1 PAUL’Sa LETTER TO TITUS Greeting From Paul, a servantb of God and an apostlec of Jesus Christ, in line with the faith of God’s chosen ones. And it’s in line with the knowledge of truth that comes fromd reverence for God.
2 It’s based on the hope of eternal life that God, who’s utterly truthful, promised many ages ago.
3 And God has brought the divine message to light at the right momente.-by the proclamation that I’ve been entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.
4 To Titus, my true child in our common faith. Grace and peace to you, from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Savior.
5 Instructions for Leadership in Crete The reason I left you in Crete was so that you could finish setting things up-including appointingf elders in every city, as I instructed you.
6 They should have a spotless reputationg and be faithful to one spouse.h They should have believing children. They shouldn’t be open to the accusation of living self-destructively, or of being rebellious.i
7 After all, a pastorj has to have a spotless reputationk as a caretakerl of God’s household. They shouldn’t be self-centered or hot-tempered. They should not be a drinker, or violent, or greedy about money.
8 Not at all. They should be hospitable. They should love what’s good. They should be self-controlled, a person of integrity.m They should be holy and disciplined.
9 They should be loyal to the message of faith, in line with our teaching. That way, they will not only be able to encourage people with that healthy teaching-they’ll also be able to refute people who oppose it.
10 Because there are lots of are rebellious, nonsense-talking deceivers. Most of them come out of Judaism.n
11 You have to make them be quiet. They upset whole familieso by teaching things they shouldn’t teach for their own advantage.p
12 One of them-one of their own prophets-said, “Cretansq are always liars, nasty brutes, and lazy gluttons”.
13 That testimony is true!r So confront them ruthlessly about it, so they’ll be healthy in the faith.
14 They won’t be paying attention to Jewish myths, and to rules from people who are turning their back on the truth.
15 To the pure, everything’s pure.s. But to people who are corrupt and faithless,t nothing’s pure. Just the opposite. Their mind and their conscience are both corrupt.
16 They claimu to know God, but they deny God with their actions. They’re horrible and disobedient, and they’re worthless when it comes to doing anything good.
1 Good Teachings and Practices But as for you, keep speaking out with healthy teaching. Tell thema
2 that older men should be sober,b honorable, and self-disciplined. They should be strongc in faith, love, and endurance.
3 The same with older women. They should be reverent in their behavior. They shouldn’t spread vicious rumors,d or be addicted alcohol,e but should have good things to teach.f
4 They should give the young women wise advice and teach them to love their husbands and their children. They should teach them to be
5 self-controlled, holy, dedicated homemakers. They should be kind, and obedient to their husbands, so that God’s message won’t get insulted.
6 Encourage the young men to be self-controlled too.
7 In every situation, present yourself as a model of good behavior: by your teaching, your integrity,g your dignity,
8 and your impeccably wholesome habits of speech. That way, anybody who’s against the faith will end up looking bad,h because they won’t have anything bad to say against us.
9 Slaves should be obedient to their masters about everything. Make them happy with you, rather than talking back
10 and swiping things.i Show them total good faith. That way, you’ll always bring honor toj the teaching of God our Savior.
11 Because God’s grace has appeared, bringing salvation to all humanity.k
12 It’s taught us to renounce godlessness, and the obsessionsl of this world. It’s taught us to live soberly, justly, and reverently in this age,
13 as we wait expectantly for our wonderfulm hope: the appearance of the glory of our great God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.n
14 Christ gave himself for us, to set us free from all our lawlessness, and to purify a special people for himself-a people totally committed to doing what’s good.o
15 Keep saying these things. And keep on encouraging and correcting people with complete authority. No one should look down on you.
1 The Importance of Peacefulness and Gentleness Remind peoplea to submit themselves to the ruling authorities and obey them.b They should be ready to do all kinds of good things.c
2 They should never insult anybody. They should be peaceful and easygoing.d They should show complete gentleness to all people.
3 After all, we used to be thoughtlesse once, too-we were disobedient and deceived. We were enslaved to various obsessionsf and pleasures. We went about our lives in nastiness and hate. We were horrible, and we hated each other.
4 But then God our Savior’s kindness and love for humanity was revealed to us.
5 It wasn’t because of things we’d done rightg.-far from it. God saved us in line with God’s mercy, by washing us through rebirth and renewal byh the Holy Spirit.
6 God poured out the Holy Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
7 That way, we could be found innocent by his grace, and could become heirs, in line with the hope of eternal life.
8 That’s a trustworthy statement. And I want you to keep insisting on these things. That way, those who believe in God will concentrate on doing good things that are honorable and useful to people.
9 But avoid stupid arguments, genealogies of semi-divine beings,i petty fighting, and conflicts over the Law. Because those things are worthless and useless.
10 Refuse to talk to a divisive person, after a first and second warning.
11 You know that they’re being perverse and sinning, and that they’re condemning themselves.
12 Final Instructions and Greeting When I send Artemasj or Tychicusk to you, make a big effort to come to me at Nicopolisl.-I’ve decided to stay there for the winter.
13 Do a good job in sending Zenasm the lawyer and Apollosn on their way-make sure they have everything they need.o
14 And let our folks be learning to concentrate on doing good things that meet pressing needs, so they won’t be unproductive.
15 Everybody here with me says hello. Say hello to our friends in the faith. Grace be with you all.