God’s revealed plan

1 From Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus the Messiah, in accordance with the faith of God’s chosen people, and the knowledge of the truth that goes with godliness, ² in the hope of the life of the coming age. God, who never lies, promised this before the ages began, ³ and has now, at the right time, unveiled his word through the proclamation entrusted to me, according to the command of our divine savior.

⁴ To Titus, my true child, according to the faith which we share.

Grace and peace from God the father and Messiah Jesus our savior.

Appointing elders

⁵ This is why I left you in Crete: you are to set straight all the remaining matters, and appoint elders for every town, as I charged you to do. ⁶ Elders must be blameless, the husband of only one wife. Their children must be believers, and must not be open to the accusation of loose living, or being rebellious. ⁷ This is because an overseer, as one of God’s household managers, must be blameless. He must not be stubborn, or hotheaded, or a heavy drinker, or a bully, or eager for shameful gain. ⁸ He must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, sensible, just, holy and self-controlled. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the reliable word which goes with the teaching, so that he may have the power both to exhort people with healthy instruction and to give a proper rebuttal to those who oppose it.

The problems in Crete

¹⁰ There are many, you see, who refuse to come into line—people who speak foolishness and deceive others. This is true in particular of the circumcision party. ¹¹ It’s important that they should be silenced, because they are overturning whole households by teaching things that shouldn’t be taught—and trying to make a shameful living out of it! ¹² One of their own, a native prophet, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil animals, idle guzzlers.” ¹³ This testimony is true! That’s why you must rebuke them sternly, so that they may become healthy in the faith, ¹⁴ paying no attention to Jewish myths and the commandments of people who reject the truth. ¹⁵ Everything is pure to people who are pure. But if people are defiled or faithless, nothing is pure for them; even their mind and conscience are defiled. ¹⁶ They declare that they know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable and disobedient, and useless for any good work.