 14:23; 1Ti 4:3; 1Ti 6:5)16They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. (1Ti 5:8; 2Ti 3:8; 1Jo 2:4)