Titus 1:5-16 - Instructions To Titus In Crete

⁵ For this reason I left you behind in Crete, so that you would set right what remains unfinished, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, ⁶ namely, a man of unquestionable integrity, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of being immoral or rebellious. ⁷ For the overseer, as God’s steward, must be blameless, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain [but financially ethical]. ⁸ And he must be hospitable [to believers, as well as strangers], a lover of what is good, sensible (upright), fair, devout, self-disciplined [above reproach—whether in public or in private]. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the trustworthy word [of God] as it was taught to him, so that he will be able both to give accurate instruction in sound [reliable, error-free] doctrine and to refute those who contradict [it by explaining their error].

¹⁰ For there are many rebellious men who are empty talkers [just windbags] and deceivers; especially those of the circumcision [those Jews who insist that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law in order to be saved]. ¹¹ They must be silenced, because they are upsetting whole families by teaching things they should not teach for the purpose of dishonest financial gain. ¹² One of them [Epimenides, a Cretan], a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

¹³ This description is true. So rebuke them sharply so that they will be sound in the faith and free from doctrinal error, ¹⁴ not paying attention to Jewish myths and the commandments and rules of men who turn their backs on the truth.

¹⁵ To the pure, all things are pure; but to the corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure; both their mind and their conscience are corrupted. ¹⁶ They profess to know God [to recognize and be acquainted with Him], but by their actions they deny and disown Him. They are detestable and disobedient and worthless for good work of any kind.