1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

3 But has in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

4 To Titus, my own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

5 For this cause left I you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed you:

6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

9 Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the disputers.

10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

13 This witness is true. Why rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

15 To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate.

Salutation. Paul sends to Titus, his true son in their common faith, his customary Christian greeting. Writing in his official capacity ( 1Ti 1:1 f.*), he appropriately emphasizes the design of his office a design based on the hope of life eternal. This is to foster in those who have responded to God's call faith and knowledge of the truth that is directed to godly living. Eternal life was promised by God before eternai ages, but the actual manifestation of His Word in its seasonable time was granted in the message with which he, Paul, was entrusted according to God's own command.

Tit 1:1. a servant (lit. slave) of God: a unique phrase in Paul, but cf. Jas 1:1 *

Tit 1:3. God our Saviour: 1Ti 1:1 *.

The Appointment of Elders. Paul renews in writing instructions delivered orally to Titus during his recent visit to Crete. As in Asia ( 1Ti 3:1 ff.), the safeguard against error is a wisely constituted ministry, faithful in conserving the true doctrine. For the elders-' qualifications cf. 1Ti 3:1-7 *. The lists are essentially identical, the chief difference being the addition here of just, holy, etc., and the omission of not a novice.

6. blameless: 1Ti 3:10 *. husband, etc.: 1Ti 3:2 *. children, etc.: the reason is given in 1 Ti 3:4 f.

Tit 1:7. bishop: 1Ti 3:1 *. Moffatt regards Tit 1:7-9 as a gloss, breaking the connexion between Tit 1:6 and Tit 1:10. The sequence of Tit 1:9 and Tit 1:10, however is excellent. Equally needless is Clemen's and Hesse's view that Tit 1:7-11 are interpolated.

Tit 1:9. the teaching: i.e. apostolic doctrines. sound doctrine: 1Ti 1:10 *. gainsayers: i.e. the false teachers.

Titus-' Attitude to False Teachers. Loyalty to sound doctrine is needful for silencing many deceitful teachers not outside the Church (Hort), but self-constituted instructors within its borders, who reject its discipline (unruly = insubordinate). These men, exemplifying Epimenides-' judgment (600 B.C.) of the Cretan character, teach error for monetary profit (cf. 1Ti 6:5). Chiefly, and therefore not wholly, of Jewish origin ( Tit 1:10), they base their empty talking on Jewish legends ( 1Ti 1:3-11 *) and mere human traditions which foster asceticism. Their asceticism is manifestly false, since pure men can make a pure use of everything ( 1Ti 4:1-5 *), while those who are impure and unbelieving can use nothing purely, their whole mind being contaminated and their conduct denying their profession ( Tit 1:14-16). All such errorists Titus must summarily refute.

Tit 1:11. lucre: Cretans were notorious lovers of money.

Tit 1:12. With this quotation cf. those from Aratus ( Act 17:28) and Menander ( 1Co 15:33). The view that Paul enjoyed a liberal education is probably true, but cannot be inferred solely from these citations. liars: to speak like a Cretan was synonymous with lying. For the allusion and its significance see Rendel Harris in Exp., Oct. 1906, April 1907, Oct. 1912, Jan. 1915.

Tit 1:15. Rather for the pure (cƒ. Rom 14:20).

Tit 1:16. profess: better, confess. Far too mild a term for the second-century Gnostic!