Teaching Sound Doctrine

1But as for you, you must speak in a manner that befits wholesome teaching. 2Exhort aged men to be temperate, grave, sober-minded, robust in their faith, their love and their patience.

3In the same way exhort aged women to let their conduct be such as becomes consecrated persons. They must not be slanderers nor enslaved to wine-drinking. They must be teachers of what is right. 4They should school the young women to be affectionate to their husbands and to their children, to be sober-minded, pure in their lives, 5industrious in their homes, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the Christian teaching may not be exposed to reproach.

6In the same way exhort the younger men to be discreet, 7and above all make your own life a pattern of right conduct, having in your teaching no taint of insincerity, but a serious tone, 8and healthy language which no one can censure, so that our opponents may feel ashamed at having nothing evil to say against us.

9Exhort slaves to be always obedient to their owners, and to give them satisfaction in everything, not contradicting and not pilfering, 10but manifesting perfect fidelity and kind feeling, in order to bring honour to the teaching of our Saviour, God, in all things.

God's Grace Brings Salvation

11For the grace of God has displayed itself with healing power to all mankind, 12training us to renounce ungodliness and all the pleasures of this world, and to live sober, upright, and pious lives at the present time, 13in expectation of the fulfilment of our blessed hope—the Appearing in glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; 14who gave Himself for us to purchase our freedom from all iniquity, and purify for Himself a people who should be specially His own, zealous for doing good works.

15Thus speak, exhort, reprove, with all impressiveness. Let no one make light of your authority.