Paul, A slave of God, And an Apostle of Christ Jesus, For the promotion of the faith of God's chosen ones, And the full knowledge of the truth which produces piety; All of which is based on the hope of eternal life, Which the God of truth promised before the beginning of time, But, in his own proper time, he made his word clear In the proclamation which he confided to me to make According to the command of our Saviour God; To Titus, my true child in the faith: May favor and peace be yours, From God the Father, And Christ Jesus our Saviour. 1: 5. It was for this purpose I left you in Crete, so that you might further set in order what remains to be set in order, and ordain elders in every city as I directed you. To be eligible to this office a man must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, with believing children, and not under a charge of leading a dissolute life, or of being a man who cannot be controlled. For the overseer must be above reproach as God's agent, Not self-willed, Not irritable, Not one who becomes violent over wine, Not one who is greedy of disgraceful gains. But given to hospitality, Given to generosity, Sober-minded, Good, Morally pure, Self restrained; Holding fast the faithful message as he has been taught, So that he may be able both to encourage believers with his wholesome teach ing and to refute those who speak against it. For there are many who cannot be controlled, TITUS 1: 10. CRETAN LIARS. 265 who talk foolishness and deceive men's minds. Those who were Jews especially do this, and their mouths must be closed, because, for the sake of disgraceful gain, they teach what they ought not to teach, and lead whole families into unbelief. One of themselves, one of their prophets, said: "Cretans are always liars, fierce wild beasts, idle gluttons." This testimony is true. For this reason you must be severe with them to keep them healthy in the faith, and to prevent them from devoting themselves to Jewish speculations and the directions of men who reject the truth. To the pure everything is pure. But to those who are defiled and are unbelievers nothing is pure. On the contrary, both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny him. For they are detestable and rebellious, and unfit for anything that is noble. But you, for your part, give expression to what is becoming to wholesome teaching. Require the old men to be Temperate, Sober-minded, Healthy in the faith, In love, In endurance. |