I did not take you with me when I went away from Crete, so that you might do what was necessary to put things in order there, placing men in authority over the churches in every town, as I said to you;

But opening his house freely to guests; a lover of what is good, serious-minded, upright, holy, self-controlled;

To the clean in heart all things are clean: but to those who are unclean and without faith nothing is clean; they become unclean in mind and in thought.

But let your words be in agreement with true and right teaching:

Saying true and right words, against which no protest may be made, so that he who is not on our side may be put to shame, unable to say any evil of us.

Not taking what is not theirs, but giving clear signs of their good faith, in all things doing credit to the teaching of God our Saviour.

Make clear to them that they are to put themselves under rulers and authorities, to do what they are ordered, to be ready for every good work,

For in the past we were foolish, hard in heart, turned from the true way, servants of evil desires and pleasures, living in bad feeling and envy, hated and hating one another.

But when the mercy of God our Saviour, and his love to man was seen,

Not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but in the measure of his mercy, he gave us salvation, through the washing of the new birth and the giving of new life in the Holy Spirit,

But have nothing to do with foolish questionings, and lists of generations, and fights and arguments about the law; for they are of no profit and foolish.