Tracing God's Story: New TestamentSample

The Letters (part 1)

We have reached the section of the Bible referred to as the letters. Some also call this section the epistles.

The word epistle comes from a Greek word that means a letter or message with an instructional purpose. These books were written in letter form, meaning they were written to a specific church or individual. They generally start with a personal greeting, which would identify the recipient. Then, the writer addressed a situation, topic, or problem. Generally, there were instructions along with warnings. Then, they would end with greetings to other people, some direction on what to expect from the author, and a prayer or blessing.

These letters were written by either an apostle or family member of Jesus, with one possible exception, which I'll explain in a minute. They are filled with great information on how to live, think, and behave as followers of Christ. While they were written for specific people, their messages and advice are relevant to all believers, even today, which is why it is important to study them.

There are 21 books in this section, and 13 were written by Paul over a 15-year period. Three of Paul's letters were addressed to individual pastors and included more specific instructions on leading and teaching. These are referred to as the pastoral epistles. They are books 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus.

Then you have his letters written to churches that dealt with doctrine and application of God's word. These are the books of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians. These books can further be divided into a section called the prison epistles, which are the books Paul wrote while living under house arrest in Rome. The books that could fall into that category are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

You might have noticed I didn't mention Philemon earlier when I divided Paul's letters as being written to an individual or a church group. This is because Philemon is a tough one to categorize. Its message was written to both Philemon, the leader of a Colossian church, but also addressed to the church as well.

As you dig into scripture, I pray that God speaks to you in exciting new ways and your spirit begins coming to life.