PRINCIPLES IN SERVING GOD

NEW TESTAMENT

PAULINE EPISTLES

THE LETTERS OF ST. PAUL

Romans 1 Thessalonians

1 Corinthians 2 Thessalonians

2 Corinthians 1 Timothy

Galatians 2 Timothy

Ephesians Titus

Philippians Philemon

Colossians Hebrews

WHO IS ST. PAUL?

• Saul was Jewish, of the house of Israel, free-born in Tarsus (10 A.D.)

and was a Roman citizen.

• St Paul is known worldwide as one of the earliest Christian

missionaries, along with Saint Peter and James.

• He was also known as Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul and the Paul

of Tarsus.

• He preferred to call himself 'Apostle to the Gentiles'.

WHO IS ST. PAUL?

• Saul was an enemy of the gospel and a persecutor of the church.

• Based on his background, he had no possible motives to accept

the gospel and every possible motive to continue to reject it.

• His testimony has every evidence of truth and sincerity, for he

had no reason to be untruthful.

5

Saul Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who Are You Lord? I’m Jesus whom you are persecuting, it is

hard for you to kick goadsLord, what do you want me to do?Arise & go into the city, & you will be told

what you must do (Acts 9).

SAUL, WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME?

• Acts 22:10 – Arise & go into Damascus, & there you will

be told all things which are appointed for you to do.

• At Damascus Saul’s sight was restored, he got baptized by

Ananias and started his missionary journey, he called

himself Apostle of the Gentiles.

• Saul wrote 14 letters.

SORROW IS NECESSARY

• Saul felt contrition for three days; during which time he

was also blind, fasting & praying (Acts 9:9).

• Regardless of what great work God has planned for

someone, to come to Christ he must feel a deep sense

of sorrow for his sins against God (2 Cor. 7:10).

Letter Chapters

Romans 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1 Corinthians 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

2 Corinthians 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Galatians 1 2 3 4 5 6

Ephesians 1 2 3 4 5 6

Philippians 1 2 3 4

Colossians 1 2 3 4

Letter Chapters1 Thessalonians 1 2 3 4 5

2 Thessalonians 1 2 3

1 Timothy 1 2 3 4 5 6

2 Timothy 1 2 3 4

Titus 1 2 3

Philemon 1

Hebrews 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

ROMANS (1ST LETTER)

• This letter, the first in canonical order, but not the first of

Paul’s Epistles, is the longest and the most influential of all

the Apostle’s writings.

• Writing to Christians at Rome whom he hoped soon to

visit, Paul presents to them his mature convictions

concerning the Christian faith.

ROMANS (1ST LETTER)

Purposes of this letter:

• Jews or Gentiles, all needs to be saved through Christ

• Rejection of Jews is temporary, they will believe after the

gentiles believes.

• Basic principles for Christian living

• Paying attention to the beginners and weak in faith and

encouraging them.

ROMANS (1ST LETTER)

• Paul's Letter to the Romans opens with the essential belief of

Christianity (1:1-4), and addresses the importance of the Gospel

message for humanity (1:16-3:20), as well as justification through

faith in Christ (3:21-5:21).

• Paul perceptively recognizes the eternal struggle in humanity between

the spirit and the flesh, and the need for the Christian life to overcome

this tragic state (chapters 6-8).

ROMANS (1ST LETTER)

• Chapters 9-11 discuss Israel's relation to the Church, and Chapters 12-16

present the moral duties of the Christian life.

• Romans 13:13-14 has a special significance in the life of St. Augustine and

the history of Christianity13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness,

not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord

Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts

1 CORINTHIANS (2ND LETTER)

Purposes of this letter

• Rejection of divisions and self pride

• Invitation to the Christian faith

• Solving believers problems through priests and deacons of the church

• Sticking to purity and inviting sinners to repent

• How to prepare to partake Holy Communion

• Giving & sharing with the poor

1 CORINTHIANS (2ND LETTER)

• This letter discusses doctrinal and ethical problems that were disturbing the

Corinthian church, and presents a picture of the life of a particular local

congregation in New Testament times.

• Writing from Ephesus, where he spent at least three year, Paul addresses the

Corinthian church concerning the significance of the new life in Christ, which

should be demonstrated in the fellowship within the Church.

• He advises them regarding spiritual gifts (12), Christian love (13), and the

meaning of the Resurrection (15).

2 CORINTHIANS (3RD LETTER)

• Often called "the hard letter", this is an intensely personal

letter.

• It recounts the difficulties and hardships Paul has endured

in the service of Christ (10-13).

• The Apostle regards the Corinthians as his children in

Christ.

2 CORINTHIANS (3RD LETTER)

Purposes of this letter

• St. Paul confirm his Apostleship

• God’s hands supporting his kids in tribulations no matter how hard it is

• Confirm his love to the people of the church

• Warning of heresies

• happiness for their repentance, and teaching them acceptance of

sinners

2 CORINTHIANS (3RD LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

“For our sake He made him to be sin who knew no sin,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of

God” (5:21)

GALATIANS (4TH LETTER)

•The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians was actually

written about 54 AD, chronologically before his Letter to

the Romans.

• Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and his Cross is

the most important theme found in Galatians.

GALATIANS (4TH LETTER)

Purposes of this letter

• Answering false Jewish teachers, teaching that salvation cannot be

obtained through the law alone.

• The importance of the Grace of God

• The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers, Christian

behavior and virtues

• What is freedom in Christianity

GALATIANS (4TH LETTER)

• Chapter 1:12 is a key reference for Paul receiving a direct revelation from

Jesus Christ.

• Chapter 2 and 3 of Galatians are Paul's first discussion of his argument of

justification by faith in Jesus Christ as the road to salvation, and not in

adherence to the Law of Moses.

• This theme is more fully developed in his Letter to the Romans.

GALATIANS(4TH LETTER)

• Most Significant Verses:

19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I

have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ

lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in

the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (2:19-20)

EPHESIANS (5TH LATTER)

• The Ephesian letter is one of Paul’s four "Imprisonment Letters" -

Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon being the others.

• Although addressed to the church in Ephesus, this letter is generally

believed to have been a circular discussing the believers’ exalted

position through Christ, the Church as the body of Christ, her

relationship to God, and practical implications of the Gospel.

EPHESIANS (5TH LETTER)

Purposes of this letter:

• Church, bride of Christ and His body

• LOVE OF God that gathered the Jewish and Gentiles in His church

• The heavenly church and the exalted Christ, it’s head

• Holiness of life inside the church, in marriages and the relations

between church members

• Similar to the letter to Colossians

EPHESIANS (5TH LETTER)

•Most significant verse:

One Lord, one faith, one baptism. (4:5)

PHILIPPIANS (6TH LETTER)

• In this letter, which is a message of joy, Paul expresses his gratitude

for the Philippians’ love and material assistance.

• The Epistle is uniquely significant because of its presentation of the

humility of Jesus.

• Its practicality is also observed in Paul’s advice to Euodia and

Syntyche.

PHILIPPIANS (6TH LETTER)

Purposes of this letter:

• Thanking them for caring for him and his company

• Reassured them that Epaphroditus who was near death was healed

by Christ

• Invitation to Joy

• Attention to oneness and humbleness

• Warning of false prophets

• Encouraging them to practice Christian virtues

PHILIPPIANS (6TH LETTER)

• Most Significant Verse:

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming

obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (2:8)

COLOSSIANS (7TH LETTER)

• The Colossian letter is well known for its doctrine as well as for

its brevity.

• In the letter, St. Paul insists upon the Lordship of Christ.

• Colossians has come under recent scrutiny because of its

references, implied or actual, to incipient Gnosticism, a growing

heresy in the Church.

Gnosticism was a second century heresy claiming that salvation could be gained through secret knowledge. Gnosticism is derived

from the Greek word gnosis, meaning "to know."

COLOSSIANS (7TH LETTER)

Purposes of this letter:

• Christ if the head of the Church (body)

• Resisting heiresses

• Practical advices in the life of Holiness and Christian relationships

• Similar to the letter to Ephesians

COLOSSIANS (7TH LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn

of all creation” (1:15)

I THESSALONIANS (8TH LETTER)

It was the capital of Macedonia in Greece.

There, Saint Paul founded a church during his second preaching journey.

Saint Paul wrote this epistle to the Thessalonians in the year A.D. 52.

It was the first of his writings in the New Testament and he wrote it in

Corinth.

In the epistle, he wanted to strengthen and encourage them to confront

their hardships and persecutions.

I THESSALONIANS (8TH LETTER)

This is why he talked to them about the joys of Heaven and

the second coming of Jesus Christ.

He sent to them his disciple Timothy.

This did not reduce his love for them.

This is why he talked to them a lot about his fatherly love

for them

I THESSALONIANS (8TH LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

I Thessalonians 5:17

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for

you in Christ Jesus”

II THESSALONIANS (9TH LETTER)

Saint Paul wrote it few months after the first epistle, that is, in early-to-

mid A.D. 53.

Its aim was to reform the understanding of the first epistle as some

understood that the second coming of Jesus Christ is so close which led

to many difficulties in their daily life and the desire of many to stop

working.

Therefore, he clarified to them that the second coming of Jesus Christ

will happen after the coming of the anti-Christ.

II THESSALONIANS (9TH LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

II Thessalonians 3:5

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love

and Christ's perseverance”

I TIMOTHY (10TH LETTER)

Timothy’s father was Greek while his mother and grandmother were Jewish.

He believed at the hands of Saint Paul during his first preaching journey.

Saint Paul found him full of love and zealousness for the Church.

So he took him with him in his travels and sent him two epistles about the

minister/servant and his deeds inside and outside the church.

Since Timothy was a bishop, he explained the ministry of the bishop to him.

I TIMOTHY (10TH LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

I Timothy 6:11

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue

righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and

gentleness”

II TIMOTHY (11TH LETTER)

Saint Paul wrote it while he was imprisoned in Rome.

He asked Timothy to come with Mark so that he can see them

before his martyrdom.

He wrote this epistle as if to the whole Church as an epistle of

encouragement to tolerate suffering with patience because this

would fill the life of the believers with joy and hope.

II TIMOTHY (11TH LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

II Timothy 3:16,17

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,

rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the

man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good

work."

TITUS (12TH LETTER)

Originally, Titus was pagan and believed at the hands of Saint Paul.

He accompanied Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas to Jerusalem at the end of the

first preaching journey and attended with them the apostles’ council [Acts 15]

as a practical life for the entry of pagans into the Christian faith.

He talked to him about the church’s work and that it is not necessary to return

to Judaism.

He also talked to him about baptism and the second birth as well as the

importance of obedience in the Christian life.

TITUS (12TH LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

Titus 2:11-14

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to

all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and

worldly passions"

PHILEMON (13TH LETTER)

Philemon had a slave whose name was Onesimus.

He stole the money of his master and went to Rome where he met

with Saint Paul and became a Christian.

Saint Paul wrote this epistle to make clear that he was ready to pay

the debts of Onesimus and send him to Philemon.

The epistle is about tolerance, honesty, love and accepting others –

daily Christian behavior.

PHILEMON (13TH LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

Philemon 1:6

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that

you will have a full understanding of every good thing we

have in Christ."

HEBREW (14TH LETTER)

Saint Paul did not write his name so that he would not raise the outrage of

the Jews against him.

However, he wrote this epistle to the Christians of a Jewish origin who were

expelled from the Jewish Synagogue.

He wanted to make clear to them the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some consider that the four Gospels talk about our Lord Jesus and His

ministries on earth while the Epistle to the Hebrews talk about the act of

Christ as a Heavenly Priest forever.

HEBREW (14TH LETTER)

•Most Significant Verse:

Hebrews 11:6

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because

anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and

that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

HOMEWORK

•What are the similarities between the letter

to Ephesians and the letter to Colossians

Write a detailed paper outlining these similarities.

REFERENCES

• The Holy Bible

• http://biblescripture.net

• http://fullhomelydivinity.org/salem/Articles/icons.htm

• http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/st-paul-91.php

• http://www.holybible.com/resources/KJV_DFND/summary.htm

• http://www.lutheranforum.org/blogs/the-bible-in-66-verses/