Titus 1:9 (ASV)

Passage

holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers.

Nearby Context

Titus 1:7 For the bishop must be blameless, as God`s steward; not self-willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre;

Titus 1:8 but given to hospitality, as lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled;

Titus 1:9 holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers.

Titus 1:10 For there are many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision,

Titus 1:11 whose mouths must be stopped; men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre`s sake.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "holding", "faithful", "word", "teaching", "able", "exhort", and "sound". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "holding", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "but given to hospitality as lover of..." into verse 10's "For there are many unruly men vain...", so "faith" and "holding" belong inside that flow. In Titus context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "holding" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.