New Testament Commentary - Titus 1

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 1 Eternal life promised before the world began—Qualifions of bishops given—Unto the pure all things are pure.
1 PAUL, a ^aservant of God, and an ^bapostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's ^celect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In ^ahope of ^beternal life, which God, that cannot ^clie, ^dpromised before the world began^a; 3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; 4 To Titus, ^amine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.	2^a promised before the world began God set forth the plan of eternal progression or the Plan of Salvation, before the world was organized or 'created' to that end. This implies and means that God spoke to us while yet only of our spirit bodies and made these promises or covenants unto and with us his spirit children in the preexistent or pre mortal realm of the First Estate. And we knew and understood that by accepting this plan and suporting God the Father and Jehovah the Firstborn in the spirit, that we would 'follow Adam and Eve into the realm of the Second Estate of this world and all that it entaled in respect thereto. And as that 'promise' included the provision of a redeeming Savior to be so selected, appointed, anointed, ordained and empowered, who would stand and act in the Father stead in all things pertaining to this second estate from it 'create' to the end of the Plan of God even down and until our final judgment, which included such pilars of that plan of the creation, fall, atonement and final disposition or resurrection and just judgment.
5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in ^aorder the things that are wanting, and ^bordain ^celders in every city, as I had ^dappointed thee: 6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of ^ariot or unruly.
7 For a ^abishop must be blameless, as the ^bsteward of God; not ^cselfwilled, not soon ^dangry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; 8 But a lover of ^ahospitality, a lover of ^bgood men, sober, just, holy, ^ctemperate; 9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to ^aconvince the ^bgainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly and ^avain talkers and ^bdeceivers, specially they of the ^ccircumcision: 11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy ^alucre's sake. 12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, ^aslow bellies.
13 This witness is true. Wherefore ^arebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14 Not giving heed to Jewish ^afables, and ^bcommandments of men, ^cthat turn from the truth.
15 ^aUnto the pure all things are ^bpure: but unto them that are ^cdefiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their ^dmind and ^econscience is ^fdefiled. 16 They ^aprofess that they ^bknow God; but in ^cworks they ^ddeny him, being abominable, and ^edisobedient, and unto every good work ^freprobate.