Epistles (Romans-Jude)

Romans 1-4

Romans explains how faith in Jesus justifies all people and creates a unified, multiethnic family and a path to righteousness.

Romans 5-16

Explore the second half of Paul's letter to the Romans as he emphasizes the fulfillment of Old Testament promises and unity in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 

1 Corinthians challenges believers to examine every aspect of their lives through the lens of the Gospel.

Paul issues a challenge to Jesus followers in Corinth.

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is written to a specific group of people with unique challenges in their community. But the primary message of 1 Corinthians is evergreen—followers of Jesus are held to a standard of integrity and morality as we seek to represent his new way of life to our communities. Paul addresses a variety of experiences and seeks to help the church see them through the lens of the Gospel message. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are what unifies a diverse body of believers and allows us to live in a completely new way fused with the hope of God’s Kingdom.

The Gospel Changes Everything

1 Corinthians challenges believers to examine every area of life through the lens of the Gospel. Specifically, Paul addresses divisions among believers, food, sexual integrity, worship gatherings, and the resurrection.

2 Corinthians 

2 Corinthians encourages believers to embrace and follow the way of Jesus that transforms lives and values generosity, humility, and weakness.

Paul issues a challenge to Jesus followers in Corinth.

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is written to a specific group of people with unique challenges in their community. But the primary message of 1 Corinthians is evergreen—followers of Jesus are held to a standard of integrity and morality as we seek to represent his new way of life to our communities. Paul addresses a variety of experiences and seeks to help the church see them through the lens of the Gospel message. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are what unifies a diverse body of believers and allows us to live in a completely new way fused with the hope of God’s Kingdom.

The Gospel Changes Everything

1 Corinthians challenges believers to examine every area of life through the lens of the Gospel. Specifically, Paul addresses divisions among believers, food, sexual integrity, worship gatherings, and the resurrection.

Galatians 

Galatians teaches that believers are justified by Jesus alone. They are a part of a diverse family and equipped by the Spirit to love God and others.

Paul challenges the Galatian Christians to look beyond the letter of the law.

The church in Galatia was divided over issues of Torah observance. Many leaders were requiring non-Jewish Christians to live by Jewish laws, missing the point of the Gospel message. Jesus fulfilled the law and reconciled all who believe in him. When people trust in Jesus as the Messiah, his life, death, and resurrection become theirs. They are new creations, free from the laws and the old covenant.

Justified through Faith

The book of Galatians reminds Jesus’ followers to embrace the Gospel message of the crucified Messiah, that justifies all people through faith and empowers them to live like Jesus did.

The Book of Ephesians

Ephesians teaches that the Gospel makes way for a new multi-ethnic family of God, transforming how we live as a new humanity unified in love.

Paul calls Jesus followers to form ethnically diverse communities that are unified by devotion to Jesus and to each other.

Paul writes to the church at Ephesus and shows how Jesus’ work on the cross should permeate every aspect of their everyday lives, changing how they serve and love one another despite their differences. God’s vision for the new humanity is that they would be unified through the Spirit and their belief in the Messiah, overcoming barriers of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and cultural identity.

Put on Your New Humanity

Paul calls the church at Ephesus to become new humans that live and love like Jesus, promising that the Spirit will equip them to stand strong against divisive forces and spiritual evil.

The Book of Philippians 

Philippians makes clear that our stories are living expressions of Jesus' story. Knowing Jesus is a deeply personal and transformative encounter.

Paul calls the Phillipians to imitate Jesus’ self-giving love.

Paul explains to the persecuted church at Philippi that living as a Christian means seeing our own story as a living expression of Jesus' story. Paul calls the people to imitate Jesus’ way of life, so that even in their suffering, they can find contentment and purpose through his example.

The Gospel in Poetry

In the book of Philippians, we read a series of short vignettes revolving around the Messiah Poem in Chapter 2. The poem retells the Gospel story and references Adam's rebellion from Genesis and the suffering servant in Isaiah.

The Book of Colossians 

Colossians addresses problems in the church and challenges believers to examine their lives and be transformed through the love of Jesus.

Paul encourages the Colossian Christians to continue in their faithful devotion to Jesus.

Despite facing pressure from their culture to turn away from Jesus, the Colossian Christians have stayed faithful the way of Jesus. Paul prays that they would grow even more in their wisdom, allowing every part of their lives to be transformed by the Gospel message.

Everything Made New

Paul tells the Colossian Christians that, as members of the new humanity, no part of their human existence remains untouched by the loving and liberating rule of Jesus. Their suffering, temptation, moral character, and familial dynamics must all be re-examined and transformed in light of the work of Jesus. They are joined to Jesus and are part of his new multi-ethnic family.

Book of 1 Thessalonians 

In this letter, Paul celebrates the church's future hope as they remain faithful to Jesus and flourish in their faith despite persecution.

Paul encourages the persecuted Thessalonians to look forward with hope to Jesus' return.

From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, following him as the true King and Messiah meant going against the larger culture. And for many Christians, this caused persecution and conflict in their communities. The church at Thessalonica was facing persecution, but Paul wrote to them to encourage their faithfulness. He also directs them to respond to their persecution with love, meeting opposition with grace and generosity. This way of life is motivated by hope in the coming Kingdom of Jesus that has already begun.

Hope Amidst Hardship

Paul's letter to the Thessalonians celebrates a flourishing church. Despite persecution and suffering, the community of Jesus followers have stood strong in their commitment to Jesus. Paul encourages them further, pointing toward the return of King Jesus, who will set everything right.

The Book of 2 Thessalonians 

2 Thessalonians addresses persecution, Jesus' return, and our need to remain faithful, reminding us that what we hope for shapes what we live for.

Paul clarifies his earlier teachings about Jesus' future return and rebukes those who are disrupting the community.

The Thessalonians were worried they had missed Jesus' return, but Paul clarifies that they should not fuel apocalyptic speculation but instead recall Jesus' words in Mark 13 about the public and obvious events leading up to his return. They should also remain faithful, hopeful, and confident while waiting for Jesus' return and deliverance from evil rulers.

Finally, Paul addresses idleness and challenges believers to imitate Jesus' self-giving love. Their hard work provides for themselves and benefits others.

Maintaining Hope

In 2 Thessalonians, Paul discusses persecution, the return of Jesus, the need to remain hopeful and faithful, and idleness among believers. It reminds us that what we hope for shapes what we live for.

1 Timothy 

In this letter, Paul addresses church leadership and makes clear that a church should be known for its devotion to Jesus and the way of love.

Paul shows Timothy how to restore order and purpose to the church in Ephesus.

After false teachers had disrupted the church Timothy was working with, Paul gave Timothy encouragement and guidance for how to address these teachers and lead the church effectively. Throughout the book, we see that what a church believes will directly shape how its members live and behave.

The church's theology and beliefs must constantly be critiqued and formed by the Bible and the Gospel message. Churches should be known for their devotion to the risen King Jesus and model integrity, good works, and service to the poor and most vulnerable.

A Faithful Church

In 1 Timothy, we read about a holistic vision of the nature and mission of the Church. Just as in Timothy's time, corrupt teachers can confuse believers, but Paul instructs on how the Church and its leaders can stay faithful to the way of Jesus.

Book of 2 Timothy

Explore Paul's last letter, an encouragement to Timothy to accept his calling and endure suffering as he deals with corrupt teachers.

Paul offers a personal challenge to Timothy to keep following Jesus no matter the sacrifice and risk.

The letter also reminds Timothy to maintain faith and hope in Jesus' resurrection and raise up faithful leaders who will teach the good news about Jesus. They must focus on the Scriptures' unified storyline that leads to salvation in Jesus.

While following Jesus, believers will experience challenges, suffering, risk, tension, discomforts, and struggles. In those dark and difficult moments, Jesus' presence can become tangible, something Paul has experienced firsthand through his imprisonment.

A Higher Calling

In Paul's final and most personal letter, he encourages Timothy to accept his calling and deal with corrupt teachers in the Jesus movement.

The Book of Titus

Explore Paul's message to Jesus' followers in Crete, a city known for corruption, sin, and evil.

Paul commissions Titus to show how the good news of Jesus can transform Cretan culture from within.

Paul’s letter to Titus urged him to remind Cretan believers that while they live in a sinful culture, they can be transformed into a new humanity by the same grace that Jesus demonstrated when he died to redeem them.

As a new humanity, they can reject a lifestyle that is inconsistent with God's generous love. They can show God's salvation message and transform their communities by participating in Cretan culture, rejecting anything corrupt, living and devoting themselves to Jesus, and promoting the common good.

Paul's Letter to Titus

Paul wrote the book of Titus for his companion, who was tasked with visiting Crete, a place infamous for sin and corruption. Titus was to restore order to house churches in Crete and replace corrupt teachers with godly leaders.

The Book of Philemon

When Paul asks Philemon to forgive his runaway slave Onesimus, this is the Gospel in action. All people are equal partners in the new humanity.

Paul helps his friend Philemon reconcile with his escaped former slave Onesimus.

Paul urges Philemon to forgive Onesimus and accept him back as an equal. Because they are both followers of Jesus, God's grace has made them partners under the new humanity that Jesus has established.

While Paul doesn't mention Jesus' death and resurrection directly in this letter, he offers to take on any punishment Onesimus deserves, a demonstration of what Jesus did on the cross. He encourages Philemon to do the same as he reconciles to Onesimus before God.

Living Out the Gospel's Message

One of Paul's shortest and the most explosive letters, the book of Philemon demonstrates the Gospel through action. It's written to Philemon whose slave Onesimus ran away and became a believer under Paul's teaching.

The Book of Hebrews

Hebrews challenges Jesus followers to remain faithful to him as the one who is the ultimate revelation of God's love and mercy.

Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God's love and mercy and is worthy of our trust and devotion.

Throughout the book of Hebrews, the audience is challenged to remain faithful to Jesus, who is greater than the heroes of the faith. We should look to the giants of the faith found in the Hebrew Bible as examples for how to live despite hardships and persecution. These challenges will make us uncomfortable, but instead of fearing them, we can remember everything that Jesus has done. To reject him would be foolish when he already fulfilled all that we’ve been waiting for.

Jesus Is the Fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures

The book of Hebrews compares and contrasts Jesus to key historical people and events from the Hebrew Bible. Through these comparisons, we see his superiority. He is greater than the angels, the Torah, Moses, the promised land, earthly priests, sacrifices, and the covenant. He is the hope for a new creation, our eternal priest, and the perfect sacrifice.

The Book Of James

The book of James references key points from the Sermon on the Mount and calls on Jesus’ followers to live wisely.

James combines the wisdom of Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life of devotion to God.

The introduction to the book of James summarizes the words and themes found throughout the book, which is filled with short, challenging wisdom speeches that are full of metaphors and easily memorized one-liners.

While James doesn't teach new theology, it does challenge believers on how they should live. When believers listen to and obey God's word, they show their love for him and others. Their actions match their words, and their lives are made whole and perfect.

Wisdom For the Ages

Written by Jesus' half brother Jacob (often translated as James), the book of James shares sage wisdom for all followers of Jesus. The book is heavily influenced by Proverbs and frequently quotes Jesus' famous teaching the Sermon on the Mount.

Book of 1 Peter 

1 Peter is a powerful letter written to persecuted Gentile Christians, reminding them that they are chosen by God and have a future hope in Jesus.

Peter offers hope to persecuted Christians and guides them with practical instruction on following Jesus.

1 Peter emphasizes the role of apostles as chosen by God to share his Gospel. Because of this, their persecution can actually be seen as a gift because it offers them a chance to show others the surprising generosity and love of Jesus, which is fueled by hope in his return and victory over evil. Peter is hopeful that their imitation of Jesus and demonstration of his upside-down Kingdom will give power to their words as they bear witness to God's mercy and show people the beautiful truth about Jesus.

Hope in Persecution

1 Peter gives persecuted Christians a powerful reminder that they have hope in the midst of their suffering. From the time of Abraham, God's people were a misunderstood minority and should expect to face hostility because they live under King Jesus' rule.

The Book of 2 Peter

2 Peter issues stark warnings against corrupt teachers and encourages believers to hold fast to their hope in God and the new creation.

Peter calls for faithfulness and confronts corrupt teachers who distorted Jesus’ message.

Peter issues two warnings against corrupt teachers who are leading the Christian communities astray with their way of life and distorted theology.

Peter addresses their objections to the reality of Jesus' resurrection and the final judgment. He reminds Christians that their hope is in God. In his time on the Day of the Lord, he will expose evil and injustice and remove it to make way for a new Heaven and Earth that's permeated with righteousness, God's love, and people who love God and each other.

Stay Vigilant

2 Peter is an intense, passionate farewell speech addressed to the same messianic church communities as 1 Peter. In the book, Peter challenges Jesus' followers to continue growing in their faith, love, and service to God and be ready for Jesus' return.

The Books of 1-3 John 

1-3 John reminds Jesus followers to reflect God's light and love as they stay true to their beliefs amidst false teachers who are spreading fear.

John calls followers of Jesus to share in God's own life and love by devoting themselves to loving one another.

Each book also addresses deceivers and teachers who no longer acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah or Son of God. They are instead spreading fear and division among Jesus’ followers. John says that all legitimate teachers will share the truth about Jesus and the cross, love others sacrificially, and spread love and light rather than fear.

He also reminds believers to welcome true missionaries who teach the message of the cross and love others. They should not welcome deceivers or make idols of anything that exalts itself in God's place.

A Series of Letters

Written by John the elder to early Christians attending house churches, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John echo the Gospel of John. They emphasize that every true believer will demonstrate God's light and love.