Titus Chapter 1

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.^fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.^fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.^fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Greeting

1. Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus the Anointed according to the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth, the truth according to godliness,
2. in the hope of the life of ages^fn“life of ages” is literal, and captures the duration as well as the quality of the life, which the traditional interpretation of “eternal life” doesn’t.  The word translated “ages” (αἰώνιον) is the adjective form of the Greek word “αἰών” (aion), which is used – for example – in Matthew 24:3 “what are the signs of your coming and the end of the age?” which God – who cannot lie – promised before the time^fn“time” literally: “times” of the ages,
3. and revealed His word in His own seasons by the proclamation that I was entrusted with, according to the commandment of God our savior.
4. To Titus, my true^fn“true” This Greek word more precisely means “legitimate” or “genuine”, sometimes with the sense of being dear because of this. It was used of a child born inside of wedlock who was thus a “legitimate” child. child in our common faith: grace, [mercy,] and peace from God the Father and Jesus the Anointed, our savior.

Qualifications for Elders

5.  I left you in Crete for this reason: so you might set in order what’s lacking, and might appoint elders in every town as I instructed you.
6. If someone is blameless, a husband of one wife, having believing children, not under accusation of wasteful excess^fn“wasteful excess” this Greek word means things which are wasted (thrown out) because they aren’t saved for later use by the user.  It thus has the sense of “wasting” on useless things, and can refer to the consequences of such wasteful excess. or rebellious,
7. for an overseer is required to be blameless as God’s steward, not arrogantly willful, not inclined to anger, not given to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of dishonest gain,
8. but hospitable, a lover of good, of sound mind, righteous, holy, and self-controlled,
9. holding firmly to the faithful teaching according to the message, so he might be able to both encourage by teaching what’s sound, and to refute with evidence^fn“refute with evidence” is one word in Greek.  It means to correct or expose something (typically bad/wrong), which includes the idea of supporting evidence for the correction or exposé.  Also used in Matthew 18:15 when referring to church discipline. the men contradicting it.

False teachers

10. For there are many rebellious men, [both] empty talkers and deceivers, especially the men of the circumcision
11. whom it’s necessary to silence, who subversively overthrow whole households, teaching what’s not proper for the sake of sordid gain.
12. One of them – their own prophet – said: “Cretans are always liars, wicked beasts, and lazy gluttons.”
13. This testimony is true; because of this reason, you must severely rebuke them with evidence^fn“rebuke… …with evidence” is one word in Greek.  It means to correct or expose something (typically bad/wrong), which includes the idea of supporting evidence for the correction or exposition.  Also used in Matthew 18:15 when referring to church discipline. so they might be sound in the faith,
14. not turning to Jewish myths and to the commandments of men turning away from the truth.
15. All things are pure to the pure.  But to the men who have defiled themselves and to the unbelievers, nothing is pure.  Rather, they have defiled both their mind and conscience.
16. They openly profess to *know God but they deny Him in their works, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good work.

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