TITUS CHAPTER 3 - CONTEMPORARY ALIGNED VERSION (SPIRITCODE)

1. Remind the people to respect the government, to obey the civil laws and regulations, be good citizens, and to work productively and honestly.

2. To be not always criticizing others and putting them down and arguing, but courteous, and showing deference to them instead.

3. Remember that we used to act ignorantly like that once ourselves, breaking rules, out of line in our behavior, indulging in whatever we pleased, with a nasty antisocial attitude, even to those we kept company with.

4. But then came the revelation and the reality of the love and goodness of God our Savior towards all mankind.

5. Not through any good thing we might have done, but solely and utterly because of his mercy and compassion to us. He saved us, baptizing us into a shared life with himself, through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

6. This power of life was richly and abundantly poured out upon us through the work of Jesus Christ our Savior.

7. We have been brought into a place of perfect acceptance and approval before God through this goodness of his, and made to share with Jesus in all that he has, so that we can expect his goodness into our lives at all times.

8. You can count on what I have just said, and I want you to keep on affirming and announcing it, to encourage and motivate other Christians to live caring honest lifestyles. There is no better way to live than this.

9. I don’t want people getting involved in useless questions that have no answers, or preoccupied with who was who in ages passed, or tricky puzzles of religious law. This does nobody any good whatsoever.

10. If someone is warned about going down this path more than twice and won’t give over, then just ignore him,.

11. Recognizing that this kind of person is twisted, not only wrong in the way he thinks, but proving it in the way he acts.

12 When I send Artemus or Tychicus  I would like you to come to Nicopolis to see me because I am staying there for the Winter.

13. Please bring Zenas the lawer too, and also Apollos and make sure they are well looked after.

14. Tell our people to continue to live out their faith and to be productive in meeting other people’s needs.

15. All of us here send our greetings to you, and greetings also to those that love us in the faith. May God’s grace be with you all, Amen.