Titus — Chapter 1

Loading ESV text...

1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

3But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

4To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

5For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

6If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

7For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

8But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

9Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

10For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

11Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.

12One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

13This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

14Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

15Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

16They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God`s elect, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,

2in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal;

3but in his own seasons manifested his word in the message, wherewith I was intrusted according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

4to Titus, my true child after a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

5For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that were wanting, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge;

6if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly.

7For the bishop must be blameless, as God`s steward; not self-willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre;

8but given to hospitality, as lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled;

9holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers.

10For there are many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision,

11whose mouths must be stopped; men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre`s sake.

12One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, idle gluttons.

13This testimony is true. For which cause reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,

14not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

15To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

16They profess that they know God; but by their works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

1From Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,

2in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before time began.

3But now in his own time he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.

4To Titus, my genuine son in a common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior!

5The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

6An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion.

7For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.

8Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled.

9He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it.

10For there are many rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections,

11who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.

12A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

13Such testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply that they may be healthy in the faith

14and not pay attention to Jewish myths and commands of people who reject the truth.

15All is pure to those who are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

16They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s chosen ones, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,

2in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began;

3but in his own time revealed his word in the message with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior;

4to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

5I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you;

6if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, who are not accused of loose or unruly behavior.

7For the overseer must be blameless, as God’s steward; not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain;

8but given to hospitality, a lover of good, sober minded, fair, holy, self-controlled;

9holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict him.

10For there are also many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,

11whose mouths must be stopped; men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain’s sake.

12One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.”

13This testimony is true. For this cause, reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,

14not paying attention to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

15To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

16They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Paul instructs Titus to appoint qualified elders in every city of Crete and to silence the rebellious false teachers — especially those of the circumcision party — whose mouths must be stopped because they are ruining entire households.

Authorship & Background

Author: Paul the Apostle (v.1). Written approximately AD 63-65, between Paul's first and second Roman imprisonments. Titus is one of the three "Pastoral Epistles" (with 1-2 Timothy).
Recipient: Titus — a Greek convert (Galatians 2:3), Paul's trusted co-worker. Unlike Timothy, Titus is never mentioned in Acts but appears frequently in Paul's letters (2 Cor 2:13, 7:6, 8:6, 12:18; Gal 2:1-3). Paul left him on the island of Crete to organize the churches there (v.5).
Purpose: To instruct Titus on appointing qualified elders (ch.1), teaching sound doctrine to various groups (ch.2), and maintaining good works while avoiding divisive people (ch.3). The Cretan churches needed strong leadership because of cultural challenges and false teachers.
Crete: A large Mediterranean island with a reputation for dishonesty and laziness (v.12). The churches there were young and disorganized — "things that are wanting" needed to be "set in order" (v.5).

Map & Geography

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers Paul's greeting, elder qualifications, the Cretan problem, and the contrast between profession and practice.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Unto the Pure All Things Are Pure" on v.15 (MTP Vol. 21, No. 1232) "Unto the pure all things are pure. A pure mind sees purity; a corrupt mind sees corruption everywhere. The problem is not in the things but in the viewer. A defiled mind defiles everything it touches — even Scripture, even worship, even good gifts of God. Purity is not about avoiding things but about the condition of the heart."

Videos

The Bible Project — Titus Overview

Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)

Reflection

  • 1. "God, that cannot lie" (v.2). God's promises are absolutely reliable. What promise of God do you need to trust today? His inability to lie means His word is certain.
  • 2. Review the elder qualifications (vv.6-9). Even if you're not an elder, these describe mature Christian character. Which qualities are you growing in? Which need attention?
  • 3. "Unto the pure all things are pure" (v.15). What is the condition of your heart? Do you see God's good gifts with gratitude, or does a defiled perspective corrupt your view of things?
  • 4. "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him" (v.16). Is there a gap between your profession and your practice? Where do your actions contradict your words?