New Testament · Letters

Titus chapter 1

From Paul, a of God and an of Jesus , sent to strengthen the of those God has chosen and to deepen their understanding of the truth that leads to a ,rooted in the hope of that God—who —promised before time even began,and at just the right time, he through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our .To Titus, my in the trust we share: and to you from God the Father and the One, Jesus, our Rescuer.I left you in to finish organizing what still needed to be done and to appoint for in every town, just as I directed you.A leader must be someone whose life is —, with children who trust God and aren’t known for being out of control or rebellious.Because an manages , his life must be above criticism. He can’t be arrogant, short-tempered, a heavy drinker, violent, or greedy for money.Instead, he should be , passionate about what is good, , fair, , and disciplined.He must hold firmly to the as it was taught, so that he can both encourage others with and expose those who argue against it.Because there are many people who are , full of empty talk and deception—especially —and they need to be , because they’re by teaching things they shouldn’t—all for the sake of dishonest profit.One of said it: “People from Crete are always liars, vicious animals, and lazy gluttons.”This assessment is accurate. So correct them sharply, so that they become ,instead of paying attention to and the of people who have turned away from the truth.To those who are on the inside, everything is clean. But to those who are and refuse to trust, nothing is clean—even their minds and are contaminated.They claim to know God, but their actions completely contradict it. They are , disobedient, and .