SYNOPSIS

Did you know that many of the books of the New Testament are actually letters? The most famous of these letters are
the “Pauline epistles”—letters written by the missionary and apostle Paul to the scattered, newborn communities of
Christ-followers that were sprouting up throughout the ancient Roman world in the years following Jesus’ death and
resurrection.
These “letters to the church” are absolutely central to both Christian history and to our understanding of the Christian
faith today. They were written to explain the basics of Christian belief and life to new believers who were eager, but
young in the faith and surrounded by temptations and threats from a hostile cultural environment. Each letter is written
to a specific Christian community to address the unique issues facing that congregation—but from those words of
encouragement, rebuke, teaching, and correction, we learn much about what it means to follow Jesus in any time or
place.
This short guide to Paul’s epistles will help you experience these remarkable letters for yourself. Reading Paul’s letters
to the church is a particularly rewarding devotional experience. For one thing, they’re very accessible to modern readers;
we’re all familiar with the format of a written letter. They’re also short; most of Paul’s letters can be read in a single
sitting—some of them in just a few minutes! And while these letters were written nearly two thousand years ago, you’ll
be surprised at how relevant they are to the struggles and triumphs that Christians experience today in their churches,
families, and personal lives.
This book presents a short introduction to each of Paul’s epistles to give you some cultural and historical background
that will help you appreciate the letter. We recommend that you read through the introduction first and then take time to
read through the letter itself in the Bible. (You can find these letters in any print Bible, or follow the links in this book to
read them online at Bible Gateway.) Once you’ve read the letter, return to the overview in this book. Each overview
highlights key verses from the letter (very suitable for memorizing!) and asks you to consider a few reflection questions.
Don’t rush your way through the letters—read them one at a time and take as long as you need to think through each
one. We’ve found that a pace of one epistle every day is manageable, although you may want to allow yourself a few
extras days for the longer ones.
We hope you find this guide to Paul’s letters both instructive and encouraging. Christians believe that the Bible is a holy
work written by God to humans. Never is this more obviously true than in these literal letters to the church. May God
bless you as you explore this fascinating part of the Bible!
—The Bible Gateway Team

REVIEW

This ebook is a great resource.

For each of Paul’s letters there is the following:

• A link to read the letter as well as links to other source material
• When was it written?
• Why was it written?
• What does it say?
• Noteworthy passages
• What can we learn from _____?

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