From Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, on behalf of the faith of God’s chosen people, and their knowledge of that truth which makes for godliness
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– and is based on the hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began,
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and has revealed at his own time in his message, with the preaching of which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior.
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To Titus, my true child in our shared faith: May God, the Father, and Christ Jesus, our Savior, bless you and give you peace.
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My reason for leaving you in Crete was that you might put in order what had been left unfinished, and appoint church elders in the various towns, as I myself directed you.
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They are to be of irreproachable character, faithful to their partners, whose children are believers in Christ and have never been open to the charge of being wild or unruly.
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For a supervisor, as God’s steward, ought to be of blameless character – not arrogant or quick-tempered, not given to drunkeness, violence or shady money-making.
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Instead, they should be hospitable, love what is good, self-controlled, upright, people of holy life and disciplined,
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holding firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught – so that they may be able to encourage others by sound teaching, as well as to refute those who contradict it.
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For there are many undisciplined persons who lead others astray with their nonsense, especially those of the group advocating the necessity of circumcision.
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They need to be kept quiet as they disrupt whole households by teaching what they ought not to teach, simply to make shameful financial gain.
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It was a Cretan – one of their own prophets – who said: ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.’ This statement is true.
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Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith,
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and may pay no attention to Jewish legends, or to the directions of those who turn their backs on the truth.
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To those whose minds are pure, all things are ritually pure, but to those whose minds are tainted and unbelieving nothing is pure, as their minds and consciences are alike polluted.
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They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable and disobedient and useless for any good work.