To Know Jesus is to Know the God of Love 

The epistles of John reflect the language and style of the gospel of John. Writing in old age and serving as an overseer of house churches in Ephesus, John address a specific crisis. Apparently, some members have left the church and denied Jesus as Messiah (1 Jn 2:18-23; 4:1-3). They even stirred hostility among those who remained in the church. Thus, the letters provide a window to the challenges that John faced in those churches. 

1 John serves as a prescription to the crisis, while 2 and 3 John focus on the particulars. Nonetheless, these letters were written to assure believers, who remained with the church that God is still with them. John does so by focusing on repeated themes about life, truth, and love in knowing Jesus Christ. 

Hope in the midst of suffering

Peter’s two letters offer different emphases, though both focus on the blessings that the death of Christ brings to a sinful world.

At the heart of Peter’s first letter is the message of Jesus as the suffering servant passage in Isa 52:13-53:12. Jesus was willing to suffer to accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation, and his costly obedience to God’s will is the example Christians are to follow whenever we encounter trials and sufferings in life. Thus, we have a new identity in Christ. Our lives are no longer defined by our circumstances. We are called to live by the values of the heavenly Father. Peter wants his readers to live as winsome witnesses to God’s redemptive work in all facets of life.

The purpose of Peter’s second letter is a powerful reminder that God does not intend to destroy the universe, but to expose and remove evil in order to recreate a new heaven and a new earth.

The letter of James is intensly practical and focus on getting Christian to consistenly live out the faith they proclaim. Writing as a pastor, the letter of James is a series of brief sermons or homilies, that James packages into one letter.

The Superiority of Jesus

The letter to the Hebrews is an impassionate plea that the readers, who were predominately Jewish converts, must not turn away from Christ and return to their former ways (i.e. Judaism or paganism). The author does so by arguing for the superiority of Jesus Christ, as God’s exalted Son, final revelation, eternal priest, and perfect sacrifice. 

In spite of intense persecution, these followers of Jesus should follow the great models of faith in the past and remain faithful to Jesus. Thus, one of the most important contributions of Hebrews is its balance of continuity and advance in relating the OT and NT to each other.

The Gospel Breaks Down Social Walls

The reader enters Paul’s letter to Philemon without being provided with the backstory. The traditional interpretation of the letter views it as Paul’s request for Philemon to welcome back Philemon’s slave Onesimus. Another interpretation suggests that Onesimus was not a fugitive but had committed some misdeed and sought out Paul to intercede for him with his master. One thing is clear: meeting Paul in prison resulted in Onesimus becoming a Christian. What is the meaning of the letter for us today? The inclusion of this incident in the New Testament canon reveals how the Christian faith breaks down what seems to be insurmountable social walls.

Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are known as the “Pastoral Epistles” (PE). However, they are more than a simple manual of church practice. They are Paul’s attempts to address specific situations in the ministry contexts of Timothy and Titus. At the heart of these letters is Paul’s concern for “sound” doctrine (1 Tim 1:10; 6:3; 2 Tim 1:13; Titus 1:9). Paul uses the term “sound’ to refer to teaching rooted in the gospel that produces healthy or wholesome living. Thus, the unique contribution of the PE is applying theology to address issues related to church organization, leadership, relationships, and families within the household of God. Paul’s message is 
that every situation or issue must be addressed theologically.