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in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
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Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
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An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
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Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.
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Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.
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He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
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Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good
For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.
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They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
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This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith
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and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth.
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To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
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Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel
You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.
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Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
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In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness
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and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
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who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
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These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
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Saved in Order to Do Good
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,
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whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
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This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
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You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.
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Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.
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Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.
