Category: Books of the New Testament

Background Early church tradition testified that 2 and 3 John were written by John the disciple of Jesus, who used a different title and called himself an “elder” in these two epistles (2 John 1:1). False teachers had infiltrated the church and taught that Jesus was not truly a man but only appeared to be one. Therefore, in these two epistles, John focuses on protecting our fellowship from those who teach falsehood. The apostle went so far as to warn his readers against inviting false teachers into the house or even offering them a greeting (2 John 1:10). Testing the truth with God’s word 2 John 7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.…

Background Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, is the author of this epistle. He wrote this letter to a group of Christians scattered throughout the northern areas of Asia Minor. In this letter, Peter spoke much about persecution, which anticipated the persecution he and other Christians would endure in the final years of Nero’s reign. This epistle therefore contains guidance for us today on how we can live the Christian life even though life may be beset with problems. Trials are there to test our faith 1 Peter 1:6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which…

Background This epistle is attributed to Jude, the half brother of Jesus and the brother of James (Jude 1:1). Matthew 13:55 tells us that the names of the brothers of Jesus are James and Judas. “Judas” was probably shortened to “Jude” because nobody wanted to be called Judas, because of the association it has with Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Like his older brother James, Jude did not place his faith in Jesus while the Lord was still alive. Only after the crucifixion and resurrection did he become a follower of Jesus. Sinning without regard for punishment Jude 1:4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a…

Background Peter wrote this letter to the same group of people that he wrote to in 1 Peter (2 Peter 3:1). So what prompted him to do so? The reason is that he came to know that false teachers had infiltrated the church. Peter wanted to warn them about these false teachers  (2 Peter 2:1) and encourage them to stand firm. Importance of eye witness accounts 2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am…

Background The author of this epistle never identified himself by name, but Christians since the beginning of the church have considered this letter authoritative, believing it was written by John the apostle. In addition, the author states that he is an eyewitness to the life and ministry of Jesus and that “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also” (1 John 1:3). As he did in his gospel, John stated with clarity the purpose of his first letter. His purpose was to teach them more about what it means to be genuine saved so that his readers could have assurance of salvation. 1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that…

Background 1 Timothy offers practical and pastoral advice from the aging apostle Paul to a young pastor named Timothy working in the church at Ephesus. More than a decade prior to writing this letter, Paul had first met Timothy in Asia Minor during his first missionary trip. This epistle gives us the most explicit and complete instructions for church leadership and organization in the entire Bible. This includes sections on appropriate conduct in worship gatherings, the qualifications of elders and deacons, and the proper order of church discipline. Make sure that your followers are grounded in the right teaching 1 Tim 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 1 Tim 1:3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia,…

Background The book of Revelation is written by John the disciple of Jesus (Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8), who had been exiled to the island of Patmos by the authorities for preaching the gospel in Asia. It was called the Revelation because John wrote down the visions he received from God about things that were going to happen, events all the way to the end of the world. The book opens with specific epistles that John wrote to the seven churches that he had served in Asia. The message of God’s victory was urgently needed by them as they were facing severe persecutions. God is in control and will have the ultimate victory Rev 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where…

Background Mark had a personal relationship with the apostle Peter which is the likely source of the content of his gospel. While Matthew’s gospel portrays Jesus as the King, Mark reveals Him as God’s Servant. Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” While it is understandable that Jesus is the Servant of His Father, the unthinkable truth is that Jesus also came to serve us. We sometimes think that God is worthy of our service but when we serve others we choose who are the worthy ones. We feel that some people are “below us” and should serve us instead. Not so with Jesus. The Servant did not just preach, He…

Background Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy four years after he had written the first one. Timothy, a young pastor had been ministering to the church at Ephesus for four years, and Paul wrote to him again to teach him on various matters including how he could build disciples. Pray for them 2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. One thing we note in many of Paul’s letters is that he always mentioned how earnestly he prayed for the churches. That is one good example to pick up. Spiritual mentorship is not something you do by simply learning the tools and methodologies. Paul prayed for the people under…

Background During his third missionary journey, Paul ministered in Asia Minor among the people of Ephesus and saw many converts among both residents of Ephesus and visitors to the city. One of the visitors converted under Paul’s teaching was a man named Philemon, a slave owner from the nearby city of Colossae, who eventually became a fellow co-worker of Paul. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus who had escaped from him and ran away to Rome. However, in Rome, Onesimus, met Paul and became a believer. Paul wrote a personal letter to Philemon and sent Onesimus the slave back to Colossae. In the letter, Paul made a request to Philemon to forgive Onesimus, to accept the slave as a brother in Christ, and to consider sending Onesimus back to Paul,…