The Epistle of 2 Peter (2024 edition) (2024)

The Epistle of 1 Peter (2024 edition)

The Three-Fold Thematic Scheme of the Epistle of 1 Peter - The primary theme of the Catholic Epistles is the perseverance in the faith for the New Testament believer. Each of these epistles addresses one aspect of this journey as their secondary theme, so that collectively, they deliver the complete exhortation of the church to enable perseverance. The secondary theme of the epistle of 1 Peter offers the testimony of the role of God the Father in providing an eternal inheritance for the believer as one means of perseverance amidst hardships and persecutions. The other church epistles address the role of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the believer’s perseverance. The third, imperative theme of 1 Peter is the exhortation to place his hope in heaven’s inheritance while submitting to the authorities of this world in his effort to persevere. This exhortation establishes the believer’s mind. The other Church Epistles establish the believer’s heart and body, so that collectively, the believer is established in his three-fold make-up: spirit, soul, and body.

REFLECTIONS ON 2ND EPISTLE OF PETER

Lumen, 2020

A spiritual study made on the 2nd epistle of St. Peter, the necessity to lead a moral and virtuous life, a warning against the false teachers of the time and the urge to wait patiently for the 2nd coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Epistles of 1-2-3 John (2024 edition)

The primary theme of the Catholic Epistles is the perseverance in the faith for the New Testament believer. Each of these epistles addresses one aspect of this journey as their secondary theme, so that collectively, they deliver the complete exhortation of the church to enable perseverance. The secondary theme of the epistle of 1 John offers the testimony of the role of Jesus Christ in serving as our Advocate to bring us into fellowship with God the Father for the believer as one means of perseverance amidst offenses and false teachings. The other church epistles address the role of God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the believer’s perseverance. The third, imperative theme of 1 John is the exhortation to walk in fellowship with the saints in his effort to persevere. This exhortation establishes the believer’s heart. The other Church Epistles establish the believer’s mind and body, so that collectively, the believer is established in his three-fold make-up: spirit, soul, and body. The spiritual lesson woven throughout the first epistle of John is how to walk in fellowship with God and be led by the Holy Spirit.

The Epistle of Hebrews (2024 edition)

The Three-Fold Thematic Scheme of the Epistle of Hebrews - The primary theme of the Catholic Epistles is the perseverance in the faith for the New Testament believer. Each of these epistles addresses one aspect of this journey as their secondary theme, so that collectively, they deliver the complete exhortation of the church to enable perseverance. The secondary theme of the epistle of Hebrews offers the testimony of the high priesthood of Jesus Christ as one means of perseverance amidst hardships and persecutions. The other church epistles address the role of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in the believer’s perseverance. The third, imperative theme of Hebrews is the exhortation to holding fast our confession of faith in Jesus by resting in God’s mercy and grace of God made available through the high priesthood of Jesus Christ. This exhortation establishes the believer’s heart. The other Church Epistles establish the believer’s mind and body, so that collectively, the believer is established in his three-fold make-up: spirit, soul, and body.

The Epistle of 2 Timothy (2024 edition)

The Central Theme of the Pastoral Epistles - The title “Pastoral Epistles” is appropriate in that it reveals the most obvious underlying theme of these three Epistles, which is church government, or order, and calling. In the Pastoral Epistles, Paul establishes the order and governance of the New Testament Church. However, I am going to be as bold as to add the small epistle of Philemon to this corpus for the sake of theme structure. Regarding the underlying theme of church leadership, J. Vernon McGee makes an important observation by saying that Paul is not placing emphasis upon the type of church government in these epistles as much as he is focusing upon the character of those involved in leadership; for without godly leadership no form of church government will work. The Pastoral Epistles as a Part of God’s Plan of Redemption - Regarding the relation of the Pastoral Epistles to our spiritual journey, we enter into our calling, which is the underlying theme of these Epistles, after the process of indoctrination that takes place in the Church epistles. So, having received Christ Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour through the Gospels, and having read the Church epistles, which lay down the doctrines of the Church, we must now have godly leadership and some type of order established in our lives. This is what Paul deals with in his pastoral epistles. He tells Timothy and Titus how to select godly leaders and then he explains how to delegate the priorities of church administration and activities to such leaders. Although these the Epistles contain Church doctrine, they place much more emphasis upon how to administer this doctrine in the local congregation. In addition, of these four Epistles, 2 Timothy is the most personal, dealing more with private and personal matters, having being written shortly before Paul’s death. The other two epistles deal with broader matters that relate to the pastoral leadership of congregations as a whole. The Three-Fold Thematic Scheme of the Epistle of 2 Timothy - The primary theme of the four Pastoral Epistles is church government, or order, and calling. Each of these epistles addresses one aspect of this church government as their secondary theme, so that collectively, they deliver the complete order for the New Testament church. The secondary theme of the epistle of 2 Timothy is the preparation of the believer’s heart for divine service in response to the role of Jesus Christ in our redemption. Each of these epistles addresses an aspect of the development of man’s three-fold make-up for Christian service. The third, imperative theme of 2 Timothy is the call to serve in the body of Christ to transform man’s spirit. Paul’s second epistle to Timothy is doubtless the last letter that Paul ever wrote. He put these tender and personal words on paper as he faced execution by beheading. He was most likely in prison, sitting in a damp, lower dungeon with a small hole in the ceiling for light. He addresses his beloved convert, a man named Timothy, who had stood with him under every other situation they had faced together. Paul the aged had faithfully executed his own divine calling, and now he was able to exhort Timothy to do the same by using his own life as an example. Thus, within this Epistle Paul gives an earnest plea for Timothy to make haste and be with him one last time before departing from this earth. Paul’s major emphasis is to stand strong against all adversity and fulfill the divine calling that God has placed upon his life.

The Epistles of Peter and Jude (Epworth Commentary)

1998

The Epistle of Jude (2024 edition)

The primary theme of the Catholic Epistles is the perseverance in the faith for the New Testament believer. Each of these epistles addresses one aspect of this journey as their secondary theme, so that collectively, they deliver the complete exhortation of the church to enable perseverance. The secondary theme of the epistle of Jude offers the testimony of the role of the Holy Spirit in providing sanctification of the believer as one means of perseverance amidst offenses and false teachings. The other church epistles address the role of God the Father and Jesus Christ in the believer’s perseverance. The third, imperative theme of Jude is the exhortation to live a godly lifestyle in his effort to persevere. This exhortation establishes the believer’s lifestyle. The other Church Epistles establish the believer’s heart and mind, so that collectively, the believer is established in his three-fold make-up: spirit, soul, and body.

ASSEMBLIES OF GOD THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BNT 542 / BGR 627 - Studies in the General Letters: Epistles of Peter

The Epistle of Philippians (2024 edition)

The Three-Fold Thematic Scheme of the Epistle of Philippians - The primary theme of the nine church epistles is the establishment of the doctrines of the New Testament church. Each of these epistles addresses one aspect of this doctrinal foundation as their secondary theme, so that collectively, they deliver the complete doctrinal creed of the church. The secondary theme of the epistle of Philippians offers the testimony of the office and ministry of the God the Father in the believer’s sanctification, namely the believer’s divine provision and destiny in light of the office and ministry of God the Father regarding His plan of redemption for mankind. The third, imperative theme of Philippians is the believer’s outward evidence of his sanctification demonstrated in becoming a partner in God’s plan of redemption for mankind. In other words, this epistle demonstrates how a believer walks in God’s plan for his life by supporting His servants as the Lord divinely supplies his own needs.

The Epistle of 1 Timothy (2024 edition)

The Central Theme of the Pastoral Epistles - The title “Pastoral Epistles” is appropriate in that it reveals the most obvious underlying theme of these three Epistles, which is church government, or order, and calling. In the Pastoral Epistles, Paul establishes the order and governance of the New Testament Church. However, I am going to be as bold as to add the small epistle of Philemon to this corpus for the sake of theme structure. Regarding the underlying theme of church leadership, J. Vernon McGee makes an important observation by saying that Paul is not placing emphasis upon the type of church government in these epistles as much as he is focusing upon the character of those involved in leadership; for without godly leadership no form of church government will work. The Pastoral Epistles as a Part of God’s Plan of Redemption - Regarding the relation of the Pastoral Epistles to our spiritual journey, we enter into our calling, which is the underlying theme of these Epistles, after the process of indoctrination that takes place in the Church epistles. So, having received Christ Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour through the Gospels, and having read the Church epistles, which lay down the doctrines of the Church, we must now have godly leadership and some type of order established in our lives. This is what Paul deals with in his pastoral epistles. He tells Timothy and Titus how to select godly leaders and then he explains how to delegate the priorities of church administration and activities to such leaders. Although these the Epistles contain Church doctrine, they place much more emphasis upon how to administer this doctrine in the local congregation. In addition, of these four Epistles, 2 Timothy is the most personal, dealing more with private and personal matters, having being written shortly before Paul’s death. The other two epistles deal with broader matters that relate to the pastoral leadership of congregations as a whole. The Three-Fold Thematic Scheme of the Epistle of 1 Timothy - The primary theme of the four Pastoral Epistles is church government, or order, and calling. Each of these epistles addresses one aspect of this church government as their secondary theme, so that collectively, they deliver the complete order for the New Testament church. The secondary theme of the epistle of 1 Timothy is the preparation of the believer’s heart for divine service in response to the role of Jesus Christ in our redemption. Each of these epistles addresses an aspect of the development of man’s three-fold make-up for Christian service. The third, imperative theme of 1 Timothy is the call to serve in the body of Christ to transform man’s spirit.