Common - Titus - 1

1:1  Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth which leads to godliness,

1:2  in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,

1:3  and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior,

1:4  to Titus, my true child in a common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

1:5  For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might straighten out what was left unfinished, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you,

1:6  namely, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild or rebellious.

1:7  For the overseer must be blameless as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not fond of sordid gain,

1:8  but hospitable, a lover of what is good, master of himself, upright, holy, and self-controlled;

1:9  he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to refute those who contradict it.

1:10  For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision.

1:11  They must be silenced, because they are upsetting whole families by teaching things they ought not to teach for the sake of sordid gain.

1:12  One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."

1:13  This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith

1:14  and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who reject the truth.

1:15  To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are corrupted and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

1:16  They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds; they are detestable and disobedient, unfit for any good deed.