Letters in the Bible

GOLDEN TEXT: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal Life.”—I John 5:13

A VERY important section of the New Testament is made up of letters—inspired letters—written by one or another of the divinely chosen apostles of the church. Some of these letters are addressed to particular congregations of the time, some to individuals, while others are general letters, or epistles. They have all become general, nevertheless, in that by divine providence, they have been made a part of the Word of God to the entire church.

In a sense we might say that these letters are supplemental to the main body of the Word of God, for it is doubtful if they contain any information that could properly be referred to as new truth. Their great value is the application they make of the principles of the truth to specific circumstances and situations which arise in the lives of individual Christians and in ecclesias, or churches.

Thus Paul’s letter to the Corinthians points out the carnality of following human leaders, thereby emphasizing the great truth set forth by Jesus, “One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” (Matt. 23:8) His letter to the church at Rome clarifies the matter of how both Jews and Gentiles come into harmony with God through faith in Christ and full consecration.

In our Golden Text John explains that the purpose of his writing was that “ye may know that ye have eternal life.” From one standpoint this could be said to be the purpose of all the apostolic letters, for no follower of Jesus can be assured of eternal life except on the basis of knowing that his life is pleasing to the Lord, and all the letters of the New Testament, in one way or another, deal with this very issue.

In John’s letter he said, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” (I John 3:14) This undoubtedly is one of the final tests of discipleship, of being a true follower of the Master. John reasoned that if we do not love God’s people whom we see, how can we love God whom we do not see. It is a very practical viewpoint, but one, nevertheless, which touches every phase of the Christian life.

PHILIPPIANS 1:1-11—Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is one of the few in which we find no word of criticism. This little group of disciples must have been manifesting great earnestness in applying the principles of the Gospel to their daily lives. In chapter two, verse twelve, the apostle indicates as much, saying that they had always obeyed, not only when he was present with them, but endeavored to be even more faithful during his absence.

This letter is to some extent in the nature of a farewell message, for it was written during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, and at a time when he was not absolutely sure whether he would be released or whether he would remain there until he was executed. He had “confidence” that the Lord had further service for him while in the flesh, but was wholly resigned to whatever the divine will might be.—Phil. 1:20-25

In writing this letter, Paul wanted the Philippian brethren to realize that the Lord was abundantly able to care for their spiritual needs regardless of whether he was permitted to visit them again or not. “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it,” or complete it, wrote the apostle. He wanted them to realize that they were in the Lord’s hands, not his, that it was God who was working in them, and that they were to continue to work with the Lord.—Phil. 1:6

This is a valuable lesson for every follower of the Master. It is all too easy to lean on the arm of flesh, to put our trust in human leadership rather than in the Lord. The Lord’s people are to assist one another in every way they can to make their calling and election sure. We are to respect the Lord’s choice of teachers in the church, but we are to accept their help only as it is in harmony with his inspired Word, and the final decision on this must be our own. Paul was one of the inspired servants of the church, but in his humility he was assuring the church at Philippi that they could get along without his personal ministry in the event he was not permitted to return to them.

In addition to reaffirming the Christian’s individual responsibility before the Lord, the first eleven verses of this epistle also remind us of the importance of love in the Christian life, a love that discerns between right and wrong, and is self-sacrificing in its service of the right.

In these verses Paul also emphasizes his interest in the preaching of the Gospel, indicating his rejoicing that the Gospel was being preached even though in some cases it was not with the proper spirit. Here, then, we have three great essentials of the Christian life—an individual stand with, the Lord; a heart and life filled and controlled by love, and an active interest in disseminating the Gospel of the kingdom.

PHILIPPIANS 4:8, 9—In these two verses we are given a very comprehensive outline for holy meditation and true Christian living. Those who “think on these things,” and follow the teachings and example of the Apostle Paul should without question make their calling and election sure.

QUESTIONS:

What are some of the purposes of the apostolic letters?

Does a Christian need the help of other Christians in order to make his calling and election sure?

What are three of the great essentials of the Christian life?

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