TitusChapter 1
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1This letter is from Paul. I am a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I was sent to build the faith of God's chosen people. I was sent to help them know the truth that leads to a godly life. 2That faith and truth rest on the hope of eternal life. God cannot lie. He promised this life before time began. 3At the right time he made his message known. He did it through the preaching he trusted to me. God our Savior commanded me to do it. 4I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace. 5I left you in Crete for this reason. I wanted you to put in order what was not yet done. I wanted you to choose elders in every town, as I told you. 6An elder must not be open to blame. He must be the husband of only one wife. His children must be believers. No one should be able to say they are wild or will not obey. 7An overseer takes care of God's work. So he must have a good name that no one can attack. He must not be stubborn or quick to get angry. He must not get drunk, be violent, or be greedy for money. 8Instead, he must welcome guests into his home and love what is good. He must have self-control. He must do what is right, be holy, and be disciplined. 9He must hold tight to the true message as it was taught. Then he can encourage others with good teaching. And he can show those who argue against it that they are wrong. 10Many people rebel. They are full of empty talk, and they trick others. This is most true of those from the circumcision group. 11They must be stopped from talking. They are ruining whole families by teaching things they should not teach. They do it to make money in a shameful way. 12One of their own prophets said, "People from Crete are always liars. They are evil beasts and lazy people who eat too much." 13What he said is true. So correct them sharply. Then they will be strong and healthy in the faith. 14Then they will not pay attention to Jewish myths. They will not listen to the commands of people who have turned away from the truth. 15To those who are pure, everything is pure. But to those who are unclean and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, their minds and their consciences are unclean. 16They say they know God, but the way they live shows they don't. They are hateful and do not obey. They are no good for doing anything good.