The epistles, comprising most of the New Testament, were authored by God and written down by godly men who were guided along by the Holy Spirit. These books provide the church with the instructions that Jesus, its head, intends to guide it in its internal relationships as well as its relationship with the world within which it is to live as the Temple of God and His witnesses. They are the authority for what we believe and teach as well as what we practice.
The Old Testament scriptures while providing actual historical information are to be interpreted as examples of how we are to apply scripture in our lives today. We are descendants of Adam as they were and as such subject to the same temptations.
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
God blessed the saints, the faithful in Christ, with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places by choosing us, redeeming us, and protecting us, therefore we should live lives that are in balance with His blessing and He has united us in the church (the body of Christ) for this purpose.
Phillipians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
The setting in which Peter wrote his first epistle was that Christians were being scattered from their home lands by persecution and discovering that their new neighbors were hostile to them because of their Christian faith. They weren’t used to this and were having difficulty dealing with it. The Holy Spirit was laying on his heart to write to teach them how to live victoriously in the midst of that hostility.
Christians throughout this age have faced hostility in various forms and can anticipate it to continue until Christ’s return, therefore this epistle is applicable throughout the church age.
To live successfully among hostile neighbors one must remember all three dimensions of our salvation.
I. 1:1-2:10 In the past God saved us
A. 1:1-12 Securing our future
B. 1:13-2:10 Bringing present consequences
II. 2:11-4:6 In the present He has left us here to be an example before men
A. 2:11-3:7 With well doing before unbelievers
B. 3:8-12 With compassion toward believers
C. 3:13-4:6 Even while suffering
III. 4:7-5:11 In the future He will return for us
A. 4:7-11 Meanwhile glorify God
B. 4:12-19 Be not ashamed of your suffering
C. 5:1-4 Elders should feed the flock being examples
D. 5:5-14 Youngers should be humbly subject to them
2 Peter
The setting of 2 Peter was that Peter sensed he was nearing the end of his life (1:14) and false prophets were infiltrating the church causing what he felt would be an ongoing problem (2:1-30) which he desired to equip believers (1:1) to withstand.
His central theme is that “the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (1:2) is the antidote for false teaching. The knowledge of God, however, is more than a simple cognizance of Him and goes all the way to a relationship with Him that results from the operation of the Holy Spirit within the believer.
It is significant to note how Peter identified himself and those to whom he wrote. He is not just writing as a friend or a knowledgeable person. He wrote as “a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.” He wrote as one who was under obligation to his master Jesus Christ to “feed my sheep.” See John 21:15- Peter’s intended audience was “them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God, and of our Savior Jesus Christ.” His words, guided by the Holy Spirit, were aimed generally to all true believers not just a locally assembled group. We therefore understand that this epistle is directly aimed at believers “even unto the end of the world.” (Mt 28:20)
The closing two verses have the effect of placing a theological exclamation point at the end of Peter’s exhortation to Christians indicating the means by which God will supply His grace and peace (1:2) to them whether they be first century or twenty-first century believers. In verse 17 he encourages believers to stay alert lest we fall into error. In verse 18, We are exhorted to spiritual growth on two fronts: in grace, which is given to us by God, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is a result of walking with Him. I capitalized seven words to emphasize the way Peter indicated of whom we are to gain knowledge. Our = the personal aspect of the relationship; Lord = the nature of the relationship; and Savior = the means buy which our relationship is formed; Jesus = the humanity of the one who paid for our sin; Christ = the deity of the one who became a man, lived sinlessly and died sacrificially for us. The antidote to false teaching is a life lived in an obedient relationship with Jesus Christ through which we are continuously getting to know Him better and to love Him more.
Peter developed his second epistle this way:
Knowing God and Jesus Christ our Lord as a defense against false teaching involves:
I. 1:1-2 Knowing our saviour
II. 1:3-11 Knowing our salvation
III. 1:12-21 Knowing our scriptures
IV. 2:1-22 Knowing our adversaries
V. 3:1-18 Knowing our prophecy
1 John
Key to understanding 1 John 5:15 . . . that ye may know that ye have eternal life . . .
Last edited 12/02/2019
Walkin the Walk 