The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians – Colossians 4:16 mentions an epistle to the Laodiceans – It has been conjectured that the letter known to us as Ephesians is really the Laodicean letter [retitled] – Probably it was sent to Ephesus and Laodicea without being addressed to any church – The letter…
Philippians: [Apostle] Paul’s Joy in Christ – Philippi was Paul’s pride and joy – Arms of friendship extended between Paul and the believers at Philippi that didn’t exist in the other churches – None of his other letters has such abundant expressions of tender personal dedication and benevolence as this letter – Luke seems to…
Background on Colossians: As far as we know Paul never visited Colossae, at least not at the time he wrote this epistle; he had only “heard” about the church at Colossae (1:4, 9; 2:1) – {Note: The book of Colossians is an extraordinary book of the Bible often the favorite book of the Bible for…
1 Thessalonians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary – The Thessalonian epistles were written to the church at Thessalonica – It was a church under persecution, but also a church that had a dynamic testimony and that had grown through the persecution – Significantly, in every chapter of 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle sought to comfort and…
2 Thessalonians – They thought that they were already in ‘the day of the Lord’ just preceding Christ’s [2nd Coming] return – This doctrinal problem caused a practical issue – Some of the members, *convinced that the end was near, had given up their jobs, and were living in idleness waiting for the Lord –…
Historical Background To Paul’s Pastoral Epistles [1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy and Titus] – Paul’s First and Second Letters to Timothy and his Letter to Titus have been called “Pastoral Letters” since the eighteenth century (1700’s) – [Though] Thomas Aquinas [born (in Sicily Italy) 1225 AD; died 7 March 1274 AD – wiki.com] had given this…
Second Epistle to Timothy – The Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy, usually referred to simply as Second Timothy and often written 2 Timothy, is one of the three Pastoral Epistles, traditionally attributed to Saint Paul, and is part of the New Testament – [The Apostle] Paul [in prison again] clearly anticipates his being put…
Background of Titus – Paul wrote this letter to Titus, a young [Gentile] pastor, who faced the unenviable assignment of setting things in order in the church at Crete – Crete is the largest island in the Mediterranean – The inhabitants of Crete had an evil reputation, a fact witnessed not only by Paul, but…
Philemon: Introduction – Even though this letter is a brief, personal note to a friend, it shows up in the early canon lists (Marcion’s [Cannon of 144 A.D.] and the Muratorian [Cannon 170-200 A.D.]) – Further, the ancient church never doubted its authenticity Epistle – Place of Origin: The traditional view that this letter was…
Introduction: The Book of Hebrews – The Book of Hebrews is probably the main content from the Apostle Paul’s Synagogue visiting ministry [Acts 17:2] – Acts 9:15 ‘for he [Paul] is a chosen vessel unto Me (Jesus), to bear My Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the [Jews] Children of Israel’ – The Apostle…