The four Gospels are not only for Christians; they are also for unbelievers. The Epistles are specifically addressed to the Church and contain biblical truths that are not mentioned in the Gospels.

The Epistles of Paul

Paul’s epistle to the Romans

Probably written in 57 AD, the letter to the Romans was described as a « manifesto of Christianity », many considering it the most theological letter of Paul.

The church of Rome was a composite community made up of Jews and Gentiles. Paul paid special attention to the relationship between Jews and non-Jews, urging them to remain united for they are part of the same body: the body of Christ.

In his epistle to the Romans, Paul expounds God’s eternal plan for salvation of men and how God, on His own initiative, organized and made possible this salvation.

The main theme of this letter is the righteousness of God. Paul affirms that the justification of man before God is based on mercy and atonement by Jesus Christ, not on the Mosaic law.

The first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians

Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus, probably at the end of his three-year ministry in that city, around 55 AD.

The first letter of Paul to the Corinthians was written to solve problems within the church in Corinth: divisions, immorality, abuse of the Holy Supper, false apostles, etc.

The second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians

After a visit to Corinth which was painful for him and during which the apostle Paul received many criticisms, he returned to Ephesus and wrote with great tears a letter that he asked Titus, one of his spiritual children, to bring to the Corinthians.

Travelling missionaries had just arrived in the community of Corinth and were trying to tarnish Paul’s image, with the approval of a majority of the congregation. This group within the church seemed to be unwilling to know or recognize Paul’s ministry and authority. The bulk of this epistle was written to correct doctrinal errors.

Paul’s epistle to the Galatians

It was written after Paul received a report that the false teachings of the «Judaizers» had been introduced into the churches and that the Galatians were listening attentively to these false teachers. The Judaizers were a group of Christians of Jewish origin who said that salvation was not obtained by faith alone, but also by circumcision and observance of the law of Moses.

In this letter, Paul demonstrated that justification is obtained only by faith alone. The epistle to the Galatians is the message of Christian freedom, a freedom through faith.

Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians

This epistle, like those to the Colossians, Philemon and Philippians, was written while Paul was under house arrest probably in Rome where he was imprisoned from 60 to 62 AD.

The three main themes of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians are: the place of the Christian in Christ, his life in Christ and his strength in Christ.

In the first part, Paul sets out the blessings – or riches – enjoyed by the Christian. He deals with the strategic position of the Church in the universal plan of salvation as conceived by God. Paul says that it is through the Church that God wishes to manifest His glory and salvation to the whole world.

The second part of the letter deals in detail with how Christians should remain united. The epistle to the Ephesians is a practical message around the unity of the church, this new humanity in which differences of races, ethnic or social are erased in Christ, all being one in Him.

Paul’s epistle to the Philippians

Paul wanted to thank the members of the church for their generosity in financial terms and also encourage them to keep their unity and love as Christians, following the example of humility set by Jesus Christ.

They also needed to be warned of the potential danger posed by false doctors, especially those known as “Judaizers”.

The strong idea of this epistle is joy. There are sixteen instances of the word “joy” in the form of a verb or a noun, even though Paul wrote this epistle while he was in prison presumably in Rome, around 61 later. J-C!

Forgetting what is behind, Paul invites all the Christians of Philippi to move towards what is ahead.

Paul’s epistle to the Colossians

This letter was also sent to correct doctrinal errors. Indeed, Gnosticism, Jewish legalism and Eastern mysticism had entered the church, denying the incarnation of Jesus Christ and that He was both God and man.

Many titles have been attributed to this epistle, but the one that seems to have gained general support is the one of “the epistle of fullness”. This fullness is the fullness of knowledge of God, which Christians have in Jesus Christ.

They have everything in Him and, therefore, no longer need to come back to pagan religions.

The first epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians

It seems that this epistle is the first of the letters which Paul wrote, probably to Corinth between 49 and 54 later. J-C. It was addressed to the believers of the city of Thessalonica. Although Paul and his companions had been in the city for less than a month, a flourishing church had sprung up.

As the believers of Thessalonica were persecuted, Paul wrote this letter to them to comfort them, to congratulate them for their firmness and witness and to encourage them to persevere, supported by the hope of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians

Written probably shortly after the first of the letters to the Thessalonians, this second epistle of Paul is intimately linked to the first and must therefore be studied in the light of it. It takes stock and wants to correct. Indeed, Paul will take stock of his recommendations on sanctification and provide some clarifications on the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first epistle of Paul to Timothy

The two letters of Paul to Timothy, as well as the letter to Titus, are called “pastoral” because they deal with the life of the Church. Paul wrote these pastoral epistles to help leaders ensure good governance of their churches and exhort them to remain upright, as ministers called by God.

Addressed to Timothy, his spiritual son whom he had left in Ephesus to take charge of the nascent community in that great city, this letter from Paul was to encourage Timothy in his ministry of church supervision, despite his youth.

The second epistle of Paul to Timothy

These are the last known words written by Paul before his death.

When he wrote this second letter to his spiritual son Timothy, Paul was in prison in Rome, waiting to be judged. He was accused of preaching Christ and propagating an illegal religion which was contrary to the emperor’s veneration in the Roman empire.

In this letter, Paul looks back on his past and also looks forward to the future, warning of the iniquity that was going to come in the last days.

The epistle of Paul to Titus

Paul addressed this letter to Titus whom he considered as one of his spiritual sons, in the same way as Timothy.

Titus was in charge of supervising the churches in Crete and Paul wrote this letter to encourage him in this work.

The epistle of Paul to Philemon

Paul wrote this letter about 62 A.D. while he was a prisoner in Rome.

Philemon was a Christian from the church of Colosse who had a church meeting in his house.

In his letter, Paul tacitly and courteously addresses a sensitive subject, that of slavery and will ask Philemon to accept two difficult things: forgive Onesimus, his fugitive slave, regardless of the seriousness of his fault; but above all, consider him henceforth as his brother in Christ, as his equal!

The Epistle to the Hebrews

The author of this letter is unknown but many believe it to be the apostle Paul.

It was first written for the Jews who were giving up their belief in Christ, partly because of the persecution they were suffering. As they returned to their old Jewish beliefs and practices, Paul through this letter urged them not to give in to discouragement, to hold on more than ever to Christ and to continue the battle of faith.

The epistle to the Hebrews gives us a wonderful revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, of His priesthood, of His sacrificial work performed for mankind and of the position in Christ of the Believer of the New Covenant, far superior to what was available under the Old Covenant.

Christ offers a more perfect sanctuary and His sacrifice cleanses from sin forever. He fulfilled the covenant of the Old Testament, He who is superior to all prophets, even to Moses and to the whole Jewish priestly system.

In the light of the supremacy of Christ, the author exhorts his readers to persevere in faith despite persecution, reminding them of the heroic witnesses of faith.

The epistles of John

In addition to his Gospel, John also wrote three letters. Love and truth are the two recurring themes of his epistles.

The first epistle of John

Considered a letter to the Church in the broad sense of the term, it deals with the false teachings of Gnosticism and affirms, contrary to the Gnostics, that spiritual knowledge is accessible to all believers.

In his first epistle, John also writes much about love, a word that appears thirty-three times.

The second and third epistles of John

In his second epistle, John tells us how to deal with false teachers.

As for the third, it speaks mainly of Christian hospitality.

The epistle of James

Many consider that James was the first of the books of the New Testament to be written. Addressed to the Christian Jews who had been scattered throughout the Roman Empire, James’s epistle was written to correct moral and doctrinal problems.

The message of this book is to live a life in accordance with the confession of a person of faith. It gives a good standard for Christian life and deals with how Christians should behave in the Church and in society.

The Epistles of Peter

The first epistle of Peter

The first epistle of Peter is a general letter which would have circulated in many churches. Addressed to the churches of Asia Minor, Peter encouraged believers to remain faithful in the face of opposition and persecution.

The key word for this epistle is suffering, which appears more than fifteen times. Peter has sought to support believers in this period of suffering and grief, and gives them practical advice on how to live the Christian faith during times of trial and suffering. Peter also points out that suffering is a means by which Satan tries to bring down believers.

The second epistle of Peter

The absence of any reference to suffering in Peter’s second Epistle suggests that this letter was written before the first, that is before 63.

In this letter, Peter faces the same difficulty as Paul. False teachers have infiltrated the Christian assembly and introduced destructive heresies that deny the lordship of Christ and His return.

With this letter, Pierre is pursuing two goals. First, encourage believers to continue growing in grace and second, warn them against false teachings. Peter exhorts believers to resist these heresies, but also to go beyond the stage of simple conversion and commit themselves to a fruitful life as disciples.

The epistle of Jude

The book of Jude speaks of those who have fallen away from faith. It warns the Church of unethical teachers and their false teachings.

Christianity has always had opponents: false teachers inside and ferocious persecutors outside. Jude urges his readers to fight for the apostolic faith.