Paul

ineandCat
hol
icEpi
stl
es

Areyoufamili
arwiththeterm"epi
stl
e"?Itmeans"let
ter
."AndinthecontextoftheBi
ble,
theepist
lesal
way srefert
othegroupoflett
ersgroupedtoget
herinthemi ddl
eofthe
NewTest ament.Wr i
tt
enbyleadersoftheearl
ychurch,t
heselet
terscontainval
uabl
e
i
nsightandpri
nciplesforl
ivi
ngasadiscipl
eofJesusChr i
st.

Thereare21separ atelet
tersfoundint heNewTest ament,whi
chmakest heepist
lesthe
l
argestoftheBi bl
e'
sl i
ter
arygenreinter msofthenumberofbooks.(Str
angely
,the
epist
lesareamongt hesmallestgenresoft heBi
bleinter
msofactualwordcount.)For
thatr
eason,I'v
edividedmygener al
ov ervi
ewoftheepistl
esasali
terar
ygenreintothree
separateart
icl
es.

Inaddit
iontothesummar iesoft
heepistl
esbel
ow,Iencourageyoutoreadmyt wo
previ
ousarti
cles:Explori
ngtheEpist
lesandWeretheEpist
lesWrit
tenforYouandMe?
Bothofthesear t
iclescontai
nval
uableinf
ormati
onforpr
operlyunder
standi
ngand
apply
ingthepr i
nciplesoftheepi
stl
esinyourl
if
etoday.

Andnow,wit
houtf
urt
herdel
ay,her
ear
esummar
iesoft
hedi
ff
erentepi
stl
escont
ained
i
ntheBibl
e'
sNewTestament.

ThePaul
ineEpi
stl
es

Thefol
l
owingbooksoftheNewTestamentwerewri
tt
enby  
theapost
lePaul
 
overa
per
iodofsev
eral
years,
andfrom sev
eral
dif
fer
entl
ocati
ons.

TheBookofRomans

Oneoft helongestepistl
es,Paulwr otethi
slettert
othegrowingchur chi nRomeasa
wayofexpr essinghisenthusiasm forthei
rsuccessandhi sdesi
retov i
sitthem
personall
y.Thebulkoft helet
ter,howev er
,isadeepandpoi gnantstudyont hebasi
c
doctri
nesoft heChrist
ianfait
h.Paul wroteaboutsalvat
ion,f
ait
h,grace, sancti
fi
cati
on,
andmanypr acti
calconcernsforliv
ingasaf ol
l
owerofJesusi nacult ur
et hathas
rej
ectedHim.

1and2Cor
int
hians

Paultookagr eatinter
estinthechur chesspreadthroughouttheregionofCor i
nth-
-so
muchsot hathewr oteatleastfourseparat
el et
ter
st othatcongregati
on.Onlytwoof
thoselet
tershav ebeenpr eserved,whichweknowas  1and2Cor int
hians.Becausethe
cit
yofCor i
nthwascor ruptwithall
kindsofimmor al
ity,muchofPaul '
sinstr
ucti
onst o
thi
schurchcent eronr emainingseparatefr
om thesinfulpract
icesofthesurrounding
cult
ureandr emaininguni t
edasChr ist
ians.

Gal
ati
ans
Paul hadf oundedthechurchi nGal atia(moder ndayTurkey)around51A. D.,t
hen
continuedhi smissionar
yjourney s.Dur i
nghi sabsence,however ,
groupsoff alse
teacher shadcor ruptedthe 
Gal atians byclaimingthatChri
sti
ansmustcont inueto
obser vet hediff
erentlawsfrom t heOl dTest amentinordertoremai ncleanbef or
eGod.
Theref ore, muchofPaul '
sepistlet otheGal ati
ansisanappeal forthem toreturntot
he
doctrineofsal vati
onbygr acet hroughf ait
h- -andtoavoidthelegalist
icpracti
cesofthe
fal
set eacher s.

Ephesi
ans

Aswi t
hGal at
ians,thelett
ert othe 
Ephesi
ans emphasizesGod'sgraceandt
hef actt
hat
humanbei ngscannotat tainsalvat
ionthr
oughwor ksorlegali
sm.Paulal
soemphasized
theimpor t
anceofuni t
yint hechurchanditssingul
armi ssi
on--amessagethatwas
especiall
yimportantinthislett
erbecausethecityofEphesuswasamaj ort
radecenter
populatedbypeopl eofmanysepar at
eethnici
ti
es.

Phi
li
ppi
ans

Whi l
ethemajorthemeofEphesi ansisgrace,
themaj ort
hemeoft heletterto
the Phi
li
ppi
ans i
sjoy.PaulencouragedthePhil
ippianChri
sti
anstorel
isht hejoyofl
ivi
ng
asser v
antsofGodanddi sci
plesofJesusChr i
st--amessaget hatwasal lt
hemor e
poignantbecausePaulwasconf i
nedinaRomanpr i
soncell
whilewri
tingit.

Col
ossi
ans

ThisisanotherletterPaul wrotewhi l
esufferingasapr i
sonerinRome  andanot
herin
whichPaul soughtt ocorrectnumer ousfalset eachingst hathadinfi
lt
rat
edthechurch.
Apparentl
y,the 
Col ossians hadbeganwor shipi
ngangel sandot herheavenl
ybeings,
alongwiththeteachi ngsofGnost i
cism -
-includingthei deathatJesusChri
stwasnot
full
yGod,butmer elyaman.Thr oughoutCol ossians,then,Paulli
ftsupthecent
ral
it
yof
Jesusintheuniv erse,Hisdi v
ini
ty,andHisr i
ght f
ul pl
aceasHeadoft hechurch.

1and2Thessal
oni
ans

Paul hadvisit
edtheGreekcityofThessal onicadur i
nghissecondmi ssionaryjourney,
butwasonl yabl
etoremai nthereforafewweeksbecauseofper secut i
on.Therefore,
hewasconcer nedabouttheheal t
hofthef ledglingcongregati
on.Af t
erhear ingar eport
from Timothy,Paulsentthelett
erweknowas1Thessal onianstoclarifysomepoi nts
onwhi chthechurchmember swer econfused- -incl
udingthesecondcomi ngofJesus
Christandt henat
ureofet er
nalli
fe.I
nthel etterweknowas2Thessal onians,Paul
remindedt hepeopleoftheneedt ocontinuel iv
ingandwor kingasf oll
ower sofGodunt i
l
Christret
urned.

1and2Ti
mot
hy

Thebooksweknowas1and2Ti
mot
hywer
ethef
ir
stepi
stl
eswr
it
tent
oindi
vi
dual
s,
rat
herthanr egi
onalcongr egati
ons.Paulhadment oredTimothyforyearsandsenthim
toleadthegr owingchurchi nEphesus.Forthatreason,Paul
'sepi
stl
estoTimot hy
contai
npr acti
caladvi
cef orpastoralmini
str
y- -i
ncludi
ngteachi
ngsonpr operdoctri
ne,
avoidi
ngunnecessar ydebat es,
theorderofwor shipduri
nggather
ings,qual
if
icati
onsfor
churchleaders,andsoon.Thel ett
erweknowas2Ti mothyisqui
tepersonalandoffer
s
encouragementr egardi
ngTi mot hy
'sfai
thandmi nistr
yasaservantofGod.

Ti
tus

Li
keTi mothy,
 
Titus 
wasapr otegeofPaul
'swhohadbeensentt oleadaspecif
ic
congregat
ion--speci
fi
call
y,thechur
chlocat
edontheislandofCrete.Onceagai
n,t
his
l
ettercont
ainsami xofleadershi
padvi
ceandpersonalencour
agement .

Phi
lemon

Theepi st l
eto 
Philemon i
suniqueinPaul
'
slett
erint
hatitwasl
argelywr i
tt
enasa
responset oasinglesi
tuati
on.Speci
fi
cal
l
y,Phi
lemonwasaweal t
hymemberoft he
Col ossianchurch.Hehadasl avenamedOnesimuswhor anaway.Strangely,
Onesimus
mi nist
er edtoPaul whi
letheapostl
ewasimpri
sonedinRome.Therefore,thi
sepi
stl
e
wasanappeal forPhil
emont owelcomearunawayslav
ebackintohishomeasaf ell
ow
discipleofChrist.

TheGener
alEpi
stl
es

Theremai
ningl
ett
ersoft
heNewTest
amentwer
ewr
it
tenbyadi
ver
secol
l
ect
ionof
l
eadersi
ntheearl
ychur
ch.

Hebr
ews

Oneoft heuni queci rcumstancessurroundingthe 

BookofHebr ews  i
sthatBible
scholarsar en'tpreciselysurewhowr oteit.Therear
emanydi fferenttheori
es,butnone
canbepr ovencur rent l
y.Possibl
eauthorsincludePaul ,Apoll
os, Barnabus,andot hers.
Whi l
et heaut hormaybeuncl ear
,theprimarythemeoft hi
sepi stl
ei seasil
yidentif
iable--
i
tser vesasawar ningt oJewishChr i
sti
ansnott oabandont hedoct ri
neofsalvationby
gracet hroughf ait
h, andnott ore-
embr acethepracticesandl awsoft heOldTest ament .
Forthisr eason, oneoft hemaj orfocusesofthisepistleisthesuper iori
tyofChristov er
allot
herbei ngs.

James

Oneoft hepr
imaryl eader
softheearl
ychurch,
 James  wasal
sooneofJesus'brother
s.
Wr i
tt
entoallpeoplewhoconsideredthemselvesfoll
owersofChri
st,
James'sepistl
eis
athoroughl
ypracticalgui
detoli
vi
ngt heChri
stianli
fe.Oneoft
hemosti mport
ant
themesofthisepistleisf
orChri
sti
anstorej
ecthy pocri
syandfav
orit
ism,andi
nsteadto
helpthosei
nneedasanactofobedi encetoChr i
st.
1and2Pet
er

Peterwasalsoapr imaryl
eaderintheear l
ychur ch,especiall
yinJerusalem.LikePaul,
Peterwrotehisepistl
eswhil
eunderar r
estasapr isonerinRome.Ther efore,
it'
sno
surpri
sethathiswordsteachaboutther eal
ityofsuf fer
ingandper secuti
onforfoll
owers
ofJesus,butalsothehopewepossessf oreternal l
if
e.Pet er
'ssecondepistl
ealso
contai
nsstrongwar ni
ngsagainstdi
fferentfalseteacherswhower eattemptingtolead
thechurchastray
.

1,
2,and3John

Writ
tenaroundA.D.90,
theepistl
esfr
om theapost l
eJohnareamongt hel astbooks
writ
tenintheNewTestament.Becausetheywer ewrit
tenaft
erthefal
lofJer usalem
(A.
D.70)andt hef
ir
stwavesofRomanper secuti
onforChri
sti
ans,t
heselet t
erswer e
i
ntendedasencouragementandguidancef orChri
sti
ansli
vi
nginahost i
lewor ld.Oneof
themajorthemesofJohn'
swr it
ingi
stherealit
yofGod'sloveandthetruththatour
experi
enceswithGodshoul
dpushust olov eoneanother.

Jude

Judewasal sooneofJesus'brother
sandaleaderint
heear l
ychurch.Onceagain,the
mainpurposeofJude'sepist
lewast owarnChr
ist
iansagainstfal
seteacherswhohad
i
nfil
tr
atedthechurch.Speci
fi
call
y,Judewant
edtocorrecttheideathatChri
sti
anscould
enj
oyimmor ali
tywit
houtqualmsbecauseGodwoul dgrantthem graceandforgi
veness
aft
erward.