What are the Epistles?

The Epistles are a group of letters written to Christians during the early years of the church.

Written by Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude, they total twenty one books in the New Testament.

Some are named after the people in the town they were sent to.

These include Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians..

Some are named after the person or people they were sent to.

These include 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews.

The rest were named after the person who wrote them.

These include James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.

The author of each Epistle is known except for Hebrews.

No one knows for sure who wrote Hebrews.

 

Most of the Epistles were written to specific churches or people.

Some discussed the specific struggle that particular congregation or person was dealing with as a result of outside situations.

Some addressed conflict within a congregation.

Some offered encouragement within the face of religious persecution and injustice.

Others dealt with false doctrine and the importance of following Jesus’ teaching, not man’s.

 

Although they were written to people who lived nearly two thousand years ago, the wisdom, advice, and explanations are all as helpful, true, and beneficial now as they were then.

They all include encouragement and reminders concerning the truth about Jesus and His love for us as well as how to apply those truths to our lives.

They remind us that as Christians it is our responsibility to follow Christ and embrace truth.

As we study them, we will learn how to live a life that honors and pleases God as we show and model the love of Jesus in our own lives, words, and actions; a life close to God, happy and fulfilled through our relationship with Him as we experience His kingdom on earth.

 

I hope you will spend some time each day reading and studying the Epistles. There is so much there to help us!

 

 

 

For a general explanation of the Bible, please visit my post, Overview of the Bible

To learn more about Paul, please read my post named Saul of Tarsus.