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b'One of the first missionaries, Paul, left Titus on the island of Crete to\\noversee the new churches there and appoint elders in every town. Titus may\\nhave been young, or at least younger than Paul since Paul refers to him as\\n\\u201cmy true son in our common faith\\u201d (Titus 1:4). In the book of Titus, which\\nis really a letter, Paul advises Titus on how to handle false teachings and\\nimmorality in the church.\\nMany people in the Cretan churches claimed to know God, but their actions\\ndenied Him (1:16). We can guess what some of their sinful actions were by\\nnoticing what Paul warns against: teaching false beliefs for dishonest\\ngain, engaging in foolish controversies and quarrels about the law, getting\\ndrunk, behaving violently, gossiping and slandering others, stealing,\\nsaying \\u201cYes\\u201d to ungodliness and worldly passions, and living in envy and\\nhatred of others (1:7, 11; 2:3, 10, 12; 3:3, 9). Yet, the Cretans\\u2019 sin is\\nno worse than anyone else\\u2019s sin. In fact, Paul writes, \\u201cAt one time we too\\nwere foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions\\nand pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one\\nanother\\u201d (3:3).\\nBut the good news is, God mercifully saves us from hell and offers us\\neternal life through Jesus Christ\\u2019s death on the cross and the pouring out\\nof the Holy Spirit upon us. He didn\\u2019t save us because of anything good we\\ndid or will one day do; He saved us because He loves us. And once we\\u2019ve put\\nour trust in Jesus, we are able to live in a way that honors our loving God.\\nAccepting the grace of God and the salvation message teaches us to say \\u201cNo\\u201d\\nto ungodliness (2:11-12). Although Paul\\u2019s letter is short, he stresses the\\nneed for self-control five times (1:8; 2:2, 5-6, 12). And self-control is a\\nfruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit works in us,\\nhelping us to exercise self-control and live godly lives by loving God and\\nloving one another (Matthew 22:36-40).\\n\\u2022 Ronica Stromberg\\n\\u2022 Why do you think Paul emphasized self-control in his letter to Titus?\\n\\u2022 God doesn\\u2019t expect us to be able to say \\u201cNo\\u201d to sin without His help. How\\ndo God\\u2019s love and mercy toward us make it possible for us to live\\nself-controlled lives?\\nFor the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It\\nteaches us to say \\u201cNo\\u201d to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live\\nself-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. Titus 2:11-12\\n(NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nTitus.2.6-Titus.2.8|Titus.2.11-Titus.2.14|Titus.3.3-Titus.3.8'