Category: Bible Index

Titus was one of the circle of young men who were the many “witnesses “who the apostle Paul committed the things given to him to pass them on to to others. Together with Timothy, Titus traveled with Paul. Titus was a Gentile, while Timothy was half Jewish and half Gentile. The authorship of this epistle was written by Paul.

Titus 1

1:1-4 Greeting
1:5-9 Qualifications of elders or bishops
1:10-16 Warning against false teachers

Titus 2

2:1-10 Domestic regulations
2:11-15 The Christian life

Titus 3

3:1-2 Christian citizenship
3:3-8 The basis of the Christian ethic
3:9-11 The discipline of factious men
3:12-15 Personal plans and greetings

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy while he was imprisoned in a Roman dungeon cell at the Mamertine Prison, a place from which he knew he would never be set free. His only contact with the outside world was a hole, about 18 inches square, in the ceiling of his cell. Through that opening passed everything that came to and from the apostle, including his second letter to Timothy in A.D. 67. He was beheaded in Rome in May or June of A.D. 68.

In 2 Timothy we have the last known words to be written by Paul, and it was written with purpose and commitment to his dear Timothy. He exhorted Timothy in his ministry at Ephesus, warned him of the trouble both inside and outside the church, requested that he come to Rome to visit him in prison, and provided instruction to all of the churches in Timothy’s territory. His focus was encouraging his beloved Timothy to continue in the good works of the LORD God in faith and perseverance as his own last days on this earth were drawing near.

2 Timothy 1

1:1-2 Personal greeting
1:3-5 Thanksgiving for Timothy
1:6-18 Exhortation to endurance

2 Timothy 2

2:1-13 A good soldier of Jesus Christ
2:14-26 Advice on personal conduct and relationships

2 Timothy 3

3:1-9 The coming apostasy
3:10-13 The example of Paul
3:14-17 Steadfastness in the Scriptures

2 Timothy 4

4:1-5 The charge to preach
4:6-8 Paul’s last testament
4:9-18 Personal circumstances and conclusion
4:19-22 Final greetings

This is the first of Paul’s letters to Timothy, a young Pastor who was responsible for overseeing the work of the Ephesian church and possibly the other churches of the province of Asia. Paul cautions Timothy to guard against false doctrine, protect public worship and develop mature leadership. Much of the letter deals with pastoral conduct and lays the foundation for ordaining elders in the local church. Paul’s first epistle to Timothy is like a leadership manual for church organization and administration, with both spiritual and natural life issues forming the theme of proper conduct in the church of the living LORD GOD.

1 Timothy 1

1:1-2 Paul greets Timothy
1:3-7 Warning against false doctrine
1:8-11 The law and the Gospel
1:12-20 Paul’s thankfulness for mercy

1 Timothy 2

2:1-8 Paul exhorts to prayer
2:9-15 The place and the dress of women

1 Timothy 3

3:1-7 Qualifications of bishops
3:8-13 Qualifications of deacons
3:14-16 Paul’s hope to see Timothy

1 Timothy 4

4:1-5 Predictions of apostasy
4:6-16 A good minister of Jesus Christ

1 Timothy 5

5:1-16 Instructions concerning widows
5:17-25 Duty to elders

1 Timothy 6

6:1-10 Evil has the love of money in its roots
6:11-21 The good fight of faith

Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians is a follow-up to the first. While he was encouraged by their faith and steadfastness, he could see that many in the assembly were still very confused about the second coming of Christ. This misunderstanding had led many in the church to forsake their occupations, to lead undisciplined lives, and to breed unrest among the people by becoming busybodies and beggars, living off those who still maintained gainful employment. Still others had become discouraged, thinking the day of the Lord had already begun and that they had somehow missed it. They had expected Christ to destroy their enemies, yet they were still suffering persecution. Paul explains that while the time of the Lord’s coming cannot be predicted, it will be a spectacular event that no one could miss. Paul encouraged them to take heart in the fact that from very beginning, the LORD God’s purpose was to include them in the glorious events of Christ’s coming, and he instructed those who wanted to eat, to get to work.

2 Thessalonians 1

1:1-2 Salutation
1:3-12 Encouragement in persecution

2 Thessalonians 2

2:1-17 The great apostasy

2 Thessalonians 3

3:1-18 Pray for us

Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, founded the church at Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. The Apostle had been drawn to this important Roman port after seeing a vision in which a Macedonian man was calling for help (Acts 16:9). While Paul was in Corinth, Silas and Timothy brought good and bad news about the Macedonian church. Though the church continued to be established, the Thessalonians were also reportedly having difficulties. Gentiles, and especially Jews, were impugning Paul’s sincerity, defaming him as a wandering charlatan who had deceived them. The church was also confused about the second coming of Christ. Some members worried about believers who had died before His return. Others considered it unnecessary to continue working, since Christ would return at any time. Still others were sinking back into the immorality of the culture. There was also a crisis in the leadership; many of the rank-and-file apparently were being offended by certain tactless elders. These and other minor difficulties occasioned Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, which was written from Athens.

1 Thessalonians 1

1:1-10 Greetings and commendation

1 Thessalonians 2

2:1-16 Paul’s method and Paul’s gospel
2:17-20 Paul’s absence and concern

1 Thessalonians 3

3:1-10 Timothy sent to strengthen the church
3:11-13 Prayer for the church

1 Thessalonians 4

4:1-12 Paul’s appeal for purity
4:13-18 The coming of the Lord and the Rapture

1 Thessalonians 5

5:1-11 The coming of the Lord and the Rapture (continued)
5:12-24 Paul exhorts the brethren
5:25-28 Final greetings and benediction

The Colossian Christians had been led to Christ by Epaphras. The majority were Gentiles who were progressing in their new faith. Paul rejoiced over their good spiritual condition, but the Colossian church was being exposed to a local heresy that threatened to deprive them of their spiritual blessings. Epaphras either visited Paul in Rome, or was imprisoned there with him. He informed Paul of the dangerous theological error circulating in the churches of Colossae and Laodicea. In response to Epaphras’ plea for help, Paul writes this epistle to the Colossians, which is also to be read at the church at Laodicea, in an attempt to check the heresy’s influence, to demonstrate the pre-eminence of Christ, and to confirm the addresses in the Christian faith.

Colossians 1

1:1-2 Salutation
1:3-13 Prayer for spiritual wisdom
1:14-19 The pre-eminent Christ
1:20-22 Reconciliation in Christ
1:23-29 Paul’s service in Christ

Colossians 2

2:1-3 Paul’s service in Christ (continued)
2:4-23 Warning against false teaching

Colossians 3

3:1-11 The new life in Christ
3:12-17 The Christian virtues
3:18-25 Advice for domestic life of the Colossians

Colossians 4

4:1 Advice for domestic life of the Colossians (continued)
4:2-6 Personal greetings to the Colossians
4:7-18 Closing exhortation to the Colossians

Paul planted the church in Philippi about A.D. 50, on his second missionary journey. Their love for Paul was reciprocated often in full measure, and they were considered by him to be his beloved brethren. The Philippian assembly was in good spiritual health, and their only flaw is a lack of complete harmony among some of their members. Hence, Paul often summons them to unite and cautions them of the potential danger of their enemies.

Paul wrote this epistle to offer sincere thanks to his beloved converts for their gifts and support to him when he was in prison in Rome, and to relieve some of their anxiety when Epaphroditus (one of their own congregation) fell deathly ill as he was ministering to Paul. The resulting distress among the congregation at word of Epaphroditus’ illness, created an added burden for Paul. As a result, Paul writes this epistle thanking them for their gifts, and sends Epaphroditus home prematurely in order that all three parties may be relieved of unnecessary anxiety for each other. Epaphroditus arrived back in Philippi with Paul’s letter of thanks in hand, and the congregation at Philippi had both their beloved brother and a letter from Paul, encouraging them to be joyful in their spirits.

Philippians 1

1:1-2 Salutation
1:3-11 Thanksgiving and prayer
1:12-26 To me to live is Christ
1:27-30 Exhortation to steadfastness

Philippians 2

2:1-11 Christ’s
humiliation and exaltation
2:12-18 Shining as lights in the world
2:19-30 Timothy and Epaphroditus

Philippians 3

3:1-21 Pressing toward the mark

Philippians 4

4:1-7 Rejoice in the Lord
4:8-9 Think on these things
4:10-20 Appreciation for the gift
4:21-23 Greetings and benediction

Epaphras, a leader in the Colossian church, visited Paul while a prisoner at Rome to seek his apostolic help in dealing with the Colossian heresy. In response, Paul wrote the Colossians in opposition to their doctrinal error. Part of the defense of his position pictured Christ as head of the universe and of the church. After completing Colossians, Paul, with this idea of Christ’s headship still fresh in mind, wrote Ephesians to spell out the logical outcome of this doctrine: if Christ is the church’s Head, then Christians are members of His body; that is, believers enjoy an intimate relationship with Him, and thus have a unique relation with one another. Paul seeks to present the church as members of Jesus’ body, possessing the closest possible relationship with Him and each other. Paul also stresses that both the Jewish and Gentile Christians share the same intimacy in God’s family, and stand before Him on the same common ground of grace. These two doctrines join to make the theme of Ephesians that Jewish and Gentile believers are “one new man”.

Ephesians 1

1:1-2 Greeting
1:3-14 Spiritual blessings in Christ
1:15-23 Prayer for knowledge and understanding

Ephesians 2

2:1-10 Grace and faith
2:11-22 The unity of all believers

Ephesians 3

3:1-13 Paul’s mission to the Gentiles
3:14-21 Prayer for inner growth

Ephesians 4

4:1-13 The unity of the Spirit
4:14-32 The new life in Christ

Ephesians 5

5:1-21 The ways of the believer
5:22-33 Marriage is symbolic of the church

Ephesians 6

6:1-9 Advice to children and servants
6:10-20 The whole armor of God
6:21-24 Final greetings

Paul had led the Galatians to Christ. They had made a good start in the Christian life and were doing well spiritually. Later, some Jewish teachers (called Judaizers) taught the Galatians that to be saved one must not only believe in Christ, but must also obey the Mosaic Law, the sign of which is circumcision. In preaching this heresy, they also attacked Paul’s apostleship and gospel. Their false teachings begin to hinder the Galatian’s obedience to the LORD GOD, and they were starting to observe some parts of the law, as well as considering a complete acceptance of the law.

Paul writes his epistle to expose the error of the Judaizers’ gospel and their impure motives. His ultimate goal is to prevent the readers from embracing a false gospel and to encourage them to retain their spiritual freedom in Christ. Paul’s focus is the justification by God’s grace through faith, the true message of salvation received directly from Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1

1:1-5 Greeting
1:6-10 There is no other gospel
1:11-24 Paul’s ministry of the true gospel

Galatians 2

2:1-10 Paul’s ministry of the true gospel (continued)
2:11-14 Paul rebukes Peter at Antioch
2:15-21 Justification is not of the law

Galatians 3

3:1-5 Freedom from the law
3:6-18 God’s covenant with Abraham
3:19-29 Purpose of the law

Galatians 4

4:1-7 Purpose of the law (continued)
4:8-20 Faith and the law
4:21-31 The allegory of Hagar and Sarah

Galatians 5

5:1-15 Living by faith
5:16-26 Walking in the Spirit

Galatians 6

6:1-10 Applications of new principles
6:11-18 Paul glories in the cross

Paul’s second letter to the Corinth’s is actually the fourth letter that he wrote to them, and is known for it’s intensely personal and autobiographical nature. He wrote this epistle to the assembly that was established on his first visit to the city. Problems with worldliness, internal wranglings and doctrinal defections continued to fester in spite of his efforts in the first epistle. Opposition to Paul’s ministry leveled charges of fickleness, authoritarianism, ministering without proper credentials, cowardice, failure to maintain proper clerical dignity, presumption and fleshliness against him. Paul focused on his accusers corruption of the Word, their deceptiveness, their own ministry, and their lack of spiritual courage to step out and start a ministry. In the light of these problems, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to justify and establish his authority as an apostle, and to bring about their full reconciliation with himself.

2 Corinthians 1

1:1-2 Salutation
1:3-11 Paul’s affliction
1:12-24 Postponement of his visit

2 Corinthians 2

2:1-4 Postponement of his visit (continued)
2:5-13 Forgiveness for the offender
2:14-17 Triumphant in Christ

2 Corinthians 3

3:1-18 Ministers in the New Testament

2 Corinthians 4

4:1-6 God’s power in the ministry
4:7-18 Living by faith

2 Corinthians 5

5:1-21 Ministers of reconciliation

2 Corinthians 6

6:1-10 Paul’s summary of the ministry
6:11-18 Paul pleads for separation from unbelievers

2 Corinthians 7

7:1-16 Paul’s joy at the Corinthians’ repentance

2 Corinthians 8

8:1-24 The collection for the other Christians

2 Corinthians 9

9:1-15 God loves a cheerful giver

2 Corinthians 10

10:1-18 Paul speaks of his spiritual authority

2 Corinthians 11

11:1-15 Paul warns of false leaders
11:16-33 Paul’s suffering as an apostle

2 Corinthians 12

12:1-10 Paul’s thorn in the flesh
12:11-13 Paul demonstrates his apostleship
12:14-18 Paul plans a third visit
12:19-21 Paul seeks repentance from the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 13

13:1-10 Paul speaks of his coming and warns of sin
13:11-14 Conclusion and benediction