Lesson 10
How To
Study the Bible Lesson 10: The Epistles.
By Shane Scott
What Are Epistles?
Epistles are letters. Letter -writing was very common in the society of the NT. Just as God used a literary form that was well established to communicate the OT (the covenant), He also used a common literary device to communicate the NT. And just like letters have a special form in our culture, letters in first century Greco-Roman had a special form. Here are some examples from 1 Corinthians:
Name of the writer: "Paul, called to be an apostle."
Name of recipient: "To the church of God at Corinth."
Greeting: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Prayer or Thanksgiving: "I thank my God always concerning you."
Body: 1 Cor. 1:10-16:19
Final Greeting and Farewell: 1 Cor. 16:19-24.
Epistles were what commentators call "occasional letters," meaning they were written for a specific occasion. So in essence we are reading someone else's mail! But we know that God intended for us to do this (see Colossians 4:16 for example). This does make the process of interpretation difficult, though, because while we do have the apostolic answers to various issues, we do not possess the questions they were answering, and that can make a big difference in the way we interpret the letter.
How To Study The Epistles
In order to study the epistles, it is important to remember the three steps of the Bible study process: Observation, Interpretation, and Application:
Step One: Observation
Remember that observation answers the question, "What does the text say?" The most important dimension of the observation step is to carefully read and re-read the epistle completely, using several translations. This will help you to absorb the author's main themes, as well as the flow of his reasoning. Make brief notes of significant features you observe.
In particular, observe the details that answer the following questions:
WHO:
1) Author: Paul (1:1)
2) Recipient: Corinth (1:2). Also notice that there were serious problems there (1:10)
3) Other main characters: See 1:11, 14, 15 for a few.
WHERE AND WHEN:
1) Author: At Ephesus (16:8), during third preaching trip (read Acts 19-20); promised to come to Corinth soon (4:19-21)
2) Recipient: Consult a good Bible dictionary about Corinth.
3) Other Geographical Details: collection for the saints at Jerusalem (16:1-5)
4) Other Chronological Details:
WHAT:
1) Main Themes: Love (13)
2) Main Problems: The whole book!
Now, after cataloguing that information, form an outline. In this case it os based on the different problems Paul addressed:
Introduction: 1:1-9
Problems addressed:
1) Division (1:12-4:21)
2) Immorality (5:1-13)
3) Lawsuits (6:1-11)
4) Fornication (6:12-20)
5) Marriage (7:1-40)
6) Liberties (8:1-10:33)
7) Covering (11:1-16)
8) Lord's Supper (11:17-34)
9) Spiritual Gifts (12:1-14:40)
10) Resurrection (15:1-58)
Concluding instructions and greetings (16:1-24)
Step Two: Interpretation
The next question is, "What did the text mean to the original recipient?" This step requires careful and thoughtful effort. It is difficult to interpret the epistles because they were written to someone else in another culture in another time in order to resolve their issues. So in order to interpret the epistles accurately, we must try to re-create the setting of the original recipients. A thorough job of observation, and a careful look at some helpful reference sources, is a must.
It will help to remember these three principles when interpreting the epistles:
1) We do not have to perfectly understand every single phrase in the epistles. 1 Corinthians contains many obscure statements: see 6:3; 11:10; and 15:29 for just a few examples. Paul knew what these passages meant, and apparently his readers did as well. Because we are separated from them by time and culture, we don't have any way of knowing for sure. But we do not have to! In each case the obvious lesson is very clear: don't sue a brother before pagans; women are to be humble; the resurrection is a reality.
2) That being said, we must be very humble when studying the epistles. We should not be hasty in staking out dogmatic opinions on difficult phrases in these writings.
3) We should focus on what is obviously true. What God wanted us to know we can know (Deut. 29:29), and those are the truths that we should spend our time applying.
Step Three: Application
The third step of Bible study is application: "What does the text mean to me?" In many cases the application will be obvious, as in 1 Cor. 6:18. However, to insure that the epistles are not taken out of context, keep these principles in mind:
1) Distinguish the cultural from the eternal. It is obvious that some of what is said in the epistles was limited to that time, such as Paul's command for Timothy to bring his cloaks (see 2 Tim. 4:13). Other issues may not be so easy to settle, but this principle is nevertheless true. For instance, my opinion is that the covering women are commanded to keep on in 1 Cor. 11 was a cultural symbol, not a morally binding law for all time. Of course many brethren disagree, and it is important to caution all Bible students not to throw out commands that we don't like merely because we think they were culturally limited.
2) A passage cannot mean for us what it could have never meant to its original recipients. For example, it is foolhardy to read infant baptism into 1 Cor. 1:16 when there is no recorded case of infant baptism for many years after Paul wrote the book.
3) When the specific situation is different, look for a general principle. Not many of us will be tempted to eat at idol temples, but Paul's discussion in 1 Cor. 8-10 can have many valuable applications for us as we respect the scruples of brethren.
With these principles and safeguards in mind, you can profit immensely from these marvelous books.
PROJECT:
Use everything we have talked about in this lesson to study the Book of Galatians. Be prepared to turn in an outline and analysis of the book to Shane in TWO WEEKS.