Titus

Chapter 1

^1-4 Dear Titus, my brother in the faith who is truly my spiritual son because we have the same faith.

Greetings from Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Christ Jesus. I’ve been sent to help God’s people so that they believe in Christ more and more and know the true teaching. And that true teaching guides us so that we live according to the will of God. Because we believe and follow that true teaching, we’re certain that we have eternal life. God, who never lies, had promised that life to us before the world was created. Then at the proper time God who is also our Savior, revealed that life to the world through the Good News, and I’ve been entrusted with the task of spreading that news of salvation.

I pray that God the Father and our Savior Christ Jesus will always be kind to you and watch over you so that you live calm under God’s protection!

Titus’ work on Crete

⁵ I left you on the island of Crete so that you can finish the work that still needs to be done and can appoint some people in each city to become elders. ⁶ To be chosen to become an elder, that person must live blamelessly. He must be faithful to his wife and may not have more than one wife. His children must also be believers. They must not be known as children who can’t be managed or who are disobedient. ⁷ An elder has the task of managing God’s work. For that reason, he can only be appointed if his life is blameless. He must not be arrogant, hard-headed or easily angered or a drunkard. Don’t appoint a person who likes to fight or tries to become rich by cheating others. ⁸ An elder must also be ready to help other people by receiving them into his house. He must always want what’s best for everyone. He must be wise and live right, and he must be faithful to God and be pleasing to Him. ⁹ An elder must be faithful to follow all that we teach so that he can help people with the true teaching. ^[1] For in that way he can show people who oppose that teaching that they’re wrong.

¹⁰ That’s important, because there are many people who don’t want to obey and who mislead other people. I especially mean those who say that all men must be circumcised. ¹¹ We must stop them so that they don’t teach any more because their teaching causes the faith of many believing families to be confused, both parents and children. And they also use that false teaching as a reason to ask for money. ¹² In the past, there was a well-known person who also came from Crete who wrote,

 

     “All the residents of the island of Crete are liars. ^[2]

         They’re like evil beasts,

     lazy

         and only want to eat.”

¹³ What that famous person said is really true! So rebuke them harshly so that they keep believing the true teaching. ¹⁴ In that way they won’t care about tales of the Jewish people and they’ll stop following the commands of the people who’ve left the true teaching.

¹⁵ To people whose hearts are pure, all foods and objects are pure. But for those who are full of sin and don’t believe, nothing is pure. Their thinking has truly become evil and their consciences are already dirty. ¹⁶ They say that they know God but their actions don’t prove it. They refuse to obey God and aren’t able to do anything good. God hates their way of life.

Chapter 2

Obey the true teaching

¹ However Titus, you must always teach the way of life which is according to the true teaching. ² Teach the older men to control themselves, to live wisely and as people who can be respected. They must continue to believe the true teaching, sincerely love other, and always endure when facing difficulties. ³ Advise the older women also to live just to please God. They must not tell false stories about other people and must be able to keep away from alcoholic drinks. They must teach only good things too. ⁴ In that way they can teach the young women to love their husbands and children. ⁵ They can also teach the young women to live wisely and with pure hearts. It’s best for young women to learn how to manage their households well and how to serve their husbands too. That way no one can criticize the teaching that God gave us.

⁶ In the same way, teach the young men to live wisely. ⁷ Titus, you must become a good example to them in everything. Teach them with an honest heart, in a way that’s worthy of respect. ⁸ And all your teaching has to be right so that it doesn’t give an opportunity to those who oppose us. In that way they’ll be ashamed because they can’t find any fault that can be used to criticize us.

⁹ And tell the people who work as slaves owned by other people these things. They must always be ready to serve their own masters, must try to please them and may not argue with their masters. ¹⁰ They must not steal their master’s belongings, but they must prove that they can truly be trusted in everything. In that way, everyone will be pleased with our teaching about how God saves people.

¹¹ That’s the way we should live because God has now shown His kindness which is able to save everyone. ¹² So, as long as we live in this world, the kindness of God works in our hearts so that we learn to live wisely, honestly, serving God and freeing ourselves from worldly desires which always oppose the Lord’s will. ¹³ So now, with joy and great faith ^[1] we wait for the day our Savior Christ Jesus returns. At that time the radiance of the glory of Jesus as the all-powerful God will be seen in this world. ^{[2] 14} He surrendered Himself to be killed so that we would be purified and set free from all evil to become His special people and are always diligent to do good.

¹⁵ These are the things you must tell them. Urge them to follow these things. And if they don’t obey, rebuke them. You have full authority to do that so don’t let anyone think that they can ignore you.

Chapter 3

The right way to live

¹ Brother, please remind all of the followers of Christ to always respect all the leaders of government, obey them and always be ready to do good. ² Tell them not to slander other people but live in peace with everyone. They must also be gentle and polite to everyone.

³ For at first we were also stupid people who didn’t obey God. We were misled and bound by all kinds of desires which only pleased our bodies. And we always had evil plans and were jealous. People hated us, and we hated them.

     ⁴ However, while we were in that condition, God who is also our Savior,

         showed His kindness and love to all of us by opening the way of salvation to us.

     ⁵ We aren’t saved because of our good deeds

         but because He Himself has compassion on us.

     He saves us through His Spirit

         who cleanses us from sin

         so that we’re born again and have new life.

     ⁶ And He pours out His Spirit on us completely

         through Christ Jesus our Savior.

     ⁷ It’s just through the kindness of God alone that

         we’ve become right in His eyes!

     The purpose of all of this is so that we become children of God

         who have the right to receive eternal life.

         This is what we look forward to by faith.

⁸ All that I’ve said is true. And Brother I want you to teach all that with emphasis so that people who believe in God sincerely try to do good. This way of life is proper for us followers of Christ and is also useful for everyone.

⁹ But don’t get involved when people argue about Jewish teachings, for example if they argue about the names of their forefathers and also about the Law. Arguments about things like that aren’t useful and are unwise. ¹⁰ So if anyone causes division because he likes to argue, you must rebuke him up to two times so that he stops. If he keeps causing trouble, don’t have anything to do with him any more. ¹¹ For you know that people like that are sinful and don’t follow the true teaching. Their sins prove that they’re wrong.

Final instructions and greetings

¹² I will send Artemas or Tychicus to you. When one of them arrives, please come to me in Nicopolis quickly, Brother. I’ve decided to stay there for the winter.

¹³ When Apollos and Zenas, the lawyer, are ready to leave there, I ask the church to help them as much as possible so that they can continue their journey without lacking anything. ¹⁴ It’s best for us as followers of Christ to learn to help each other like that, and always be ready to do good when another person needs help. Let’s not live uselessly.

¹⁵ Everyone who’s here with me sends you greetings. Give our greetings to the people who love us because we believe in Jesus.

I pray that God will always be kind to all of you. ^[1]