Titus 2:9–3:8

9Teach slaves to obey their masters in everything they do. Tell them to try to please their masters. They must not talk back to them. 10They must not steal from them. Instead, they must show that they can be trusted completely. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior appealing in every way.

11God’s saving grace has appeared to all people. 12It teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful longings. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today’s world. 13That’s how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us.

We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in all his glory. He is our great God and Savior. 14He gave himself for us. By doing that, he set us free from all evil. He wanted to make us pure. He wanted us to be his very own people. He wanted us to long to do what is good.

15Those are the things you should teach. Cheer people up and give them hope. Correct them with full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

Do What Is Good

3 Remind God’s people to obey rulers and authorities. Remind them to be ready to do what is good. 2Tell them not to speak evil things against anyone. Remind them to live in peace. They must consider the needs of others. They must be kind and gentle toward all people.

3At one time we too acted like fools. We didn’t obey God. We were tricked. We were controlled by all kinds of longings and pleasures. We were full of evil. We wanted what belongs to others. People hated us, and we hated one another.

4But the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared. 5He saved us. It wasn’t because of the good things we had done. It was because of his mercy. He saved us by washing away our sins. We were born again. The Holy Spirit gave us new life.

6God poured out the Spirit on us freely because of what Jesus Christ our Savior has done. 7His grace made us right with God. So now we have received the hope of eternal life as God’s children.

8You can trust that saying. Those things are important. Treat them that way. Then those who have trusted in God will be careful to commit themselves to doing what is good. Those things are excellent. They are for the good of everyone.