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

⁵ I left you behind in Crete expressly to correct what defects there were, and to appoint elders in each town, as I directed you??6 men of irreproachable character, who have been married only once, whose children are Christians, free from any suspicion of profligacy or disobedience. ⁷ For as God's overseer a superintendent must be irreproachable, not arrogant or quick-tempered or given to drink or pugnacious or addicted to dishonest gain, ⁸ but hospitable, a lover of goodness, sensible, upright, of holy life, self-controlled, ⁹ standing by the message that can be relied on, just as he was taught it, so that he may be qualified both to encourage others with wholesome teaching and to show the error of those who oppose him.

¹⁰ For there are many undisciplined people, who deceive themselves with their empty talk, especially those of the party of circumcision. ¹¹ They must be silenced, for such men upset whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach, for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹² It was a Cretan, a prophet of their own, who said, "Cretans are always liars, savage brutes, lazy gluttons,"

¹³ and that statement is true. Therefore correct them rigorously, to make them have a healthy faith, ¹⁴ and not study Jewish fictions or commands given by men who reject the truth.

¹⁵ To the pure everything is pure, but to the evil-minded and unbelieving nothing is pure, but their very minds and consciences are unclean. ¹⁶ They profess to know God, but they disown him by what they do; they are detestable, disobedient men, worthless for any good purpose.