“The word epistle comes from the Greek word epistole that means ‘letter’ or ‘message’” (gotquestions.org). So in the broadest sense of the word, an epistle is a letter. Just like letters or e-mails in our day, epistles share some elements though many vary from what scholars believe to be the normal structure of letters for the time period. Common elements of an epistle include the greeting, which usually includes the author and specific audience; the body of the letter, which introduces the purpose for the letter; and the conclusion, which might be more personal, naming specific people to greet and personal struggles or concerns.
The Epistle Should Be Read as a Whole
The most important thing to keep in mind when we approach an epistle is that it is a complete, self-contained work. In other words, you want to be familiar with the letter in its entirety and not cherry pick short sections without understanding the context. Think about the last time you wrote a letter or an email. We typically build up to the point; we don’t dive into the purpose for the letter right out of the gate. And very often we set the foundation for what we are going to say next.
The same is true for the epistles. The author generally lays a foundation before diving into the teaching, correction, or encouragement of the letter, so it is important to be familiar with the entire epistle even if you are studying a shorter passage within the epistle (though I generally recommend studying the whole book from beginning to end).
The Letter Has an Audience
Another important thing to keep in mind as you study an epistle is that there are two audiences. The specific audience is the one listed in the letter. For example, the epistle to the Romans was written to the church in Rome while 1st and 2nd Timothy are written to Timothy, one of Paul’s dear friends who is in leadership in the city of Ephesus.
But each epistle also has a more general audience: Christians. Sometimes, as in the epistle to the Hebrews, the specific audience is Jewish Christians while the general audience is Christians as a whole, including us today. Other times, as in the case of most of the epistles, the specific audience is Gentile Christians while the general audience is still Christians as a whole.
This is important because while we are the intended general audience, the specific audience should determine how we read the letter. What was going on around them in their culture at the time of the writing? Were they being persecuted for their faith? Did they live in a particularly debauched society? Were they facing false teachers within their own congregations? It is important to have a grasp on the specific audience so our interpretation of the content of the epistle is accurate.
A Tip for Context
Something that can help with the context of the epistle is to look at the history. For example, if you are studying the book of Hebrews, it might be helpful to look back at the history of Israel as this book is written primarily to Jewish Christians. They understood the Jewish feasts, sacrifices, and laws. You may want to spend some time in the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, to familiarize yourself with the knowledge they would’ve had.
For the epistle to the Ephesians, you would want to go back to the book of Acts when the author shares how the church was started. Then you could turn to 1 and 2 Timothy to get an idea of how it was going. And you might even want to turn to the book of Revelation since the church at Ephesus is a recipient of one of the letters. They are the church that “abandoned the love you had at first.”
I’m not saying you need to be a Bible scholar to understand the epistle, just have a basic knowledge of the context as you dive into the letter. It is so interesting to me when I find connections I had never made before as I study a new book of the Bible. Everything in Scripture, whether it is the Old or New Testament, prophecy or historical narrative, poetry or discourse, is connected. There is an over arching narrative being taught throughout the whole of the Bible, so you cannot truly study any part of Scripture in isolation. And every book must be understood in the context of the whole Bible.
The Epistle Has a Purpose
Once you understand a bit of the context surrounding the epistle, including the author and the audience, take note of anything that indicates why the author wrote the letter. Did he receive a bad report about the church or one of its members? Is he encouraging a pastor and teaching him what to do? Does he want to come visit the church and has sent a letter on ahead of that visit? Some of the epistles clearly state the intention of the letter, but others only give clues or simply imply the reason.
Very often, epistles include very practical instruction for believers facing various challenges, and these can give a clue as to the purpose of the letter. They also serve as instruction to us so many years later! And even when the instructions are specific to the situation in that particular church, we can draw principles from the teaching to apply to our lives today.
The Letter is God’s Word
Finally, it is important to recognize that the epistles in Scripture are God’s words. The authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit as they wrote. We don’t have to know exactly what this looked like in order to believe in the inspiration of the Bible. Whether the first draft was the final draft, the authors used secretaries, or the writing was more of a group project as the author discussed the work with his companions, ultimately, the words that made it into the letter are God-breathed. We should treat them with that authority and not try to twist them into what we would want them to mean.
The goal of Bible study should always be to understand Who God is and what He means in His Word. It is not an endeavor to take lightly or a task to be manipulated to fit our agendas. We may not always like what the Bible has to say, but it is our responsibility as God’s children to obey it even when we don’t want to.
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