Doing Good Because of the Good News

¹But what you teach must agree with true teaching. ² Tell the older men that in anything they do, they must not go too far. They must be worthy of respect. They must control themselves. They must have true faith. They must love others. They must not give up.

³ In the same way, teach the older women to lead a holy life. They must not tell lies about others. They must not let wine control them. Instead, they must teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can advise the younger women to love their husbands and children. ⁵ The younger women must control themselves and be pure. They must take good care of their homes. They must be kind. They must follow the lead of their husbands. Then no one will be able to speak evil things against God’s word.

⁶ In the same way, help the young men to control themselves. ⁷ Do what is good. Set an example for them in everything. When you teach, be honest and serious. ⁸ No one can question the truth. So teach what is true. Then those who oppose you will be ashamed. That’s because they will have nothing bad to say about us.

⁹ Teach slaves to obey their masters in everything they do. Tell them to try to please their masters. They must not talk back to them. ¹⁰ They 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.

¹¹ God’s grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all people. ¹² His grace teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful desires. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today’s world. ¹³ That’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 his glory. He is our great God and Savior. ¹⁴ He 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 desire to do what is good.

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