(2 Corinthians 8:16–24)

¹ Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,

² in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.¹

1. Literally before times eternal

³ In His own time He has made His word evident in the proclamation entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.

⁴ To Titus, my true child in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Appointing Elders on Crete

(1 Timothy 3:1–7; 1 Peter 5:1–4)

⁵ The reason I left you in Crete was that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

⁶ An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife,¹ having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.

1. Or faithful to his wife

⁷ As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.

⁸ Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

⁹ He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.

Correcting False Teachers

(1 Timothy 1:3–11)

¹⁰ For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision,

¹¹ who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.

¹² As one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”¹

1. This quote, also known as the Epimenides paradox, has been attributed to the Cretan philosopher Epimenides of Knossos.

¹³ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith

¹⁴ and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.

¹⁵ To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

¹⁶ They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.