Letter
|
Date of writing
|
Place of writing
|
Purpose
|
Message
|
Romans
|
A.D 56
|
Corinth
|
Paul
to introduce himself and set forth principles of the gospel he preaches.
|
Righteousness
with God is given freely to all who believe in Christ for salvation according
to God’s eternal plan.
|
1 Corinthians
|
A.D 56
|
Ephesus
|
Pastoral
letter to resolve doctrinal and practical problems in the local church but
includes apostolic application.
|
Doctrinal
and practical problems are solved by the church submitting properly to the
Lordship of Christ and learning to love one another genuinely.
|
2 Corinthians
|
A.D 55-56
|
Macedonia
|
Paul
expresses relief at the success of his first letter and the mission of Titus,
ask for money for poor saints in Jerusalem, and defend his ministry as an
apostle.
|
True
Christian ministry is commissioned by Christ and empowered by the Holy
Spirit.
|
Galatians
|
A.D 55-56
|
Macedonia or Corinth
|
Defend
his authority as an apostle of Jesus, argue the doctrinal case of salvation
by faith alone, and to show that Christian living is based on freedom from
the law in the power of the Holy Spirit.
|
Sinners
are justified by trusting in Jesus Christ alone, not by keeping the law or by
good works.
|
Ephesians
|
A.D 60,61
|
Rome (Prison)
|
To
develop sound doctrine and to instruct believers about the importance of holy
conduct especially in Christian family relationships. The church is the focal
point of displaying God’s glory.
|
In
God’s great plan the church is now manifest in which Christ is united with
believers, whether Jew or Gentile and is displayed through Christian
relationships.
|
Philippians
|
A.D 61
|
Rome (Prison)
|
Thanks
for the financial gift to Epaphroditus as well as to give doctrinal teaching
about Christ and offer practical advice about living the Christian life
joyfully.
|
Knowing
Jesus is much more important than anything else as God has exalted Him with
the name above every other name.
|
Colossians
|
A.D 61
|
Rome (Prison)
|
To
combat the Colossian heresy by way of exalting Christ and encouraging
believers to give up anything that denied Jesus as Lord.
|
Jesus
Christ is supreme Lord of the universe and head of the church, the only One
who can offer salvation thus making legal obligations or philosophies
irrelevant in matters of salvation.
|
1 Thessalonians
|
A.D 50
|
Corinth
|
To
correct understanding of the coming of Christ and related events as well as
to encourage new converts in basic doctrine and holy living.
|
Despite
difficulties and suffering in this life, the coming of Christ is the true
hope of the Christian.
|
2 Thessalonians
|
A.D 50
|
Corinth
|
To
correct understanding of the coming of Christ and related events and also to
correct the problem that some people had stopped working in light of their
belief that the day of the Lord had come.
|
Whatever
difficulties believers face, they should stand firm and keep living useful
lives as Christ’s return may be in the distant future.
|
1 Timothy
|
A.D 64
|
Macedonia
|
To
encourage Timothy in his Christian growth, to offer advice on being a better
leader, and to give instruction about church organization.
|
Despite
the challenges Christian leaders face in life and ministry, they are to
progress in godliness and maintain order in congregational life.
|
2 Timothy
|
A.D 66/67
|
Rome (Prison)
|
Pauls
last will and testament to remind Timothy of what mattered most to him and
urged Timothy and Mark to come to him in haste to be with him in his last
days.
|
Christian
leaders must be unashamed of the gospel and carry on faithfully with the
message of Christ entrusted to them.
|
Titus
|
A.D 64
|
Enroute to Nicopolis of Greece
|
To
encourage Titus in his Christian growth, to offer instructions about church organization
especially with various age groups, and to invite Titus to Nicopolis.
|
Whatever
challenges they face in life, Christian leaders are to maintain order in the
congregation, but only according to sound doctrine.
|
Philemon
|
A.D 60-61
|
Rome (Prison)
|
To
urge Philemon for gentle treatment and forgiveness of a runaway slave and to
ask Philemon for hospitality when he visited.
|
Everyone
who has come to Christ should be welcomed as a brother, treated gently and
forgiven by other believers.
|
Thanks for visiting! The posts you see here are as a result of my studies toward my Bachelor of Theology degree. Although I will only post material that I believe to be true, I'm certain that as I study further my revelation on these topics will mature. It should also be every persons own responsibility to discover the truth for themselves as most of these topics require extensive study. Have fun discovering God and His ways!