Paul, bondman of God, and apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God's elect, and knowledge of the truth which is according to piety;
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the ages of time,
but has manifested in its own due season his word, in the proclamation with which I have been entrusted, according to the commandment of our Saviour God;
to Titus, my own child according to the faith common to us: Grace and peace from God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Saviour.
For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou mightest go on to set right what remained unordered, and establish elders in each city, as I had ordered thee:
if any one be free from all charge against him, husband of one wife, having believing children not accused of excess or unruly.
For the overseer must be free from all charge against him as God's steward; not headstrong, not passionate, not disorderly through wine, not a striker, not seeking gain by base means;
but hospitable, a lover of goodness, discreet, just, pious, temperate,
clinging to the faithful word according to the doctrine taught, that he may be able both to encourage with sound teaching and refute gainsayers.
For there are many and disorderly vain speakers and deceivers of people's minds, specially those of the circumcision,
who must have their mouths stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which ought not to be taught for the sake of base gain.
One of themselves, a prophet of their own, has said, Cretans are always liars, evil wild beasts, lazy gluttons.
This testimony is true; for which cause rebuke them severely, that they may be sound in the faith,
not turning their minds to Jewish fables and commandments of men turning away from the truth.
All things are pure to the pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
They profess to know God, but in works deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and found worthless as to every good work.
Canonical academic citations for Titus 1 (DBT) — copy in your preferred format.
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Paul instructs Titus, left in Crete, to appoint elders in every town—men above reproach, faithful in marriage, with believing children, hospitable, self-controlled, sound in doctrine—because overseers must refute false teachers. Especially targeted are rebellious empty-talkers of the circumcision party who upset households for dishonest gain; Titus must silence them, rebuking sharply so Cretans may be sound in the faith instead of following Jewish myths and human commands. To the pure all things are pure, but defiled unbelievers profess God while denying Him by deeds, proving unfit for any good work.
Instructions for leadership and proper conduct.
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