1. What is the principle that we need to apply?
   1. What is a principle? A principle is a succinct statement of a universal truth
   2. Principles that govern principles
      1. Principles should correlate with the general teaching of Scripture
      2. Principles should speak to the needs, interests, questions, and problems of real life today.
      3. Principles should indicate a course of action
      4. Principles should be supported by other godly people

1. New Testament – Letters
   1. Which books are letters?
      1. Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon – written by Paul.
      2. Hebrews – ?
      3. James
      4. 1 & 2 Peter
      5. 1, 2, & 3 John
      6. Jude

1. Characteristics of NT Letters
   1. Comparable to ancient letters
      1. Approximately 1,400 private letters from Greco-Roman antiquity.
      2. Average length – 87 words
      3. Cicero – average 295, ranging from 22 – 2,530
      4. Seneca – average 995, ranging from 149 – 4,134
      5. Paul – average 2,495, ranging from 335 (Philemon) to 7,114 (Romans)
      6. Typical consisted of informal (personal, business, etc.) to formal for public presentation. The NT letters fall somewhere in the middle.
   2. Authoritative substitutes for personal presence (Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1)

• Situational
  1. Meet the practical needs
  2. To clarify an issue
  3. To address a doctrinal concern
  4. Confront behavior

1. Carefully written and delivered
   1. Trained scribe or secretary (Romans 16:22)
   2. Signed by apostle (1 Cor. 16:21; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17; Gal. 6:11)
   3. Delivered by those traveling to an area (Eph. 6:21-22; Col. 4:7-9)
2. Intended for the Christian Community
   1. Meant to be aloud and distributed (Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27; 2 Thess. 2:15)
3. The Form of NT letters
   1. Introduction
      1. Name of the writer
      2. Name of the recipients
      3. A greeting
      4. An introductory prayer
      5. 1:1-2; Phil. 1:1; James 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:4-9
   2. Body

• Conclusion
  1. Travel plans (Titus 3:12; Philemon 22)
  2. Commendation of coworkers (Romans 16:1-2)
  3. Prayer (2 Thess. 3:16; Heb. 13:20-21)
  4. Prayer requests (1 Thess. 5:25; Heb. 13:18-19)
  5. Greetings (Rom. 16:3-16, 21-23; Heb. 13:24; 2 John 13)
  6. Final instructions and exhortations (Col. 4:16-17; 1 Tim. 6:20-21a)
  7. Holy kiss (1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14)
  8. Autograph (Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17)
  9. Benediction (1 Cor. 16:23-24; Eph. 6:23-24)
  10. Doxology (2 Peter 3:18; Jude 24-25)

1. How to interpret NT Letters
   1. Read whole letter
   2. What did the text mean to the biblical audience?

• Recreate the situation

1. What are the differences between them and us?
2. Application

• The apostles self-consciously understood themselves to be the recipients of and the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises in light of what Christ had done. Therefore the primary “context” of New Testament epistles is not Greco-Roman, but the Old Testament.
• Application of epistles is typically straightforward, but some cultural and redemptive-historical discontinuity remains. We need to be sensitive to those questions.
• Example: Ephesians 2:11-22. A typical application of this passage in many evangelical churches is racial reconciliation. But if we are paying attention to both the letter itself and the large biblical context, we will realize that, first and foremost, Paul is talking about the removal of the division between Jew and Gentile. That division was not merely ethnic, but theological, for it defined the boundaries of God’s people. The removal of that division in Christ meant that the nations were now welcome, and not to be excluded from God’s salvation. Only secondarily is this passage about reconciliation across other divides.
  1. Hebrews 12:1-2