Titus 1:15 kjv

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

Titus 1:15 nkjv

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.

Titus 1:15 niv

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

Titus 1:15 esv

To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

Titus 1:15 nlt

Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.

Titus 1 verses

Titus 1 15 Meaning

This verse teaches a fundamental principle: spiritual and moral purity or defilement originates within a person's heart and faith, not from external objects or practices. For those purified by faith in Christ, all morally neutral things are viewed and used purely. Conversely, for those who lack faith and are internally corrupted by sin, nothing is pure; their spiritual perception is so perverted that their very thoughts and moral discernment are tainted, making even indifferent things an occasion for sin or misconception.

Titus 1 15 Context

Titus 1 is primarily concerned with setting up proper leadership in the Cretan churches and addressing the threat of false teachers. Paul instructs Titus on the qualifications of elders (vv. 5-9). From verse 10 onward, Paul shifts to the negative side: confronting the characteristics of false teachers. He describes them as "rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party" (Titus 1:10), who "must be silenced" because "they are ruining whole households by teaching for dishonest gain what they ought not to teach" (Titus 1:11). Paul then quotes a Cretan prophet about the depraved nature of Cretans themselves (Titus 1:12-13). In verse 14, he explicitly warns Titus against "Jewish myths and commands of people who turn away from the truth." Titus 1:15 then directly contrasts the truth Paul teaches with the false teachings, particularly regarding external rituals and purity laws, emphasizing that the problem lies not in what is consumed or touched, but in the internal state of the person.

Titus 1 15 Word analysis

• To the pure (καθαροῖς - katharois):

  • Meaning: "Pure," "clean," "undefiled," "unmixed." In this context, it refers not to ceremonial or ritual purity, but to spiritual and moral purity. This purity is imparted through faith in Christ and the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:9).
  • Significance: It implies an inner transformation and alignment with God's will. Their hearts and intentions are right before God.

• all things (πάντα - panta):

  • Meaning: "All things," "everything." This refers to morally indifferent things – practices, food, situations, social customs – that are not inherently sinful or righteous.
  • Significance: It indicates the believer's freedom in Christ from legalistic constraints on matters of conscience, as the spiritual status of such things is determined by the internal state of the individual.

• are pure (καθαρά - kathara):

  • Meaning: Are considered clean, wholesome, morally acceptable.
  • Significance: For the internally pure, external things cannot defile them. Their spiritual disposition allows them to approach "all things" with a clean conscience and with thanksgiving to God, thereby rendering them pure for their use.

• but to those who are defiled (μεμιαμμένοις - memiammenois):

  • Meaning: "Defiled," "polluted," "stained," "contaminated." This is a perfect passive participle of miainō (μιαίνω), meaning to stain or contaminate, indicating a deep, abiding state of moral impurity. It contrasts sharply with katharois.
  • Significance: This isn't just external uncleanness but a profound spiritual and ethical corruption, often a consequence of habitual sin or embracing falsehood.

• and unbelieving (καὶ ἀπίστοις - kai apistois):

  • Meaning: "Faithless," "without faith," "incredulous."
  • Significance: Unbelief is identified as the root cause of defilement. Lack of saving faith leaves one vulnerable to corruption and unable to grasp spiritual truth or live righteously. This term directly links the spiritual state to the problem.

• nothing (οὐδέν - ouden):

  • Meaning: Absolutely nothing.
  • Significance: An emphatic negative, highlighting the complete perversion of their spiritual perception; because of their internal corruption, no external thing can be received or perceived purely.

• is pure (καθαρόν - katharon):

  • Meaning: Is considered clean or wholesome.
  • Significance: The very perception of reality is skewed for the unbelieving and defiled; their internal corruption contaminates their judgment of external things.

• in fact, both their minds (ὁ νοῦς - ho nous):

  • Meaning: The intellect, understanding, faculty of thought, and rational discernment; the "seat" of reasoning and moral judgment.
  • Significance: This refers to their capacity for understanding truth and reality. For the defiled, their nous is warped, leading to intellectual perversion and futile thinking.

• and consciences (καὶ ἡ συνείδησις - kai hē syneidēsis):

  • Meaning: The moral faculty, the inner awareness of right and wrong; the inner witness of one's own actions or state.
  • Significance: This points to their inner moral compass. A corrupted conscience means their moral sensitivity is dulled, seared, or fundamentally broken (1 Tim 4:2), leading them to approve of sin or twist moral truth.

• are corrupted (ἔφθαρται - ephthartai):

  • Meaning: Are "destroyed," "depraved," "rotted," "spoiled." This is a perfect passive indicative of phtheirō (φθείρω), emphasizing a deep-seated and permanent state of decay.
  • Significance: The internal faculties themselves (mind and conscience) are fundamentally diseased, not merely temporarily misdirected. This explains why nothing is pure to them – their internal processors are broken beyond repair without divine intervention.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "To the pure, all things are pure": This phrase articulates Christian liberty and the internal source of true purity. For those made clean by God's grace and indwelled by the Spirit, outward distinctions lose their power to defile. This principle empowers believers to exercise discernment rooted in their transformed character, not rigid rules.
• "but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure": This section highlights the direct consequence of unbelief and spiritual defilement. It posits a state where a person's inner corruption permeates their perception of all things. Their lack of faith is not just a deficiency but an active state of opposition to truth, leading to profound moral and spiritual blindness.
• "in fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted": This clause provides the diagnostic explanation for the preceding statement. It pinpoints the exact mechanisms of defilement. The corruption is not superficial but penetrates to the very core of their cognitive and moral faculties, meaning their ability to think straight about God and life, and their ability to discern right from wrong, are both fatally compromised.

Titus 1 15 Bonus section

• Moral Relativism's Opposite: This verse is not promoting moral relativism where one defines good and evil for oneself. Rather, it emphasizes that spiritual perception of the good and evil, and the clean and unclean, is utterly dependent on one's relationship with God (purity of heart and faith). It upholds an objective standard but notes how individuals' internal states determine their relationship to that standard.
• Relevance to Christian Liberty: This verse is a cornerstone for understanding Christian liberty, especially in areas not explicitly forbidden by Scripture (Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8-10). It calls believers to evaluate their actions based on internal motives, conscience, and how they honor God, rather than relying on external traditions or human commands.
• Spiritual Blindness: The "corrupted mind" points to intellectual spiritual blindness, an inability to understand God's truth (Rom 1:21; Eph 4:17-18). The "corrupted conscience" points to moral insensitivity and a lack of true conviction about sin, sometimes leading to a seared conscience (1 Tim 4:2). Together, they present a formidable barrier to spiritual growth and salvation for the unbelieving.

Titus 1 15 Commentary

Titus 1:15 profoundly reveals the radical difference between the spiritual state of believers and unbelievers concerning purity and morality. Paul challenges the superficial, legalistic view that purity comes from adherence to external regulations (like food laws, common among some Jewish teachers he opposes) and boldly declares that genuine purity is an internal condition, flowing from faith and a regenerate heart. For the "pure"—those cleansed and made holy by Christ—"all things" that are morally indifferent (foods, customs, etc.) are indeed pure. Their inner sanctity sanctifies their use of external things, done with gratitude and a good conscience.

Conversely, for those described as "defiled and unbelieving," a devastating reality holds: "nothing is pure" to them. This is because their defilement is not external but internal, rooted in their lack of faith. This spiritual sickness impacts their very core being, specifically their intellectual faculty ("mind") and their moral discernment ("conscience"). Both are "corrupted" – permanently depraved and distorted. This inherent corruption prevents them from truly perceiving spiritual truth or exercising sound moral judgment, tainting everything they interact with. Thus, their impurity makes even the most neutral things impure to them, revealing their pervasive spiritual brokenness.