A Case for Christ and the New Testament: Why are the Epistles important in making a case?

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As we get close to concluding our case for Christ and the New Testament it is important to discuss the importance of the New Testament category of books called the Epistles. The Epistles are letters written to various early Churches, individuals, or Christians in general by Apostles and Disciples of Jesus. These epistles or letters are critical in backing up the message of the Gospel and the purpose of the early Church in spreading this good news and the teachings of Jesus. In reading the Epistles there are a few guidelines to consider for ancient letters such as these:

Guidelines for reading & studying the Epistles

  1. Read the whole letter in one sitting to get the big picture and flow of the ideas.
  2. Think in terms of the paragraphs being the main units of thought.
  3. Learn the background from the book of Acts and other background sources for that time period in order to understand what was going on in the culture.
  4. Understanding the “form of an ancient epistle” helps you know where you are in the letter. Most epistles consist of, a greeting-thanksgiving-body-exhortation-conclusion:

The Form of an Ancient Epistle

1. Salutation:

A reference to a…

  • Sender—for example: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ.”
  • Recipients of the letter—for example: “To all the saints in Christ Jesus in Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons…”
  • Greeting—for example: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:2

2. Thanksgiving and/or Prayer:

  • For example: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:3-6
  • This is found in all of Paul’s letters except Galatians where the omission is significant and intentional (he was really mad at the Galatian Christians).

3. Body:

  • The largest part of a Pauline letter.
  • Paul has a specific order or rationale behind his letters—look at the outline of the book.
  • He begins with “Principles” and then end with “Practices.”
  • Principles answer “the why.”
    • Example: Ephesians 1-3; Philippians 1-2; Colossians 1-2
  • Practices answer “the how or what.”
    • Example: Ephesians 4-6; Philippians 3-4; Colossians 3-4

4. Exhortation (praise/commendation) and Instruction:

  • This can be part of the body or found just at the end of the body.
  • Example: Philippians 4

5. Conclusion:

  • A wish for peace. Example: Romans 15:33
  • Additional greetings. Example: Romans 16: 1-15
  • A kiss. Example: Romans 16:16
  • A concluding autograph. Example: 1 Corinthians 16:21
  • A benediction. Examples 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 3:20-21; Hebrews 13:20-21
  • Usually has “now” phrasing
  • Sometimes carries a deep theological truth
  • “Amen” to signify that it is the truth (truly, truly) or let it be so

The Epistles are broken down into the following categories:

The Pauline Epistles

These are letters written to churches or individuals by the Apostle Paul on various topic including deep theology, Church doctrine and the sharing of the Gospel message to the world.

  • Romans
  • 1 and 2 Corinthians
  • Galatians
  • Ephesians
  • Philippians
  • Colossians
  • 1 & 2 Thessalonians
  • *1 & 2 Timothy
  • *Titus
  • *Philemon

*The last few letters are called “Pastoral Epistles” as they are written to individuals concerning directional leadership of the Church

Note: The ‘Chester Beatty’ Manuscript (ca. 200 AD) contains the earliest  group of most of  Paul’s Epistles.

Watch this short clip on the Pauline Epistles by Pastor Joseph Washburn:

The General Epistles

This last set of letters covers a variety of subjects from deep theology to practical living. These letters are called ‘general epistles’ because other Apostles and eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry wrote them, and they were written more to a general Christian audience:

  • Hebrews (may be attributed to Paul)
  • James
  • 1 & 2 Peter
  • 1, 2, & 3 John
  • Jude

Watch this short clip on the General Epistles by Pastor Joseph Washburn:

There are eight major topics we can find throughout the various Epistles that will help believers as they pursue their Christian walk and grow in their relationship with Jesus and each other:

The Epistles: Top Topic #1
Spiritual Gifts

  • God gives each of us talents or gifts that we can use to work in the mission of His Church.
  • These gifts are sometimes unrealized until the Holy Spirit guides us to use them: (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12; and Ephesians 4)
  • God also teaches us about the new self that includes the fruits of the Spirit: (Galatians 5 and Romans 12)

The Epistles: Top Topic #2
Baptism

  • When you become part of a local Church God uses you and your unique spiritual gift to help spread His message in the mission of the Church.
  • Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. (Romans 6-8)
  • Your commitment to Christ comes in the form of Baptism in two ways:
    • By the Spirit: The way God bring you into the body of Christ, or the Church. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
    • By the water: A public demonstration that you have identified with Christ by receiving Him into your life. It is an outward expression of an inward change. (Romans 6-8)
  • Baptism is symbolic to dying and being buried; and then being resurrected [out of the water] to a new life. (Colossians 2:12)

The Epistles: Top Topic #3
Learn How to be a Christian

  • Early Christians had to learn from the Apostles and much of the training came from the Gospels and Epistles.
  • The Apostles wrote to guide and explain how Christians should live with a focus in these areas:
    • Sin (James 1:15)
    • Salvation (1 peter 1:18-19)
    • Faith (Romans 3:28; Hebrews 11:1)
    • Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 2:10)
    • The Return of Jesus (2 Peter 3:9-10)

The Epistles: Top Topic #4
If you wanna live right, then you gotta think right

  • Right living comes from right thinking.
  • Right thinking comes from understanding and obeying the Scriptures.
  • Understanding and obeying the Word of God requires both an offensive and defensive response:
    • Offensive: Promote and pursue sound doctrine that comes from Biblical truths. (2 Timothy 1:13)
    • Defensive: Guard against false teachers. (Titus 1:9)

The Epistles: Top Topic #5
You Can Experience Inner Peace

  • The Epistles contain some of the most powerful advice for learning to hold you life together when you world is falling apart:
    • Contentment Example: Philippians 4:12-13
    • Hope Example: Romans 15:13
    • Comfort Example: 2 Corinthians 1:4
    • Tranquility Example: 1 Peter 5:7
    • Peace Example: Philippians 4:4-6

The Epistles: Top Topic #6
Secrets to Lasting Friendship

  • The Epistles teach us how to be a friend to others and put others’ needs before ourselves. We were not designed to do life alone:
    • Sympathy (Romans 12:15)
    • Forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32)
    • Acceptance (2 Colossians 3:13)
    • Love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

The Epistles: Top Topic #7
All in the Family

  • The Epistles teach us how to have a great Christian home and family life:
    • How to have a successful marriage (Ephesians 5:33; 1 Peter 3:1,7)
    • How to raise good kids (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:20)

The Epistles: Top Topic #8
How to Build a Good Church

  • The Epistles teach us how to live as a church family and how leadership should work:
    • The Church is like a body (1 Corinthians 12:27)
    • The Church is a family of Christians (1 John 3:1)

Conclusion

  • The defense of Jesus’ teachings and the truth of the Christian faith are predominant themes throughout these Epistles.
  • False Teaching and lack of knowledge of the Scriptures was a problem then and is an epidemic in Christian culture now.
  • We need to be able to defend confidently the truths of God’s Word as these Apostles once did.
  • This is especially true for our young people who are being bombarded today in the culture with political correctness and deception in the public educational system.
  • OWN YOUR FAITH, KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND WHY, THEN SHARE IT WITH OTHERS! (Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Peter 3:15)

Join us next week as we begin to conclude our “Case for Christ and the New Testament”

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15

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