GENERAL EPISTLES (NON PAULINE EPISTLES)
iNTRODUCTION: These Epistles is less than 10% of New Testament.
They supplement the Pauline
Epistles, and it was called “general” because they were not addressed to
specific churches or individual.
The book of Hebrew was not
regarded as general Epistle because of the problem about the authorship,
therefore it was only recognize as “Non Pauline” rather than general
Epistle. There are seven epistles in the
New Testament which are grouped under the title “The catholic Epistle” These are sub-divided under three headings as
follows:
(1) Jacobean (2) Petrine (3) Johannine
(1) James (2) Jude (1) I Peter (2) II Peter
(1) I John (2) II John (3) III John
They are called Catholic
Epistles because they were addressed to Christians in general that is, to the
Church Universal rather than, as in the case of Paul’s epistles, to certain
individuals or to particular churches.
It need hardly be added that these epistles have nothing to do with that
branch of Christendom which has incorporated the name “CATHOLIC” in it’s
title. The word “CATHOLIC” means
“UNIVERSAL”. It will therefore, be seen
that to speak of the Roman Catholic Church is a contradiction of terms (to say
the least), an it’s very title declares its error.
THE
GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES
If ever there was a man who
was practical in his Christianity it must have been James the writer of this
epistle. Tradition tells us he was a man
of austere and holy character. He must
also have been intensely practical.
Salvation is the gift of God. It
comes from heaven, but it is also very much “down to earth” for three faith
always manifests itself in outward.
There is no contradiction between the teaching of the epistle of James
and that of Paul in Romans, or indeed to the truth found in chapters three and
four of the epistle to the Hebrews. The
man of faith is the man of action. This
is put so forcibly in the scripture quoted above and also in James 2:26 , “For as the body without the
spirit is dead, so faith without work is dead also. “For even as breathing is an evidence of life
in human body, so living faith in made known by the action which it produces.
THE PURPOSE OF GENERAL
EPISTLE OF JAMES
JAMES: James wrote this
incisive and practical catalogue of the Christian characteristics of three
faith to exhort his Hebrew. Christian
reader’s to examine the reality of their own faith if it does not produce a
qualitative change in character or control (1 – 3). It’s genuineness must be questioned. James also rebukes those who succumb to the
pursuit of worldly pleasure and wealth rather than God, and encourages a
patient endurance in light of the coming of the Lord.
You should read the epistle
of five chapters through without interruption and if possible also read it in a
modern translation. THE AUTHOR (It is necessary to be clear as
to which James wrote the epistle).
There are three James
mentioned in the New Testament.
1.
James,
the brother of John the son of Zebedee, who was one of the twelve disciples (Mk
3:17 )
2.
James,
the son of Alphaeus, one of the twelve disciple (Mk 3:18 )
3.
James,
the brother of the Lord according to the flesh and the brother of Jude.
The epistle of James was
written by the last named of the above three.
He was one of our Lord’s brothers according to the flesh. He did not believe in Christ when the Lord
was engaged in his earthly ministry, but evident by believed in the Lord, at a
later date either at the death of Christ or at His Resurrection, for there is a
record of the Lord’s personal appearance to James (1 Cor 15:7). Later he became the leader of the church in Jerusalem
James is known as “James the
Just”: and he is reputed to have lived a very holy and austere life, and this
is reflected in the very practical epistle which he wrote. The language of this epistle is similar to
James speech in Acts 15 because he was unbeliever during Jesus Ministry
Although James was the
brother of our Lord according to the flesh, it is especially noteworthy to
observe his reference to the Lord Jesus in 1:1 and 2:1. From these it will be seen that he recognizes
the distinctive nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, and
although he himself was brought up with the Lord Jesus as a boy, yet he claims
to be nothing other than a servant of God and of Christ.
DATE:
The Jewish historian
Josephus indicates that James was stoned to death in the hear A.D. 62, so if he
is the author the letter was evidently written before that date. The contents of the book suggest that it may
have been written as early as a date shortly before the church council of Acts
15 which convened about A.D. 49. We
cannot be dogmatic, and can only conclude that the letter was likely written
between A.D. 48 and 62.
THE
KEYS TO THE EPISTLE OF JAMES
1. The key verse - 2:26
2. The key words - “Faith” – used 12 times
- “Works” – used 13 times
- “do” or “doer” used 5 times
3. The Theme - “Faith without works is dead”
4. Number of Chapters- 5
EXEGETICALY
STUDYING OF EPISTLE OF JAMES
A Faith reveals itself in the following ways and different
circumstances:
1. In the time of trials and temptation it
counts it all joy.
2. Hearing the word of God leads to action
3. In corporate church life there is no
respect of persons: there is a recognition of the needs of others.
4. The tongue is controlled and is not
used as a weapon of offence.
5. The wise man will reveal his knowledge
by good conduct and character which is in accordance with 3:17
6. Friendship with God will mean
separation from the World and harmony with other believers.
7. In business and other details there
will be a recognition of dependence upon the Lord.
8. There will be the exercise of justice
and patience by both employer and employee.
9. There will be the exercise of faith in
times of sickness.
10. The prayer life will be fervent in every
situation of life
11. The final exhortation is to be a winner
of souls! (5:20 )
The following paragraphs
deal concisely with certain subject and, therefore, deserve special study:
1.
The
origin and outworking of Evil (1:13
– 15)
2.
Faith
Justified by works (2:14 –
26)
3.
The
Tongue (3:1 – 12)
4.
Heavenly
and Earthly wisdom (3:13 –
18)
5.
The
Reward of patience (5:7 – 11)
6.
The
Effectiveness of Prayer (5:13
– 18)
THE
FIRST GENERAL EPISTLE OF PETER
The first epistle of Peter
is one of the easiest of the epistles to read through without
interruption. It is a particularly
suitable one to introduce to young Christians by reason of the simplicity of
its style, the practical exhortations, and yet, in the background, there is
vital spiritual teaching.
THE
AUTHOR
The author was Simon Peter,
one of the twelve apostles. The Peter of
whom you read in the gospels is a totally different Peter after Pentecost. The book of the acts and Peter’s own writings
reveal the mighty transformation that had been accomplished in him through the
grace of God and the indwelling and fullness of the Holy Spirit.
THE
DATE
The first epistle of Peter
was written toward the close of his life, probably between A.D 64 and 68. The persecution of Christians following the
great fire at Rome 5:12 )
as Paul would at this time have been in prison.
THE
PURPOSE
The principal purpose of
this epistle is to encourage the scattered and persecuted believers living in
various parts of Asia Minor who are suffering
rejection because of their obedience to Christ throughout the Roman
Empire . Peter was obeying
the two specific commands which Jesus had given him:
1.
To
encourage and strengthen the brethren Lk 22:32
2.
To
feed the flock of God. J 21:15
– 17
THE
KEYS TO THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER
1.
They
key verse 2:9
2.
The
keyword “Suffering” and it occurs over fifteen times
3.
The
Number of Chapters – 5
OUTLINE
OF THE EPISTLE
1.
Opening
Greetings (1:1, 2)
2.
The
Christian is called to salvation (1:3 – 11)
3.
The
Christian is called to Holiness (1:13
– 2: 11 )
4.
The
Christian is called to Submission (2:12
– 3:12 )
5.
The
Christian is called to Suffering (3:13
– 5:11 )
6.
Concluding
Greetings (5:12 – 14)
THE
SECOND GENERAL EPISTLE OF PETER
It will not be a difficult
task to read this short epistle of three chapters through without
interruption. Also re-read it in one or
more of the recent translations.
THE
AUTHOR
Whereas the first epistle
of Peter has always been recognized as having been written by Peter the
apostle. The second epistle of Peter has been the subject
of much criticism and the Petrine authorship has been denied.
THE
REASON
1.
To
be written in a different literary style.
2.
Part
of it is very similar to the epistle of Jude.
3.
Because
II Pet. Was evidently not widely known or quoted in the early church.
Although it was included in
the New Testament Canon by Origen (A.D 182 – 254). It was declared to be canonical by the
council of Laodicea
The epistle itself claims
to have been written by Peter (1:1). He
specifically declared himself to have been an Apostle of Christ in that verse
and also in 3:2. He refers to the
epistles written by Paul (3:15 ,
16). The fact that he refers to “all”
Paul’s letter does not mean that “all” were written, but is referring to “all”
in the sense of all that were then written.
Further more, it was
written by an old man who was expecting soon to pass form this earthly scene (1:13 – 15). From these reference it will be seen that
there is considerable evidence form within the epistle itself which bears out a
petrine authorship, so that one need have no hesitation in accepting as fact
that Peter the Apostle was the author of the two epistle that bear his name.
THE PURPOSE
This second epistle was
written shortly before Peter’s death (1:13 – 15) and, as is stated in 1:12, it
was his desire to put Christians whom he dearly loved in remembrance of the
things that he had taught then and of which they should be warned (1:12 – 15,
3:1 – 2). Notice the bond of love and
fellowship that is revealed by Peter’s use of the word “beloved” (3:1, 8, 14,
15, 17 and compare with 1:17 ),
it was also necessary in Christians against false teachers and false doctrine
and to remind them once again of the promise of the Lord’s return.
THE
KEYS TO THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER
1.
The
key verse 1:12
2.
They
key word “remember”
3.
Number
of chapters – 3
OUTLINE
OF THE EPISTLE
1.
Greetings
(1:1)
2.
Grow
in carace (1:2 – 21)
3.
Beware
of false teachers and Doctrines (2:1 – 22)
4.
Look
forward to the coming of the Lord (3:1 – 16)
5.
Final
warning and Doxology (3:17 ,18)
THE
FIRST GENERAL EPISTLE OF JOHN
The five chapters of this
first epistle of John should be read without interruption and indeed, more than
once during your study of the epistle.
It will also be helpful to read the letter in a recent translation.
THE
AUTHOR
The writer was the Apostle
John of whom we read in the gospels and who also wrote the gospel according to
John, the other two epistles bearing His name and the last book in the New
Testament, viz, the revelation of Jesus Christ.
John was the brother of
James, one of the two sons of Zebedee and Salome (Mark 1:19 – 20, 10:35 , 15:40 .
Matt 27:56).
He, like his father, was a
fisherman (Matt 4:21 ). It will also be remembered that according to
the flesh he as the cousin of the Lord Jesus for it is usually thought that the
two mother were sisters. Not only was he
one of the twelve Apostles, but also one of the three Apostles who was privileges
to be with Christ on certain special occasions (see Ml 5:37 and Matt. 17:1, 26:37). Also observe Mark 13:3 and the fact that John
was one of the two sent to prepare the Passover (Luke 22:8). John refers to himself in the closing
chapters of the gospel bearing his name under the pen name “the disciple whom
Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 19:26 ,
20:2: 21:7, 20).
In the book of the Acts he
is referred to in Acts 3:1; 4:13:8:14.
He is usually considered to have been the youngest of the Apostles, and
it is significant that he is one of the first to have been called by Christ (John
1:40 ). It is thought that John and Andrew were the
two who followed Jesus (Matt 4:21
– 22). He lived longer than any of the
others and died at the close of the first century.
THE
DATE
This epistle was written by
the Apostle John when an old man, nearing the end of his life, probably as late
as within the last 10 years of the first century, namely between A.D. 90 – 98.
THE
PURPOSE
The immediate purpose of
the letter was to refute error that was creeping into the early church. Those who had been converted from Judaism and
paganism sought to incorporate into Christianity ideas and theories connected
with their form of belief. This
inevitably led to false teaching developing into heresy and thus leading to
apostasy. The particular sect that John
seems to have had in mind were Gnostics, that is “the knowing once” – they
could be described as the “knowalls” their descendants are still with us!. They boasted of their knowledge, and their
main error concerned the deity of the Lord Jesus. They denied that He was truly God on the one
had and, on the other hand, denied His full humanity.
The letter is not addressed
to any particular person or local church.
It was evidently intended as a circular epistle to probably in the first
instance, the churches of Asia , but under the
direction of the Spirit to the whole church
of God
THE
PLACE
The weight of early and
strong Christian tradition that John spent his latter years at Ephesus Ephesus
THE
KEYS TO THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN
1. The key verse 1:5
2. The key words “Known” “Fellowship”
3. The Number of Chapters – 5
OUTLINE
OF THE EPISTLE
1.
Fellowship
Results in fullness of Joy (1:1 – 10)
2.
Fellowship
Demands purity of life (2:1 – 7)
3.
Fellowship
Leads to instruction by the Holy Spirit (2:18
– 29)
4.
Fellowship
leads to perfecting of Love (3:1 – 4:21)
5.
Fellowship
leads to full Assurance and spiritual
understanding (5:1 – 21).
THE
SECOND GENERAL EPISTLE OF JOHN
This short epistle of 13
verses should be read every day for a week when you are studying the
writing. It is so short and yet so
delightful.
THE
AUTHOR
In verse 1 the writer
refers to himself as “the elder”. This
reference has led to some speculation as to who was the actual author. There are those who suggest that it was some
person other than John the Apostle.
There is no reason for believing that the writer was any other than John
the beloved disciple of the Lord. He was
writing at the end of his long life and he was an elder both in the church of God
THE
DATE
It is thought that this
epistle, as in the case of the previous one, was written when John was between
90 and 100 years of age, that is, in the closing years of the first century
around A.D 90.
THE
PLACE
It is, therefore one of the
latest writing of the New Testament. In
all probability it was written from Ephesus
THE
PURPOSE
It is addressed to “The
elect lady and her children”. There are
those who have sought to name this particular lady, but the epistle gives no
clue as to who she was, other than the fact that her sister was married and had
children (see verse 13). The elect lady
was probably an individual occupying a good position in society, possibly well
to do and so having this title. There
are those who think that the letter was addressed to Martha of Bethany and the
sister referred to in verse 13 is Mary.
While this is an interesting supporting there is no sure ground for
believing that it is so, although it has been pointed out that the Greek work
used for lady is similar to the Hebrew word equivalent for Martha. Other have suggested that the letter was to a
particular church or to the universal church but this makes it difficult to
interpret verse 13.
This letter coupled with
the third epistle of John and Paul’s letter to Philemon, constitute the three
examples of private, correspondence between apostles and members of the early
Christian church, which are to be found in the New Testament.
THE
KEYS TO THE SECOND EPISTLE OF JOHN
1.
The
key verse – 6
2.
The
key words (“Truth” “Love”)
3.
The
Number of verses 13
OUTLINE
OF THE EPISTLE
1.
Opening
Greetings (1 – 3)
2.
Walk
in Truth and Love (4 – 6)
3.
Warning
of Deceivers and Heresy (7 – 9)
4.
Attitude
to be taken to such (10, 11)
5.
Concluding
Greetings (12, 13)
As you think over and
follow the theme of “love” which is to be found in this writing take note of these
points:
1.
The
Courtesy of Love (1, 13)
2.
The
Ground of Love (1)
3.
The
scope of Love (1, 2)
4.
The
prayer of Lover (3)
5.
The
manifestation of Love Grounded in Truth 4)
6.
The
Command of Love (5, 6)
7.
The
Enemies and Disturbers of True Love (7 – 9)
8.
The
Refusal of Love
9.
The
Expectation of Love 12)
THE
THIRD GENERAL EPISTLE OF JOHN
This brief epistle of
fourteen verses should be read frequently and patiently studied to understand
it fully. In first John the Apostle
discusses fellowship with God, in second John he forbids fellowship with false
teachers; and in third epistle John he encourages fellowship with Christian
brothers, following his expression of love for Gaius. John assures him of his prayers for his
health and voice his Joy over Gaius persistent walk in truth.
THE
AUTHOR
There is no reason why w
should not accept the fact that this was written by John the beloved, the
disciple to whom reference has been make in the earlier chapters on John’s
gospel and first epistle.
THE
DATE
No doubt it was written
very much about the same time as the two other epistles, that is, within the
last ten years of the first century.
A.D. 90.
THE
PURPOSE
The immediate occasion of
this letter is to bring greetings, commendation and encouragement to the
well-beloved Gaius. In the early church
there were itinerant ministers and missionaries, even as there are such today. The question of hospitality arose as these
men forth unbacked any equivalent to the modern missionary society. It was, therefore, desirable that they should
be offered hospitality. Gaius did this,
but there was one, Diotrephes, who usurped the place of leadership in the local
church and not only refused to receive visiting brethren but forbade others to
receive or to offer hospitality.
John uses this negative
examples as an opportunity to encourage Gaius.
Godly character and loyalty to the truth are never easy, but they bring
God’s richest commendation and John’s as well.
Dementrius has a good testimony and may even be one of these turned away
by Diotrephes.
THE
KEYS TO THE THIRD EPISTLE OF JOHN
1.
The
key word – Hospitality
2.
The
key verse – 8
3.
Number
of verses – 14
GAIUS
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
1. Gaius of Macedonia 19:29 )
2. Gaius at Derbe (Acts 20:4)
3. Gaius at Corinth 1:14 )
4. Gaius who gave hospitality to Paul (Rom 16:23 )
5. Gaius to whom John wrote (III
John 1)
OUTLINE
OF THE EPISTLE
1. Salutation verse – 1
2. Godliness of Gaius “
2 – 4
3. Generosity of Gaius “
5 – 8
4. Pride of Diotrephes “
9 – 11
5. Praise for Demetrius “ - 12
6. Concluding Greetings “ - 13 – 14
THE
GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE
The general epistle of Jude
contains 25 verses and therefore can easily be read through without
interruption.
As with the other short
epistle in the New Testament, you are recommended to read also in one or more
of the recent translations. Jude
originally intended to write on the theme of salvation, but because of pressing
threats to his readers he turns his attention instead to those who would seek
to destroy the gospel.
THE
AUTHOR
The author refers to
himself in verse 1 as the brother of James.
The name Jude is another form of Judas.
There are two Judas mention in the gospel and Acts. They both had brothers who were named
James. One was an Apostle (Lk 6:16 ; Acts 1:13 ).
The second Judas is referred to as the brother (according to the flesh)
of the Lord Jesus (Matt 13:55 ; Mark 6:3).
So Jude was accepted as authentic
and quoted by early church fathers.
THE
DATE
It is there thought to have
been written just prior to A.D 70, probably about A.D. 68.
THE
PURPOSE
In verse 1 – 4 Jude
addresses his letter to believers who are “Sanctified, preserved, and called”
and wishes for them the threefold blessing of mercy, peace and love.
As you read verse 3 it
gives the impression that Jude intended to write originally of the common
salvation, that is, the salvation made available to all men. Then, as he began to write under the leading
of the Holy Spirit, he found it more necessary and urgent that he should write
to warn men of coming apostasy, and to stand fast for the true faith.
The believers are warned of
apostasy, and Jude makes a quick but masterly survey of apostasy from before
the beginning of time on through the history of the Hebrews to the days in
which he lives. In doing so, he refers
to the angles that apostasized Cain, the sodomites, the rebellious Israelites
going out of Egypt
THE
KEYS TO EPISTLE OF JUDE
1. The key words - contending for the faith
2. The key verse - verse 3
3. Number of verses -
“ 25
OUTLINE
OF THE EPISTLE OF JUDE
1. Introductory greeting (1, 2)
2. The danger Exposed (3,
4)
3. The warnings from History (5
– 16)
4. The Exhortation of faithfulness (17 – 23)
5. The Reminder of the keeping power of the Lord (24)
6. Concluding Ascription of praise to the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment