Titus 1:9 (LSB)

Passage

holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict.

Nearby Context

Titus 1:7 For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of dishonest gain,

Titus 1:8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled,

Titus 1:9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict.

Titus 1:10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,

Titus 1:11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "holding", "fast", "faithful", "word", "accordance", "teaching", and "able". 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 hospitable loving what is good sensible..." into verse 10's "For there are many rebellious men empty...", 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.