Chapter 1

¹ Paul, a slave of God and an Apostle of Jesus the Anointed One; a follower of the faith of God’s elected who have a complete knowledge of truth and whose reverence ² is based on the hope of life in the age that the non-lying God promised in the time before the ages; ³ who, in His own due time, made His Word known through an important message that was entrusted to me by the command of our Savior, God. ⁴ To Titus, a true child in our faith: May you have loving care and peace from God the Father, and from the Anointed Jesus our Savior.

⁵ The reason why I left you in Crete is so that you would straighten out some of the problems there, and for you to appoint elders in each city, as I instructed you. ⁶ [Choose those who] are blameless, husbands of just one wife, and having believing children that aren’t rebellious or accused of being beyond hope; ⁷ because, as a manager of the household of God, an overseer must be blameless. [He can’t be] selfish, quick tempered, a heavy drinker, a fighter, or a greedy person. ⁸ Rather, [he should be] hospitable, a faithful friend, levelheaded, righteous, devout, self-controlled, ⁹ [and someone who] lives by the word of truth, so he can teach and encourage those who are strong, while exposing the wrongs of those who contradict.

¹⁰ For, there are many who are rebellious and deceitful windbags (most of whom are circumcised) ¹¹ whose mouths need to be sealed. They’re the ones who are dishonestly making money by teaching things they shouldn’t, and they’re misleading entire households.

¹² Why, one of their own prophets said: ‘Cretans are always liars and dangerous wild animals with bottomless stomachs’ … ¹³ and that’s a fact! For this reason, be tough when it comes to exposing their wrong ways, so they can become healthy in the faith.

¹⁴ [And don’t allow them to] pay attention to Jewish myths or rules of men, and thus turn themselves away from the truth. ¹⁵ For, everything is clean to those who are clean, but for those who are dirty and faithless, nothing is clean, because both their minds and their consciences are dirty. ¹⁶ They claim to know God, but everything they do disproves it, because they are disgusting, disobedient, and unqualified to do anything that’s good.

Chapter 2

¹ You, however, keep on talking about whatever is appropriate for healthy teaching. ² Old men should be free from excesses, and they should be serious, levelheaded, and healthy in their faith, love, and endurance. ³ Old women should behave as though they had just entered a holy place. They shouldn’t be slanderers or alcoholics, but teachers of things that are good. ⁴ They should encourage younger women to love their husbands and their children, ⁵ to be level headed, pure, homemakers, good, and willing to obey their husbands, so that God’s Word won’t be talked about in a bad way.

⁶ And give younger men the same encouragement… to be levelheaded. ⁷ [Tell them to] become good examples in all sorts of good deeds, to be serious and blameless in their teaching, ⁸ and to speak in a wholesome way, so there’s nothing that anyone can [use to] condemn them. Then those who oppose us won’t have anything bad to say about us.

⁹ Tell the slaves to obey their masters in everything… to please them well and not talk back, ¹⁰ and not to steal things! They should show that they are faithful in doing whatever is right, so they can adorn the teachings of our Savior God in everything.

¹¹ For, God’s loving care has been displayed in order to save all men. ¹² And once we’ve rejected all the godlessness and worldly desires, it teaches us how to endure sensibly, righteously, and devoutly in this age, ¹³ while we await the blest hope and the manifestations of the glory of the great God, and of our Savior, the Anointed Jesus. ¹⁴ Why, he gave himself over in order to free us by ransom from lawlessness, and to clean up people for himself who will be zealous in doing whatever is good.

¹⁵ Now, you are authorized to talk about such things… to encourage and to correct… and don’t let anyone ignore you!

Chapter 3

¹ Keep reminding them to obey and submit to governments and powers, and to be ready and willing to do good things. ² They shouldn’t slander anyone or want to fight with anyone. [Rather, they should] be willing to give in to [the wishes of] others and to be humble before everyone. ³ For, at one time we were all senseless, disobedient sinners who were slaves to our own desires and who had to endure badness and envy. [We were] disgusting [people] who hated each other!

⁴ However, when God (our Savior) showed His care and love for mankind ⁵ (not because of anything righteous that we did, but simply because of His own mercy), He saved us through the bath that re-created us and made us new by His Holy Breath. ⁶ He poured plenty of it out over us, through Jesus our Anointed Savior, ⁷ so that; after we were called righteous by His loving care, we might become heirs according to the hope of life in the age.

⁸ You can believe these things… and these are the instructions that I want you to keep giving them, so that those who have believed in God will stand firm in doing what’s right! Yes, these are good and helpful things to tell them.

⁹ Avoid foolish questions, genealogies, arguments, and fights over the Law, for such things don’t do any good and they’re just a waste of time. ¹⁰ And if a man keeps promoting a sect after you’ve reasoned with him a first and a second time, reject him! ¹¹ [Do this] because, you know that [such people] who have been turned from The Way are self-condemned sinners!

¹² After I send Artemas or TychiKos to you, try hard to come to me at NicOpolis, because that’s where I’ve decided to spend the winter. ¹³ Hurry and send Zenas the lawyer, and Apollos… and make sure they have everything they need. ¹⁴ Let our [brothers] learn how to do good things by providing for their needs, so their efforts aren’t wasted.

¹⁵ All of those who are with me send you their greetings. Give my greetings to all those in the faith who care about us.

May [God’s] loving care be with all of you.

Notes

Elder or Overseer

The term overseer implies a misleading nuance in American English… but it’s still the best word to use. The Greek word that overseer is translated from is epi-scopos, which literally means on-looker (not as a person who is ‘over’ anyone). So, the term doesn’t imply a higher position, but that of a caretaker.

A synonym that is used in the Bible for ‘overseer’ is ‘elder’ (presbyterios – older man). Christian elders were always males, and their job was to shepherd and teach the congregation. Another common English word for overseer is bishop.

The early Christian congregations may have been governed by bodies of elders who were appointed by the Apostles and their representatives. For, this arrangement is similar to the way the cities of Israel were governed.

The Scriptures show that such men were to meet high standards of conduct and reputation. And although Paul doesn’t mention it specifically, such individuals were expected to be able to make wise decisions and to show signs of having God’s Breath. Notice that these were the first qualifications for all Servants in the Christian Congregation, for Acts 6:3 (where the first ‘servants’ were appointed) says; ‘So, brothers, find seven qualified men among you who are filled with wisdom and the Breath [of God].’

So, should such an appointment be given to a man who isn’t known for his wisdom? If you read the Proverb you’ll repeatedly see the need to appoint just those who have proven themselves wise as judges and councilors. As Solomon wrote (at Proverbs 22:29), ‘An observant man and one sharp in his ways, will also stand beside kings. Never stand beside the dull witted.’

Were the qualifications for elder appointments that are listed at 1 Timothy 3:2-7 also to be used as the standard for removing elders? Paul gave no such instructions and there are no examples of this happening in the Bible. It appears as though the position of elder (older man, mayor, alderman, bishop, etc.) was a permanent appointment that would only be lost when the man dies, if he is found guilty of scandalous behavior, or if he should leave the primary doctrines of the faith.

Notice the list of qualifications that Paul gave Timothy to look for. The candidate must be someone who is:

· Free from accusations

· A husband of one wife

· Moderate in his habits

· Sensible (wise)

· Friendly to strangers (hospitable)

· A (qualified) teacher

· Not addicted to alcohol

· Not headstrong

· Not quarrelsome

· Not a greedy person

· One who takes the lead in his family

· Has children who obey him seriously

· Not a newly converted man

· Someone who is spoken well of by those outside the congregation.

For more information, see the linked document Arrangement of the First Christian Churches.

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Forever, System of Things, or Age?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos (pronounced ai-on-oss), which is used throughout the Bible and is often translated as forever and everlasting, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).

Where the plural form of the word (aionion) is used, it refers to a long time… at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (aionos), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: ‘Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?’ You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God’s Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or system of things), not aionos.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end, and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never expire.’

So, notice; The Bible shows that even our universe will eventually end and need to be ‘wrapped up and repaired,’ which agrees with the conclusions of modern science.

The problem with most Bible translations is that; when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular forms (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, for has crossed over from death to life.’

So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they in their current lifetime would be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12).

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever… it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that. What we find (from consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life) is that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that righteous people will receive ‘life in the age,’ or be considered worthy of (possibly everlasting) life by God during their current lifetimes… that their names would be written in ‘the scroll of life,’ and that they would not have to be judged, but will have already ‘crossed over from death to life,’ as Jesus said at John 5:24.

Yes, we know that this is a difficult concept to understand, but it’s what Jesus actually said.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Called and Chosen

There seems to be quite a bit of difference between the Bible’s use of the words, called, and chosen, and their implications for the people involved. For, notice what Jesus said (as recorded at Matthew 22:14): ‘Many are the called but few are the chosen (gr. polloi eisin gar cletoi, oligoi de eclectoi).’ And this verse could be possibly even be translated as ‘Many are the nominated but few are the elected.’

These words of Jesus seem to put an end to the notion that everyone who is called by God was foreordained to a favored position before his/her specific birth. Rather, what is implied in this parable, is that there would be people in general (not specific individuals) who would be chosen from among a larger number of those who are ‘called.’ Because, as Jesus makes clear here, not all who are among the called (or the nominated) to this hope are thereafter counted among the chosen (elected). For, why would God call people if He already knew that there was no chance of their being chosen?

Notice how this was stated at Revelation 17:14; for there we are told: ‘Then they will go and fight against the Lamb. But, because he’s the Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb and those who are with him (the called, elected, and faithful) will conquer them.’

So, ‘the called’ also have prove faithful in order to become ‘the elected’ who will serve with Jesus.

Yes, that was the point of Jesus’ parable at Matthew 22:1-14, which (as Jesus said) was an illustration concerning ‘the Kingdom of Heaven.’ In that parable, many were initially ‘called’ to the banquet of the King, but they didn’t want to come. The obvious reference here is to the Jews who were invited first to become kings in that Kingdom, but who, for the most part, rejected the invitation.

The king then ordered his slaves to go out into the streets and ‘call’ anyone who wishes to come to the banquet. These words obviously refer to the calling of people of the nations, or the gentiles (gr. tas ethne – the ethnics).

So, is this parable talking about being called to heaven to rule there with Jesus… for isn’t the wedding banquet for God’s son to be held in heaven, and aren’t those who are invited to God’s banquet the bride who will be with Jesus in heaven? We have always thought so, but notice that the guests in this parable aren’t referred to as virgins (as was the case of those mentioned in Revelation 14:1-4). Rather, they are called ‘both the wicked and the good,’ which is a strange way to refer to the ‘Saints.’

Next, as the parable continues, the king noticed a guest who wasn’t properly dressed for a wedding feast (he didn’t have the required qualities). This guest was then bound and thrown back outside (but not killed). So, as you can see, he was called but not chosen. Now, if we were to assume that this banquet is held in heaven… since the man was already there at the feast, we must ask: Was he then kicked out of heaven… and if so, we would also have to ask, Then, why was he taken there to begin with?

Now, we do suspect that there are those who are taken to heaven to rule with Jesus, but if so, they are likely the bride at the wedding feast, not the guests (see Revelation 17:7-9). For, notice what Paul said of himself at Philippians 3:11, ‘… so I can somehow be found worthy of an out-resurrection from the dead’

What was Paul talking about here? It appears as though; when speaking of ‘the out resurrection,’ he was saying that although he had been ‘called,’ he may not have been ‘chosen’ yet for heavenly life. That this is what he was likely talking about, can be seen from what he said at Philippians 3:12, ‘[I’m not saying] that I’ve made it yet, or that I’m already perfect.’ Then he continued with the words (at Philippians 3:14), ‘I’m running toward the goal, the prize of the higher (gr. ano – upward or higher) calling from God, through the Anointed Jesus.’

So, notice that the Bible speaks both of a ‘calling’ and of an ‘upward calling,’ which we assume refers to being called to heaven. And how would Paul know that he had been ‘chosen’ for this lofty reward? It appears as though such a person must first endure incredible suffering for his/her beliefs (as did Jesus), for notice what Paul wrote at Romans 8:17, ‘We have to suffer together so we can also be glorified together.’

Such suffering must be much more than what is typical of the suffering and death of mankind. Does this ‘suffering’ require a dying a martyr’s death? That seems to be the gist of the prophecy at Revelation 6:9-11, which says, ‘When he opened the fifth seal, I saw the lives of those who had been slaughtered because of the Word of God and because of the testimony that they gave, underneath the altar… Then they were each given a white robe and they were told to take it easy just a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow slaves and brothers was filled (who were going to be killed, as they were).’

But, in the case of Jesus’ words found Matthew 22:14 (‘Many are called but few are chosen’), we would have to conclude that God calls many people from among mankind to become His faithful slaves and to thereafter attend the wedding banquet of the Lamb (whether in heaven or earth is not stated), but not all who are called are found worthy.

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Earning a Living from Religion

At 2 Corinthians 2:17, Paul wrote, ‘We aren’t like others who are peddlers of the word of God (gr. kapeleuontes ton logon tou Theou). Rather, we speak sincerely through the Anointed One.’

Obviously, Paul is making the assertion here that he didn’t believe in making a comfortable living by preaching God’s Word. In fact, Paul bragged of his working as a tent maker, so he could provide God’s Word without cost to the congregations. And as he says here, he often did without, simply because he refused to ask for help.

However, it must be admitted that on other occasions, Paul spoke of his ‘authority’ to be supported in his preaching. So such material support isn’t necessarily wrong. But, let’s examine why Paul chose not to depend on others to support him in his service to God. Notice his reasoning, ‘Rather, we speak sincerely through the Anointed One.’

Now, the problem with trying to teach those who pay us to do so, is this matter of sincerity. If your livelihood depends on their goodwill, will you truly tell them what needs to be said? The answer is obvious.

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The Ransom

Throughout the Bible, we read of ‘the ransom’ (gr. lytron) that Jesus paid. Exactly what does this term refer to?

At Matthew 20:28, Jesus said, ‘This is how the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve and to give his living body as a ransom for many.’

Romans 5:12, 14 says, ‘Sin entered this world through one man and this sin resulted in death. So, death spread to all men because everyone has sinned. However, death reigned from [the time of] Adam down to Moses, even over those who didn’t sin in the same way that Adam did. And [Adam] was a prototype of the one who would come.

1 Corinthians 15:21, 22 says, ‘Since death came through a man, resurrection from the dead also comes through a man. And as all are dying because of Adam, all will be made alive in the Anointed One.’

So from the above, we must conclude that Adam lost the hope of ‘life’ for himself and all his descendants, because of his sin in Eden. However, Jesus came and paid the ‘ransom price’ to God, to redeem us from the sin of Adam, so that we could once again have the hope of ‘life in the age’ and a resurrection of the living.

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Who are God’s ‘Anointed?’

Notice that in this Bible translation, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 (for example) says, ‘The One who guarantees that we all belong to the Anointed One, and He who anointed us, is God.’

So, why didn’t these translators just go ahead and render the word (Anointed) as Christ – as countless other translators have done? For two reasons:

· Because Christ has almost totally lost its meaning to most Bible readers today, and most have come to believe that ‘Christ’ was part of Jesus’ name. It wasn’t.

· Because Christ is a word that was made up by early Bible translators and is only used in that form when they think that the Bible was speaking of Jesus. In other places it is correctly translated as anointed.

If you look at the above verse in Greek, you’ll see that it reads, ‘Ho de bebaion hemas syn hymin eis Christon kai chrisas hemas Theos,’ or, ‘The of stabilizing us with you into Anointed and anointing us God.’

You will notice here that Christon (Christ or Anointed) and chrisas (anointed) are both derived from the same root word, which by the way, is Greek for olive oil. Why olive oil? Because, that substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those who God chose to be kings over Israel. For example, David and Solomon were both anointed (oil was poured over their heads) in proof of the fact that they had been chosen by God to be kings over Israel.

So, the word means anointed. But if you prefer the word Christ, then Saul, David, and Solomon were Christs, for you can’t have it both ways. As an example, look at the words that David spoke about Saul, as found at 1 Samuel 24:6 LXX): ‘Kai eipin David pros tous andras autou: Medamos moi para kiriou ei poieso to hrema touto to kyrio mou to christo kyriou epenegkai cheira mou ep auton hoti christos kyriou estin autos,’ or ‘Said David to the men of/his: By/no/means of/me from the/Lord if I/should/do this thing to my/Lord to/the Christ (Anointed) of/the/Lord to/raise my/hand against him, for the/Christ (Anointed) of/the/Lord this is.’ So as you can see; if Christos should be translated as Christ, then unrighteous King Saul was also Christ. However, almost all Bibles translate christos as anointed in this case (one of many instances).

Such a physical anointing with oil appeared to picture receiving God’s Holy Breath, which happened to Jesus at his baptism, to 120 of Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost of 33-C.E., and to other First-century Christians. So Jesus didn’t really become the Christon (Christ, Anointed, or Chosen One) until he was anointed with Holy Breath at his baptism (when the ‘dove’ came down on him).

If you understand this nuance, you get the true meaning of the word Christ (Anointed) as it applies to Jesus; it means that he was the one who God chose to be king over His people. Also, Paul was telling the Christians in Corinth that they too would be anointed… become ‘christs.’ For, when they were ‘anointed’ and sealed in their hearts by God’s Holy Breath, they were selected to be ‘kings on the earth’ (Revelation 5:10).

Notice what can be learned from a proper understanding of the Greek words by looking at Matthew 24:24. For there, many Bibles say that Jesus foretold the coming of false Christs and false prophets. But what he actually said was, ‘Because false anointed ones and false prophets (gr. pseudo christon kai pseudo prophetai) will arise and they will perform great signs and omens to mislead (if possible) even the elected.’

So, Jesus wasn't necessarily saying that people would come claiming to be him, but people would come falsely claiming to be the anointed and prophets.

Another example of the poor use of the title Christ (implying Jesus) by Bible translators can be found at First Peter 1:10, 11, which reads in this Bible: ‘When it comes to salvation, the Prophets looked and searched for this loving-care that’s being shown to you. They tried, through the spirit of anointing that was in them, to determine the exact time and circumstances of the sufferings of the Anointed One and of his being glorified, which they knew about even back then.’ Other Bible say that it was the Spirit of Christ that was in the ancient Prophets. However, as we pointed out above, Jesus didn't become the Christ or the Anointed until after his baptism.

So, what Peter was saying in those verses, is that those ancient Prophets tried through the power of God’s Breath which had anointed them to be Prophets, to determine the time and circumstances of the glorification of Jesus. For, if you check the wording of those verses in Greek, you’ll see that there is no definite article preceding the first christou (anointed), which would be required if it was saying that the Spirit of Jesus was in them.

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Undeserved Kindness or Caring?

The Greek word caris is where we derive the English words care and caring. Old English Bible translations have rendered caris as grace. But the nuance that grace implies (smooth and flowing) totally distorts the meaning of this term in contemporary American English.

Most Bible dictionaries prefer to see caris translated as undeserved kindness. However, this phrase, which may or may not make some minor technical difference in the meaning, adds wordiness, which distracts from the ease of reading. So you will find it translated as care, loving care, caring, or kindness herein, depending on the setting.

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