Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
for the sake of the faith of God's elect...which accords with godliness - "Paul was commissioned to further the faith of God's elect so that they might acquire full knowledge of Christian truth." (Ryrie)
"Believers are elect as being chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4), all of them being foreknown and foreseen as such by God, John 17:6 and Romans 8:29. Those whom He foreknew He chose, and that always for specific purposes. The source of their election is God's grace, not human will, Ephesians 1:4, 5; Romans 9:11; 11:5." (Vine)
in hope of eternal life - "—the preposition epi does not signify 'in' but 'upon' (in this construction), and expresses that upon which something rests or is based. Here the basis upon which the faith and the knowledge of the truth rest is the hope." (Vine)
Titus - "He is not mentioned in Acts, but NT references to Titus's activities are found in 2 Cor 2:13; 7:5-7, 13-14; 8:6, 16-17, 23; 12:18; Gal 2:1, 3; 2 Tim 4:10." (Ryrie)
"Paul was a Jew and Titus a Gentile, but they stood together in a faith common to both." (Williams)
child - "A term of affection used also by Paul of Timothy and Onesimus." (Ryrie)
"There is not in this letter the same intimacy of affection as in Timothy. Titus was a beloved child in the Gospel, but Paul does not open his heart to him in the same way as he did to Timothy. In Timothy doctrine has a large place; in Titus, rule." (Williams)
what remained - "A church is defective unless it has constituted leaders. In Crete these were appointed (= ordained) by Titus." (Ryrie)
above reproach - "—this and the qualifications which follow should be read in connection with 1 Timothy 3:2-7. The word rendered 'blameless' [above reproach] signifies that which cannot be called to account, that is, with nothing laid to one's charge, not an acquittal but the absence of even a valid accusation." (Vine)
husband of one wife - "Lit., one-woman man. Wherever mentioned in the NT, elders are seen as being married and as having children. Some think this phrase means 'one wife at a time,' others 'one living wife'; but most likely it means 'only one wife.' (See 1 Tim 5:9, where the similar phrase can only support the latter.) See also 1 Cor 7:39 and 1 Tim 5:14, where remarriage of a widow is permitted." (Ryrie)
"—this does not imply the necessity for an elder to be married. Most of those in the churches had been brought up in pagan conditions, in which polygamy was common and, as in certain heathen countries today, the elimination of the evil was difficult. Any brother who rendered public service in the assembly was strictly prohibited from polygamy, and the example thus set became extended to all the members, and remains binding." (Vine)
children are believers - "May mean 'believing children' as translated here, or 'faithful children,' even though unbelievers." (Ryrie)
overseer - "Used interchangeably with 'elder,' emphasizing function. In Greek cities of the first century A.D. the vises described here were common." (Ryrie)
must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught - "The faithful [trustworthy] word would be the doctrine taught by Paul and his fellow apostles; cp. 2 Timothy 1:13 and 3:14. What the apostles taught was according to the doctrines of the Christian faith, and the elder or overseer is responsible to adhere to the word of God without adding to it or diminishing from it." (Vine)
sound doctrine - "Lit., healthy doctrine or wholesome doctrine in contrast to false, which is diseased. Good doctrine always results in good practice, and good practice is always based on good doctrine." (Ryrie)
rebuke those who contradict it - "As to opponents or gainsayers, such teaching [sound doctrine] is designed to carry conviction (cp. John 16:8). The verb antilego literally denotes to speak against, contradict. Chrysostom says, 'He who knows not how to contend with adversaries, and is not able to demolish their arguments, is far from the teacher's chair.'" (Vine)
those of the circumcision party - "The group that required keeping the law for salvation and/or sanctification (Gal 2:12). They also were interested in money (v. 11), held to Jewish myths (v. 14), and encouraged asceticism (vv. 14-15)." (Ryrie)
"There was evidently a Jewish colony in Crete (Titus 1:10, 14), and Acts 2:11 states that Cretan Jews were present in Jerusalem at Pentecost." (Williams)
"—these were Judaizers. That they are specially mentioned makes clear that they were not the only false teachers and troublers of the believers. There were subversive propagandists, who attempted to fascinate Christians by prescribing ritual observance which they regarded as of moral and religious value. The dangers resulting from the way in which those who wanted to make converts to Judaism, and the Gnostic teachers of the time, insinuated themselves into the churches, were a real and constant trouble. The same kind of thing exists at the present time, and it is necessary to make sure of the credentials of any who seek to find an entrance into an assembly as teachers." (Vine)
"—there were devout Jews from the island in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2:11), and it is not improbable that many of them were among the number of those who believed and were baptized (v. 41). They would carry back the message of the gospel [good news] to their friends in Crete." [Note: And what message was that? That the One they had crucified had risen again — repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.] (Vine)
One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own - "—This is a hexameter line from the Greek poet Epimenides, a native of Crete in the sixth century, B.C.; it is quoted by another poet, Callimachus, in his 'Hymn to Zeus,' and was a well-known saying among the ancients, facts which expose the gross notoriety of the people of the island. There came into use a verb, to Cretanize, as a euphemism for lying. The phrase 'idle gluttons' (literally, 'slow bellies,' as in the A.V.) stands for the grossest self-indulgence. That evil was just the kind of condition suited to the purpose of plausible religious tricksters." (Vine)
rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith - "—the reference seems to be not only to the false teachers but to those who were deceived by them. The faith here stands for the sum total of Christian doctrine, as in 1 Thessalonians 3:10, where faith is to be understood, not of confidence in God, but of the doctrines of the faith. For the metaphor of soundness in this respect see 1 Timothy 1:10. This good result, which normally is the effect of constant and careful instruction, can be brought about in certain circumstances, such as those mentioned here, only by reproof in the power of the Spirit of God." (Vine)
Jewish myths - "—instances of these are abundantly supplied in the Talmud, in which interpretations and notes have obscured the pure text of the original. For a description of those who were thus acting as teachers of the Law, see Titus 3:9 and 1 Timothy 1:7." (Vine)
the commands of people who turn away from the truth - "—such regulations consisted of ritualistic observances, regulations which served to establish the authority of the propagandists, tending to make them appear superior to others ... The apostle contrasts them here with 'the truth,' from which the advocates of such externals turn away. It is always a dangerous thing to substitute church creeds for the word of God, and it is necessary to be on one's guard against the idea that it is the church which has been and is, responsible for the doctrines of the faith, whereas these have been derived, not from church councils, nor from the corporate body of the church at any time, but from the Holy Spirit's operation in and through the individual writers of the Scriptures. Never were the doctrines of the faith promulgated by agreement among the writers as to what should be taught. The decisions made by the so-called Council at Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 15, were not received from the church as such, but from the apostles and elders who, whilst they belonged to the local church, are distinguished from it in verse 4. Moreover, what was decreed on that occasion formed only a very small part of the faith, the whole of which is given in the word of God and not by the church in its corporate capacity." (Vine)
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure - "Purity is an internal matter, of the mind and conscience, not external." (Ryrie)
"—the meaning is not that all things are pure in the judgment of the pure, but that all things are pure for their use. All that God has provided for the maintenance of human life is in itself pure, and if the heart of the user has been purified through obeying the truth, such things can never have the effect of moral impurity. The 'all things' does not of course include anything that is morally impure, for such could never be regarded as pure by a God-fearing believer. Romans 14 provides an extensive explanation of this statement; cp. Matthew 15:11; Luke 11: 41; 1 Timothy 4:4. Those who are characterized by unbelief and corruptness of thought are bound to misuse even the things that God has provided, for they use them to gratify their own evil propensities. Erroneous teaching and moral impurity are often closely associated, and the opposite is likewise the case in regard to soundness in the faith and moral purity (cp. Acts 15:9 and 1 Tim 1:5; see also Rom 1:18-32)." (Vine)
"One company of false teachers in Crete advocated gluttony and another commanded abstinence from certain foods as being impure. The Apostle overthrew both by teaching the necessity of a pure heart and a clean conscience. God claims the heart. The man whose heart is defiled does not need to go out of himself to find what is impure, but though making a profession of faith (v. 15), in his actions he denies Christ is in fact detestable, disobedient, and useless for any good work." (Williams)
They profess to know God - "—this refers, not to the Gnostics, but to those who prided themselves in their Judaism and, so far as doctrine itself goes, their confession (for so the word might be rendered) was right, for God had made Himself known to them as the only true God. The apostle speaks of the Gentiles as those 'which know not God' (1 Thess 4:5)." (Vine)
unfit for any good work - "Tested and found unfit, disapproved (1 Cor 9:27)." (Ryrie)
for the sake of the faith of God's elect...which accords with godliness - "Paul was commissioned to further the faith of God's elect so that they might acquire full knowledge of Christian truth." (Ryrie)
"Believers are elect as being chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4), all of them being foreknown and foreseen as such by God, John 17:6 and Romans 8:29. Those whom He foreknew He chose, and that always for specific purposes. The source of their election is God's grace, not human will, Ephesians 1:4, 5; Romans 9:11; 11:5." (Vine)
in hope of eternal life - "—the preposition epi does not signify 'in' but 'upon' (in this construction), and expresses that upon which something rests or is based. Here the basis upon which the faith and the knowledge of the truth rest is the hope." (Vine)
Titus - "He is not mentioned in Acts, but NT references to Titus's activities are found in 2 Cor 2:13; 7:5-7, 13-14; 8:6, 16-17, 23; 12:18; Gal 2:1, 3; 2 Tim 4:10." (Ryrie)
"Paul was a Jew and Titus a Gentile, but they stood together in a faith common to both." (Williams)
child - "A term of affection used also by Paul of Timothy and Onesimus." (Ryrie)
"There is not in this letter the same intimacy of affection as in Timothy. Titus was a beloved child in the Gospel, but Paul does not open his heart to him in the same way as he did to Timothy. In Timothy doctrine has a large place; in Titus, rule." (Williams)
what remained - "A church is defective unless it has constituted leaders. In Crete these were appointed (= ordained) by Titus." (Ryrie)
above reproach - "—this and the qualifications which follow should be read in connection with 1 Timothy 3:2-7. The word rendered 'blameless' [above reproach] signifies that which cannot be called to account, that is, with nothing laid to one's charge, not an acquittal but the absence of even a valid accusation." (Vine)
husband of one wife - "Lit., one-woman man. Wherever mentioned in the NT, elders are seen as being married and as having children. Some think this phrase means 'one wife at a time,' others 'one living wife'; but most likely it means 'only one wife.' (See 1 Tim 5:9, where the similar phrase can only support the latter.) See also 1 Cor 7:39 and 1 Tim 5:14, where remarriage of a widow is permitted." (Ryrie)
"—this does not imply the necessity for an elder to be married. Most of those in the churches had been brought up in pagan conditions, in which polygamy was common and, as in certain heathen countries today, the elimination of the evil was difficult. Any brother who rendered public service in the assembly was strictly prohibited from polygamy, and the example thus set became extended to all the members, and remains binding." (Vine)
children are believers - "May mean 'believing children' as translated here, or 'faithful children,' even though unbelievers." (Ryrie)
overseer - "Used interchangeably with 'elder,' emphasizing function. In Greek cities of the first century A.D. the vises described here were common." (Ryrie)
must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught - "The faithful [trustworthy] word would be the doctrine taught by Paul and his fellow apostles; cp. 2 Timothy 1:13 and 3:14. What the apostles taught was according to the doctrines of the Christian faith, and the elder or overseer is responsible to adhere to the word of God without adding to it or diminishing from it." (Vine)
sound doctrine - "Lit., healthy doctrine or wholesome doctrine in contrast to false, which is diseased. Good doctrine always results in good practice, and good practice is always based on good doctrine." (Ryrie)
rebuke those who contradict it - "As to opponents or gainsayers, such teaching [sound doctrine] is designed to carry conviction (cp. John 16:8). The verb antilego literally denotes to speak against, contradict. Chrysostom says, 'He who knows not how to contend with adversaries, and is not able to demolish their arguments, is far from the teacher's chair.'" (Vine)
those of the circumcision party - "The group that required keeping the law for salvation and/or sanctification (Gal 2:12). They also were interested in money (v. 11), held to Jewish myths (v. 14), and encouraged asceticism (vv. 14-15)." (Ryrie)
"There was evidently a Jewish colony in Crete (Titus 1:10, 14), and Acts 2:11 states that Cretan Jews were present in Jerusalem at Pentecost." (Williams)
"—these were Judaizers. That they are specially mentioned makes clear that they were not the only false teachers and troublers of the believers. There were subversive propagandists, who attempted to fascinate Christians by prescribing ritual observance which they regarded as of moral and religious value. The dangers resulting from the way in which those who wanted to make converts to Judaism, and the Gnostic teachers of the time, insinuated themselves into the churches, were a real and constant trouble. The same kind of thing exists at the present time, and it is necessary to make sure of the credentials of any who seek to find an entrance into an assembly as teachers." (Vine)
"—there were devout Jews from the island in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2:11), and it is not improbable that many of them were among the number of those who believed and were baptized (v. 41). They would carry back the message of the gospel [good news] to their friends in Crete." [Note: And what message was that? That the One they had crucified had risen again — repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.] (Vine)
One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own - "—This is a hexameter line from the Greek poet Epimenides, a native of Crete in the sixth century, B.C.; it is quoted by another poet, Callimachus, in his 'Hymn to Zeus,' and was a well-known saying among the ancients, facts which expose the gross notoriety of the people of the island. There came into use a verb, to Cretanize, as a euphemism for lying. The phrase 'idle gluttons' (literally, 'slow bellies,' as in the A.V.) stands for the grossest self-indulgence. That evil was just the kind of condition suited to the purpose of plausible religious tricksters." (Vine)
rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith - "—the reference seems to be not only to the false teachers but to those who were deceived by them. The faith here stands for the sum total of Christian doctrine, as in 1 Thessalonians 3:10, where faith is to be understood, not of confidence in God, but of the doctrines of the faith. For the metaphor of soundness in this respect see 1 Timothy 1:10. This good result, which normally is the effect of constant and careful instruction, can be brought about in certain circumstances, such as those mentioned here, only by reproof in the power of the Spirit of God." (Vine)
Jewish myths - "—instances of these are abundantly supplied in the Talmud, in which interpretations and notes have obscured the pure text of the original. For a description of those who were thus acting as teachers of the Law, see Titus 3:9 and 1 Timothy 1:7." (Vine)
the commands of people who turn away from the truth - "—such regulations consisted of ritualistic observances, regulations which served to establish the authority of the propagandists, tending to make them appear superior to others ... The apostle contrasts them here with 'the truth,' from which the advocates of such externals turn away. It is always a dangerous thing to substitute church creeds for the word of God, and it is necessary to be on one's guard against the idea that it is the church which has been and is, responsible for the doctrines of the faith, whereas these have been derived, not from church councils, nor from the corporate body of the church at any time, but from the Holy Spirit's operation in and through the individual writers of the Scriptures. Never were the doctrines of the faith promulgated by agreement among the writers as to what should be taught. The decisions made by the so-called Council at Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 15, were not received from the church as such, but from the apostles and elders who, whilst they belonged to the local church, are distinguished from it in verse 4. Moreover, what was decreed on that occasion formed only a very small part of the faith, the whole of which is given in the word of God and not by the church in its corporate capacity." (Vine)
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure - "Purity is an internal matter, of the mind and conscience, not external." (Ryrie)
"—the meaning is not that all things are pure in the judgment of the pure, but that all things are pure for their use. All that God has provided for the maintenance of human life is in itself pure, and if the heart of the user has been purified through obeying the truth, such things can never have the effect of moral impurity. The 'all things' does not of course include anything that is morally impure, for such could never be regarded as pure by a God-fearing believer. Romans 14 provides an extensive explanation of this statement; cp. Matthew 15:11; Luke 11: 41; 1 Timothy 4:4. Those who are characterized by unbelief and corruptness of thought are bound to misuse even the things that God has provided, for they use them to gratify their own evil propensities. Erroneous teaching and moral impurity are often closely associated, and the opposite is likewise the case in regard to soundness in the faith and moral purity (cp. Acts 15:9 and 1 Tim 1:5; see also Rom 1:18-32)." (Vine)
"One company of false teachers in Crete advocated gluttony and another commanded abstinence from certain foods as being impure. The Apostle overthrew both by teaching the necessity of a pure heart and a clean conscience. God claims the heart. The man whose heart is defiled does not need to go out of himself to find what is impure, but though making a profession of faith (v. 15), in his actions he denies Christ is in fact detestable, disobedient, and useless for any good work." (Williams)
They profess to know God - "—this refers, not to the Gnostics, but to those who prided themselves in their Judaism and, so far as doctrine itself goes, their confession (for so the word might be rendered) was right, for God had made Himself known to them as the only true God. The apostle speaks of the Gentiles as those 'which know not God' (1 Thess 4:5)." (Vine)
unfit for any good work - "Tested and found unfit, disapproved (1 Cor 9:27)." (Ryrie)
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