Greeting
1 Paul,
a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the
faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords
with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but
has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was
committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;
4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
Qualified Elders
5 For
this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the
things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded
you— 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop
must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not
quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding
fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by
sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
The Elders’ Task
10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose
mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things
which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. 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.
