The Book of Ephesians

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he writes in the year 60 AD to proclaim the subjection of all things under Christ (1:20-23) and to promote the unity that the work of Christ secures (1:10; 2:14, 19-22; 3:6).  Since the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have purposed to lavish grace upon sinners who are dead in their trespasses for His name’s sake (1:11-14; 2:1-10), and to seat them with Christ (2:6), they are enabled to walk in unity (4:1-16) as they remember (2:11) the peace that breaks down the dividing wall of hostility (2:13-22).  As believers are strengthened to experientially know the love of Christ (3:14-21), their love will deny deceitful desires (4:17-24), and they will walk in love with others (chapter 5).  When they are filled with all the fullness of God (3:19; 5:18) they are strengthened to stand with the armor of God against the devil (6:10-24).[1]

---

[1] This language of flow of thought (being seated, walking, and standing) is derived from Dr. Jason Meyer’s 16^th NT Lecture

The Book of Galatians

Paul wrote his first letter to the churches in Galatia in order to defend justification by grace alone through faith alone, apart from the works of the law (2:15-16; 3:11-14).  In so doing, he rebukes the Galatians for embracing the teaching of the Judiazers.  This teaching added to the gospel works of the law (1:6-10), namely circumcision, as a necessary requirement for salvation (3:2; 5:2; 6:12).  After his opening remarks (1:1-5), Paul spends the next few chapters (1:6-4:11) rebuking them for embracing this different gospel.  By pointing to the example of Abraham (3:7-22), he demonstrates that righteousness comes through the righteousness of Christ.  He became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the law (3:13; 4:5) and so Paul appeals for them to walk by the Spirit in freedom (4:12-6:10) through love (5:6-15), boasting in the cross alone (6:11-18).

The Book of 2 Corinthians

Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians in order to defend his apostleship against super-apostles who questioned his ministry because of his suffering.  The book is broken up into three major sections: (1) Chapters 1-7 address the affliction that he experienced and his boast in the God of all comfort because the new covenant; (2) Chapters 8-9 encourages generous giving among them by speaking of the example of the Macedonians and the sufficiency of God’s grace; (3) And upon additional information chapters 10-13 intensifies his warnings against false teachers who promote themselves and preach a different gospel.

The apostle exalts that as a minister who is dependent upon God, that when deliverance happens, the praise is attributed to God alone (1:3-11).  This framework is set up as a paradigm for understanding Paul’s ministry to the church throughout the rest of the letter. His yearning for the Corinthians reveals the purity of his conduct and of his message amongst them. He speaks of the triumph that the gospel of Christ wrought within the believer as a pointer to the validity of his ministry within the new covenant (2:12-3:6).  Indeed, since the new covenant accomplishes redemption and gradual transformation as Christ is beheld (3:12-18), Paul’s hope and joy in proclamation of the gospel will give light to those for whom God has lifted the veil.  The beauty of righteousness of God imputed to the believer because of the sacrifice of Christ (5:21) provides the basis of the ministry of reconciliation that is called for and the righteous living that loving care for others in generosity.  As Paul continues he proclaims that in his weakness, Christ is shown strong (12:9-10).  So unlike his detractors, he desires them to esteem Christ (12:15), and to comfort each other with the comfort of the gospel (13:11-4).

The Book of 1 Corinthians

In the year 55 AD, Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church because the body was in disarray.  Schisms permeated their thinking and their action, immorality was prevalent, and the influence of the culture seeped into the church such that the message of the cross was nullified by many.  Therefore, Paul wrote to unify the people in the isthmus city around the cross both in how they think and how they act (1:10).  For without love, their existence and spiritual efforts means nothing (13:1-3).  False doctrine was embraced by some and included the teaching that there is no resurrection from the dead.  So the author found it necessary to combat this teaching and thus to encourage them to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (15:58).

After his customary prayer and thanksgiving (1:1-9), Paul responds to the state of the church (1:10-6:20).  Next, he takes the questions that were addressed to him and responds to the prevailing ideas and actions of the Corinthian body (7:1-16:4).  His conclusion (16:5-24) brings the letter full circle around unity of the faith and love of the brethren.  Throughout the entirety of the letter, Paul demonstrates that his chief concern in ministry is unity around the cross.  He is not about promotion of self through oratory prowess.  He is about boasting in the cross.  Likewise, he desires for the Corinthians to do the same (4:16).  Sexual immorality (5; 6:12-20), lawsuits against each other (chapter 6), focusing on differences instead of love (12-14) and improper views of marriage (chapter 7) militates against the calling of the Christian.  Arrogance refuses the resurrection (15:12-19), but the one boasting in Jesus embraces the message and meaning of His victory over death (15:56).

The Book of Romans

The book of Romans stands as one of the greatest letters ever written.  Paul wrote the letter to the churches in Rome in the mid to late 50s to unite Jewish and Gentile believers around the gospel so that they would partner with him in his effort to spread the message of salvation to Spain (15:24).  Mingling themes of righteousness and justification (3:20-8:39), and God’s grand design in redemption of His people (9-11), the letter proclaims the universality of sin (1:18-3:20), and the salvation that comes by trusting alone in Christ’s atoning work (3:20-26; 4:5).  As a result of being credited righteousness (4:1-25), the peace of mind and longing of the heart to follow in righteousness comes by His grace (5-7) since the believer has become dead to sin and alive to God (6:3-11).  He is no longer a slave to sin but is now a slave of righteousness by the Spirit and is free from death that the law brings (7:4-25).  This gives the believer great confidence in the love of God (chapter 8). 

 
The confidence of the believer deepens as he sees the purposes of God in election (9-11).  The mercy of God in redemption for Israel, and the mercy extended to the wild olive shoot in the past, present, and future necessarily produces practical fruti that point to the gospel of Jesus (12-16).  In the sphere of the church (14) and the world (13), the believer lives in light of the love that has been shown to him.  The nearness of the final salvation of Christians (13:8-14), and the unity of Jew and Gentile causes the strong to bear with the weak (15:1-7) and emboldens the mission to proclaim the power of God for salvation: the gospel (1:16-17).