Paul’s Greeting to Titus (2 Corinthians 8:16–24)
1 UST I, Paul,{ write this letter to you, Titus. I} am a servant of God and a representative of Jesus the Messiah. God sent me to teach the people whom he has chosen as his own to trust him more. I work to help his people to know what is true, so that they can live in a way that pleases God. BSB BSB: 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 UST His people can learn how to live like this because they are confident that God will cause them to live forever. Even before the world began, God promised to cause us to live forever, and God does not lie. BSB BSB: in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
3 UST Then, in God’ s own timing, he communicated his plan through this message that he trusted me to preach. I do this in order to obey the command of God, who saves us. BSB BSB: In His own time He has made His word evident in the proclamation entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.
4 UST Titus, you have become like a real son to me because we both now believe in Jesus the Messiah. May God the Father and the Messiah Jesus who saves us continue to be kind to you and keep you peaceful. BSB BSB: 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 UST I left you on the Island of Crete for this reason: that you do the work that is still unfinished and also appoint elders{ for the group of believers} in every city, just as I told you to do. BSB BSB: 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 UST Now every elder must be someone whom no one can criticize. He must also have just one wife, his children must trust in God, and people must not consider his children to be out of control or disobedient. BSB BSB: An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.
7 UST Everyone who leads God’ s people is like the person who manages the servants and property of someone else, but he is doing this for God. So it is necessary for this person to have a good reputation. He must not be proud and he must not get angry quickly. He must not be an alcoholic, not someone who likes to fight and argue, and not a greedy man. BSB BSB: As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.
8 UST Rather than that, he must welcome strangers and love the things that are good. He must always act sensibly and treat other people in a fair and honest manner. He must always act in a way that is right for someone who is devoted to God and he must always control his emotions. BSB BSB: Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
9 UST He must always believe the true things that we have taught him, and he must live according to them. He must do this so that he can persuade people to live like this too, and so that he can correct people if they do not want to live like this. BSB BSB: 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 UST I tell you these things because there are many people who refuse to obey those who are in authority over them. What these people say has no value. They persuade people to believe wrong things. The people who are the most like this are the ones who tell all followers of the Messiah to become circumcised. BSB BSB: For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision,
11 UST You and the leaders whom you appoint must prevent such people from teaching the believers. They are teaching things that they should not teach, causing entire families to believe wrong things. They only do it so that people will give them money. This is very shameful! BSB BSB: who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.
13 UST What he said is true, so correct them forcefully so that they may believe and teach correct things about God. BSB BSB: This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith
14 UST In order to believe correct things about God, they must stop living according to stories invented by the Jews and commandments that did not come from God. These commandments came from people who have stopped obeying what is true. BSB BSB: and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.
15 UST If some people only want to do or think about doing good things, then everything that they do is good. But if people are wicked and do not believe in the Messiah Jesus, everything that they do is bad. Such people’ s way of thinking has been ruined. They do not even feel guilty when they do what is evil. BSB BSB: 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 UST Even though they claim to know God, what they do shows that they do not know him. They are disgusting. They disobey God and can do nothing good for him. BSB BSB: They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.