How Should We Interpret the Epistles?

Epistles are letters written for specific purposes. It is essential to determine who wrote the letter, who received it, and why it was sent.

• The epistles’ order is based upon size and author.
  • Paul – Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
  • ? – Hebrews
  • James – James
  • Peter – 1 Peter, 2 Peter
  • John – 1 John, 2 John, 3 John
  • Jude – Jude

• The epistles are occasional documents.
• They are written arising out of a need and intended for a specific audience.
• Epistles are letters, but they are different in that they are an artistic, literary genre that was intended for public reading.
• Epistles were not intended to serve as a theological treatise.  They do not contain the entirety of the author’s theology.

• Name of the author
• Name of the recipient
• Greeting
• Prayer wish or thanksgiving
• Body
• Farewell

• Reconstruct the situation to which the author is speaking
• Make notes of written clues
• What you notice about the recipients
• Author’s attitude
• Anything mentioned to the specific occasion of the letter
• The epistle’s natural, logical divisions

• Trace the author’s argument
• Must begin to think paragraphs
• Acknowledge difficulties
• The texts are sometimes challenging to understand because they simply were not written to us.
• Even if you are uncertain about specific details, the whole passage’s plain meaning is usually still within grasp.
• In difficult situations, get some good help.

• The text cannot mean what it never meant.
• We are searching for authorial intent.
• In most cases, a clear principle has been articulated that transcends the historical particularity.  We can understand and apply it.

• Distinguish between the essentials and the non-essentials of the writings.
• Distinguish between what is moral and what is immoral.
• Don’t expect the epistles to answer questions that have not been asked yet.