Literarily: 8 Days of Understanding Genres of the Bible by Kristie AnyabwileSample

Epistles

Read today's passage of scripture before continuing to read this devotion.

Scripture - Philippians 2

How does the word therefore in verse 12 connect the preceding verses to the passage of verses 12–18? How do the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus connect to verses 12–18? Identify any indicative (teaching points) and imperative (commands) sections, where you find them, and how they are connected. Isolate the main verbs, and mark the beginning and end of a sentence or thought, or topic. Pay attention to keywords, repetitions, connecting words, and transition phrases. Identify the main principle from verses 12–18. What other places in Scripture echo this principle?

Written Content

Epistles are letters that make up about 35 percent of the New Testament. These letters were written by disciples of Jesus after His resurrection, to encourage the church or to address concerns among believers in the church. Sometimes a letter was dictated by the author and penned by a scribe. At other times, the author may have written the letter himself. They were tailored to a specific audience, either a church in a specific city, an individual, or a group (for example, when Peter addresses “elect exiles”).

The New Testament letters are generally categorized into Pauline epistles (those written or dictated by the apostle Paul to specific churches or specific pastors) and general epistles (those written by others to the church in general and not to a specific church).

Literarily, there are several things we can look out for as we read epistles. First, connect the historical and cultural context to the person or church that the letter was written to. Second, identify the basic structure of the letter—the introduction, body, and closing— to find helpful contextual information about the situations that might be addressed in the letter. Third, note whether the author is explaining a theological truth or exhorting believers. Explanations are statements of truth called indicatives. Exhortations are commands in response to the truth, called imperatives. Fourth, note where a sentence or paragraph begins and ends to form a unit of thought. Look for clues in the text that help you to know what ideas go together in a sentence or paragraph such as repetitions, connecting words and phrases, transition words, lists, and the overall development of thought from beginning to end. Fifth, sometimes in the epistles, parts of the letter are specific responses to sets of questions or issues that have been brought to the attention of the author of the letter. Sixth, keep in mind that most often the author of an epistle is making an argument that follows conventional principles of logic.

Since the church is living in the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel, you will notice many parallels and intersections, and distinctions between issues that the church faced in the first century and issues we face today. Identify the similarities and differences to uncover what the passage teaches us about how we live as the people of God redeemed by Christ.