Titus 1
Titus 1 (The Message)
1 I, Paul, am God's slave and
Christ's agent for promoting the faith among God's chosen people, getting out
the accurate word on God and how to respond rightly to it. 2 My aim is to raise
hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised
long ago - and he doesn't break promises! 3 And then when the time was ripe, he
went public with his truth. I've been entrusted to proclaim this Message by
order of our Savior, God himself. 4 Dear Titus, legitimate son in the faith:
Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you! 5 I left you
in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders
in every town according to my instructions. 6 As you select them, ask, "Is
this man well-thought-of? Are his children believers? Do they respect him and
stay out of trouble?" 7 It's important that a church leader, responsible
for the affairs in God's house, be looked up to - not pushy, not
short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry. 8 He must welcome
people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, 9 and
have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur
people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it. 10 For
there are a lot of rebels out there, full of loose, confusing, and deceiving
talk. Those who were brought up religious and ought to know better are the
worst. 11 They've got to be shut up. They're disrupting entire families with
their teaching, and all for the sake of a fast buck. 12 One of their own
prophets said it best: The Cretans are liars from the womb, barking dogs, lazy
bellies. 13 He certainly spoke the truth. Get on them right away. Stop that
diseased talk of Jewish make-believe and made-up rules 14 so they can recover a
robust faith. 15 Everything is clean to the clean-minded; nothing is clean to
dirty-minded unbelievers. They leave their dirty fingerprints on every thought
and act. 16 They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their
words. They're real creeps, disobedient good-for-nothings.
Titus 2 (The Message)
1 Your job is to speak out on the
things that make for solid doctrine. 2 Guide older men into lives of
temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. 3
Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor
drunks, but models of goodness. 4 By looking at them, the younger women will
know how to love their husbands and children, 5 be virtuous and pure, keep a
good house, be good wives. We don't want anyone looking down on God's Message
because of their behavior. 6 Also, guide the young men to live disciplined
lives. 7 But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, incorruptible in
your teaching, 8 your words solid and sane. Then anyone who is dead set against
us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around. 9
Guide slaves into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters - no back talk,
10 no petty thievery. Then their good character will shine through their actions,
adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God. 11 God's readiness to give and
forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone! 12 We're being shown
how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a
God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, 13 and is
whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, appears. 14 He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a
dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be
proud of, energetic in goodness. 15 Tell them all this. Build up their courage,
and discipline them if they get out of line. You're in charge. Don't let anyone
put you down.
Titus 3 (The Message)
1 Remind the people to respect the
government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand 2 No
insults, no fights. God's people should be bighearted and courteous. 3 It
wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin,
ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our
shoulder, hated and hating back. 4 But when God, our kind and loving Savior
God, stepped in, 5 he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had
nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new
people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. 6 Our Savior Jesus poured out
new life so generously. 7 God's gift has restored our relationship with him and
given us back our lives. And there's more life to come - an eternity of life! 8
You can count on this. 9 Stay away from mindless, pointless quarreling over
genealogies and fine print in the law code. That gets you nowhere. 10 Warn a
quarrelsome person once or twice, but then be done with him. 11 It's obvious
that such a person is out of line, rebellious against God. By persisting in
divisiveness he cuts himself off. 12 As soon as I send either Artemas or
Tychicus to you, come immediately and meet me in Nicopolis. I've decided to
spend the winter there. 13 Give Zenas the lawyer and Apollos a hearty send-off.
Take good care of them. 14 Our people have to learn to be diligent in their
work so that all necessities are met (especially among the needy) and they
don't end up with nothing to show for their lives. 15 All here want to be
remembered to you. Say hello to our friends in the faith. Grace to all of you.
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