Titus 1–2 | Day 59

Titus 1 (NIV 1984)

¹ Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—
² a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
³ and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
⁴ To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
⁵ The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
⁶ An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
⁷ Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.
⁸ Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.
⁹ He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
¹⁰ For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.
¹¹ They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
¹² Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
¹³ This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith
¹⁴ and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.
¹⁵ To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
¹⁶ They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

Titus 2 (NIV 1984)

¹ You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.
² Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
³ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
⁴ Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,
⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
⁶ Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
⁷ In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness
⁸ and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
⁹ Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,
¹⁰ and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
¹² It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.