Titus 1:1-9 ▼

1 Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones and the recognition of religious truth,

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

3 who indeed at the proper time revealed his word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted 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.

5 For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you,

6 on condition that a man be blameless, married only once, with believing children who are not accused of licentiousness or rebellious.

7 For a bishop as God’s steward must be blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid gain,

8 but hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled,

9 holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute opponents.