1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ for building up the faith of God's own people and spreading a full knowledge of the truths of religion,

1:2 in hope of the Life of the Ages which God, who is never false to His word, promised before the commencement of the Ages.

1:3 And at the appointed time He clearly made known His Message in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Saviour:

1:4 To Titus my own true child in our common faith. May grace and peace be granted to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

1:5 I have left you behind in Crete in order that you may set right the things which still require attention, and appoint Elders in every town, as I directed you to do;

1:6 wherever there is a man of blameless life, true to his one wife, having children who are themselves believers and are free from every reproach of profligacy or of stubborn self-will.

1:7 For, as God's steward, a minister must be of blameless life, not over-fond of having his own way, not a man of a passionate temper nor a hard drinker, not given to blows nor greedy of gain,

1:8 but hospitable to strangers, a lover of goodness, sober-minded, upright, saintly, self-controlled;

1:9 holding fast to the faithful Message which he has received, so that he may be well qualified both to encourage others with sound teaching and to reply successfully to opponents.

1:10 For there are many that spurn authority--idle, talkative and deceitful persons, who, for the most part, are adherents of the Circumcision.

1:11 You must stop the mouths of such men, for they overthrow the faith of whole families, teaching what they ought not, just for the sake of making money.

1:12 One of their own number--a Prophet who is a countryman of theirs--has said, "Cretans are always liars, dangerous animals, idle gluttons."

1:13 This testimony is true. Therefore sternly denounce them, that they may be robust in their faith,

1:14 and not give attention to Jewish legends and the maxims of men who turn their backs on the truth.

1:15 To the pure everything is pure; but to the polluted and unbelieving nothing is pure, but on the contrary their very minds and consciences are polluted.