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Beginning

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Duration: 365 days

Titus 1-3

Salutation^[a]

Chapter 1

Address. ¹Paul, a servant of God^[b] and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of those whom God has chosen and their knowledge of religious truth, ²with its hope of eternal life that God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, ³and who now at his appointed time has revealed his word through the proclamation with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior, ⁴to Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share:^[c] grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.^[d]

Church Organization

A Bishop Must Be Blameless.^[e] ⁵The reason I left you behind in Crete was so that you could finish up the work that remained to be done and appoint presbyters in every town as I directed you. ⁶Each man must be blameless and the husband of only one wife, with children who are believers and free from any suspicion of licentious or rebellious behavior.

⁷For in his role as God’s steward a bishop^[f] must be blameless. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or prone to drunkenness or violent or avaricious. ⁸Rather, he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. ⁹In addition, he must hold firmly to the authentic message he has been taught, so that he may be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.

¹⁰For the Pure All Things Are Pure.^[g] For there are also many rebellious people, especially among the Jewish converts,^[h] who deceive others with their empty talk. ¹¹It is essential to silence them, since they are ruining whole households by teaching for dishonest gain what it is not right to teach. ¹²It was one of their very own prophets, a man from Crete, who said,

“Cretans have always been liars, vicious beasts, and lazy gluttons.”

¹³This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply so that they may be restored to a sound faith, ¹⁴rather than paying attention to Jewish myths or to the commandments of those who turn away from the truth.

¹⁵To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are corrupt and without faith nothing is pure.^[i] Their very minds and their consciences have been corrupted. ¹⁶They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds. They are detestable and disobedient, totally unfit for any good work.

Proper Conduct for Christians

Chapter 2

Teach What Is Consistent with Sound Doctrine.^[j] ¹As for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. ²Exhort the older men to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in perseverance.

³Similarly, exhort the older women to be reverent in their behavior, not to be slanderous or slaves of drink, and eager to teach what is good. ⁴They can then instruct the younger women to love their husbands and their children, ⁵to be self-controlled and chaste, to be diligent homemakers, to be agreeable, and to respect the authority of their husbands so that the word of God may not be derided.

⁶Likewise, exhort the younger men to exercise self-control. ⁷Show yourself to them in all respects as a model of good works, while in your teaching exhibit integrity and dignity ⁸and a soundness of speech that cannot be criticized. Then any opponent will be put to shame when he can find nothing evil to say about us.

⁹Exhort slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give them satisfaction in every respect. They are not to talk back to them, ¹⁰nor are they to steal from them. Rather, they should show themselves to be completely trustworthy so that in every way they may add luster to the doctrine of God our Savior.

¹¹The Grace of God Has Appeared.^[k] For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to the entire human race. ¹²It teaches us to reject godless ways and worldly desires, and in the present age to lead lives that are temperate, just, and godly, ¹³while we await our blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.^[l] ¹⁴He gave himself for us in order to deliver us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people as his own who are eager to do good.

¹⁵The Goodness of God Our Savior.^[m] These are the things you should expound. Exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Chapter 3

¹Remind everyone to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey them, to be ready to perform any honorable task,^[n] ²to slander no one, to avoid quarrels, to be gentle, and to be gracious to everyone.

³For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, and enslaved by various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy. We ourselves were hateful, and we hated one another.

⁴But when the goodness and loving kindness
    of God our Savior appeared,
⁵^[o]not because of any righteous deeds on our part
    but because of his mercy,
he saved us through the bath of rebirth
    and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
⁶whom he lavished on us abundantly
    through Jesus Christ our Savior,
⁷so that we might be justified by his grace
    and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

⁸This saying can be trusted.

Be Devoted to Good Works.^[p] I want you to stress these points, so that those who have come to believe in God will be determined to devote themselves to good works. All this is right and beneficial for people. ⁹But avoid foolish arguments, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the Law, for they are unprofitable and futile.

¹⁰Warn a heretic once or twice, but afterward reject him. ¹¹You may be sure that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned.

Conclusion^[q]

¹²Final Message. As soon as I have sent Artemas^[r] or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, where I intend to spend the winter. ¹³Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos^[s] on their way, and see to it that they lack nothing. ¹⁴Meanwhile, our people must be taught to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs^[t] so that they will not be unfruitful.

¹⁵Farewell. All those with me send you greetings. Greetings to those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with all of you.^[u]

Footnotes

Titus 1:1 In this beautiful salutation the author highlights the centrality of the Letter’s salvation theme in two ways. (1) He defines the role of an apostle—to tell all people of God’s plan to lead them to eternal life. (2) He specifically mentions Christ’s role as Savior, which he does in no other salutation.
Titus 1:1 Servant of God: this is the only place Paul applies the phrase to himself; elsewhere he calls himself “servant of Christ” (see Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; Phil 1:1). Apostle: see note on Mk 6:30.
Titus 1:4 God our Savior . . . Christ Jesus our Savior: the term “Savior” is applied three times to God the Father (here and Tit 2:10; 3:4; see also 1 Tim 1:1; 2:3; 4:10) and three times to Jesus (Tit 1:4; 2:13; 3:6; see also 2 Tim 1:10).
Titus 1:4 My loyal child in the faith we share: Titus is Paul’s true child because he accepts and will proclaim the faith that Paul preaches. This links Titus with the developing chain of tradition.
Titus 1:5 The young communities remain under the direct supervision of the Apostle or his delegate. But the latter establishes a group of people entrusted with its day-to-day operation and regular instruction. Such delegates are given various names in the New Testament: presbyters, bishops, and pastors. Each one seems to be responsible for the community.
After the disappearance of the Apostles and their immediate delegates, the situation will evolve; the community will be led by a bishop, who presides over the college of priests and the group of deacons. At the time of this Letter, the leaders possess an authority linked to that of the Apostle. They must truly imitate his manner of life and also fulfill the primary task of preaching the word of God.
Titus 1:7 Bishop: (i.e., “overseer”) this term could replace presbyter (i.e., “elder”: vv. 5-6) because the two were equivalent at that time (see Acts 20:17, 28).
Titus 1:10 There will always be troublemakers who profit from fables and practices that they propagate; they monopolize religion instead of entering into the Gospel. The important thing, Jesus had declared (see Mk 7:1-23), was not to wash one’s hands or to forbid foods but to give oneself to God with an upright and sincere heart (see Mt 5:8). The author sternly reminds the Cretans of their now firm reputation as liars, and he does not miss the opportunity to cite (in v. 12) a saying (which had become a veritable proverb) of one of their poets, Epimenides of Cnossos, who lived in the sixth century B.C.
Titus 1:10 Jewish converts: literally, “those of the circumcision.” These individuals (who have come to be called “Judaizers”) had two basic characteristics: (1) the belief that Christians had to be circumcised and also keep the Jewish ceremonial law (see notes on Gal, ch. 2); (2) a fondness for unscriptural Jewish myths and genealogies (see note on 1 Tim 1:3-20).
Titus 1:15 This is a proverb that takes on a Christian meaning (see Mt 15:10-20; Rom 14:14-23). Christians have been purified by the sacrificial Death of Christ. Hence, to them “everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided that it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Tim 4:4). On the other hand, to those who are corrupt and without faith, nothing is pure. They set up man-made prohibitions against certain foods, marriage, and the like (see Mt 15:10-11, 16-20; Mk 7:14-19; Acts 10:9-16; Rom 14:20).
Titus 2:1 The moral rules set forth here could also have been voiced by a Stoic philosopher of the time. The author does not criticize the social climate of his day, but he wants the Christian communities to be models of honesty and dignity. He describes a new spirit: charity. Christians of all ages and all conditions who form the Church must show by their most ordinary actions that they live for God. On these matters, see Eph 5:21—6:9; Col 3:18-21.
Titus 2:11 Here, at the center of the Letter, is a beautiful passage for Christmastime. The manifestation (or epiphany) of God must change our way of knowing and living. Christians are on the way to an event; they are hastening toward the final manifestation of Christ in glory. Hence, this text is also a valuable testimony to the faith of the early Christians in the divinity of Christ (v. 14).
Titus 2:13 Of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ: this is a clear statement of the divinity of Christ (see also Rom 9:5). Some, however, offer another translation that does not possess that same clarity: “of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
Titus 2:15 The fact that someone’s life is no longer ruled by passion, egoism, and wickedness is always surprising. It is the sign that such a person is marked by the idea of God’s goodness. With these practical recommendations, the author knows how to evoke in a few words the major aspects of the Christian mystery: love of God; salvation through grace; Baptism; the gift of the Spirit; and the expectation of fulfillment in the end time.
Titus 3:1 To be ready to perform any honorable task: another possible translation is: “to be open to every good enterprise.”
Titus 3:5 The effects of Baptism are delineated: rebirth, forgiveness of sins by Christ, reception of the Holy Spirit, and the right to eternal life (of which the indwelling Spirit is a pledge—see 2 Cor 1:22).
Titus 3:8 The act of believing is not something pertaining only to one’s spirit; it engages one’s whole life. The author shows himself to be severe toward those who spend their time and their understanding on idle discussions and on speculations whose object is no longer the sincere search for truth. Here, for the first time, is enunciated the idea of the seditious person, the “heretic,” a word borrowed from the philosophical schools of the time. In a Christian setting, he is a person who chooses the elements of the faith that suit him and is ready to deny essentials and divide the community.
Titus 3:12 Paul takes the opportunity to stress one more time that Christians should do what is good (see Tit 3:1, 8, 14). This will ensure that their lives will not be “unfruitful.” The practice of doing good is above all the concrete mutual help among those who are disenfranchised.
Titus 3:12 Artemas: apparently one of Paul’s coworkers, who is mentioned nowhere else. Tychicus: a trusted coworker of Paul who on several occasions seems to be traveling with the Apostle or for him (see Acts 20:4; Eph 6:21f; Col 4:7f; 2 Tim 4:12). Nicopolis: a city in the Roman province of Epirus on the west coast of Greece.
Titus 3:13 Zenas . . . Apollos: almost certainly the bearers of this Letter. Zenas is a coworker of Paul mentioned nowhere else. Apollos is the well-known Alexandrian Jewish convert who was fully instructed at Ephesus and worked effectively in the Church of Corinth (see Acts 18:24-28; 19:1; 1 Cor 1:12; 3:4-6; 16:12).
Titus 3:14 Urgent needs: another possible translation is: “practical needs.”
Titus 3:15 Grace be with all of you: some manuscripts have: “The grace of the Lord [or ‘of God’] be with all of you. Amen.” All of you: the plural form indicates that Paul intended the Letter to be read to the whole Church (see 1 Tim 6:21; 2 Tim 4:22).

Philemon

Salutation.^[a] ¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy^[b] our brother, to Philemon, our beloved friend and fellow worker, ²to Apphia our sister, to Archippus^[c] our fellow soldier, and to the Church that meets in your house: ³grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer.^[d] ⁴I always give thanks to my God when I remember you in my prayers, ⁵because I hear of the love and faith that you have for the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.^[e] ⁶I pray that the sharing of your faith may become even more effective so that you may come to perceive all the blessings we have in Christ. ⁷Your love has given me much joy and encouragement because the hearts^[f] of the saints have been refreshed by you, my brother.

Plea for Onesimus.^[g] ⁸Therefore, although I am confident that in Christ I have the right to command you to do your duty, ⁹I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love. I, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus, ¹⁰am appealing to you on behalf of my child,^[h] Onesimus, whom I have fathered during my imprisonment.

¹¹He was formerly useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. ¹²Therefore, I am sending him back to you, that is, I am sending my very own heart.^[i] ¹³I wanted to keep him with me so that he might be of service to me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, ¹⁴but I did not want to do anything without your knowledge, so that your good deed might be voluntary and not compelled.

¹⁵Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever,^[j] ¹⁶no longer as a slave, but as more than a slave: as a brother. He is beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, both as a man^[k] and in the Lord.

¹⁷^[l]Therefore, if you consider me to be a friend, welcome him as you would welcome me. ¹⁸If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ¹⁹I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about the fact that you owe me your very self. ²⁰Yes, my brother, grant me some benefit^[m] in the Lord. Set my heart at rest in Christ.

²¹Conclusion.^[n] I have written to you confident of your acceptance, and in fact I am certain that you will do even more than I ask. ²²At the same time, please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you.

²³Epaphras,^[o] my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings, ²⁴and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke,^[p] my fellow workers.

²⁵The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.^[q]

Footnotes

Philemon 1:1 The salutation indicates that a group of Christians meets together in Philemon’s house and should aid him to decide Onesimus’ fate. These include Apphia, thought to be his wife, and Archippus, thought to be his son, who is also a pastor like Paul (“fellow soldier [of Christ]”). Under the circumstances, Philemon would have had to be an extremely strong-minded individual to resist the eloquent plea of Paul and his protégé Timothy.
Philemon 1:1 Timothy: see Introduction to First Timothy.
Philemon 1:2 Archippus: the apostolic worker mentioned in Col 4:17. Fellow soldier: the only other use of this phrase in the New Testament is in Phil 2:25 concerning Epaphroditus. It exemplifies Paul’s use of military terms to symbolize the service of a Christian (see Rom 6:13; 13:12; 2 Cor 10:3f; Eph 6:10).
Philemon 1:4 Recalling his friend’s love and faith, Paul prays that Philemon’s active participation in the Christian faith will be increased as a result of the latter’s perception of God’s great goodness to both of them. He is implying what he makes specific elsewhere—that good works are the result of a mature knowledge of the faith (see Col 1:9f). In this case, Philemon’s Christian maturity will lead to the beneficial treatment of Onesimus at his hands.
Philemon 1:5 Saints: all the faithful are “saints” in virtue of their consecration to Christ.
Philemon 1:7 Hearts: literally, “intestines,” the part of the body that was considered to house the emotions of pity and love (see vv. 12, 20).
Philemon 1:8 With a touch of humor, Paul utilizes a double play on words. He plays with the meaning of the name “Onesimus,” which is “useful,” and with the meaning of another Greek word, chrestos, which is part of achrestos, the word for “useless,” and euchrestos, the word for “useful.” In the background is the point that chrestos sounds like Christos, which means “Christ.”
Paul also takes the responsibility to relieve any financial burden that Philemon may have incurred in the affair, but he ends up saying that it is Philemon who is more indebted to the Apostle himself! Indeed, the slave’s flight may turn out to be a grace—it offers Philemon the chance to acknowledge him as a “brother” in Christ.
Philemon 1:10 My child: Paul became a father to Onesimus by converting him (see 1 Cor 4:15; Gal 4:19).
Philemon 1:12 My very own heart: a wonderful description at a time when slaves were regarded as things.
Philemon 1:15 Paul reasons that since he has found Christ, Onesimus is returning to Philemon as a beloved brother in Christ rather than as just a slave. Master and slave are now both brothers in Christ. Hence, for Philemon to treat Onesimus solely as a runaway slave would be entirely unfitting with his Christian witness.
Philemon 1:16 As a man: literally “in the flesh.”
Philemon 1:17 Paul is doing the same thing for Onesimus with Philemon that Christ did for us with God the Father.
Philemon 1:20 Benefit: the Greek for this word is another play on the name Onesimus: what Paul wishes to get out of the master is Onesimus himself; he wants to be able to make use of the Useful One.
Philemon 1:21 The Apostle is confident not only that his request will be more than fully granted but also that he will soon have the joy of being reunited with Philemon. He thus sees hope for a quick release from imprisonment.
Philemon 1:23 Epaphras: founder of the Church at Colossae, who may have been a tenant in the house in which Paul lived as a prisoner (see Acts 28:30).
Philemon 1:24 Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke: see notes on Col 4:7-17; 4:10; and 4:14; also notes on 2 Tim 4:10; 4:11.
Philemon 1:25 See note on Phil 4:23.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Beginning

Salutation[a]

Chapter 1

Church Organization

Proper Conduct for Christians

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Conclusion[q]

Footnotes

Footnotes

Salutation^[a]

Conclusion^[q]