SESSION 3 – PAUL’S LETTERS II

2 Corinthians: Paul’s Apostolic Defense

1. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians from (1) sometime in AD 55 or

56. It is the most personal of all his letters.

EXPLANATION
“No letter of Paul’s is more personal and intimate in nature than 2
Corinthians. In it he bared his soul and professed his abiding love for the
Corinthians despite the apparent fickleness of their affection for him.” 1

2. Most of the Corinthians responded well to Paul’s (2)

letter, but a faction in the church still opposed his authority. Paul was
forced to defend his apostolic calling and credentials to these “false
apostles” (11:23-28).

EXPLANATION
Paul’s apostolic credentials are not what might be expected. (2 Corinthians
11:23-28)

3. Paul wrote this letter to urge the church to personal

(3) (7:1).

EXPLANATION
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every
defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of
God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Paul also wrote this letter to encourage the church to share in the offering
for the Jerusalem saints. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech,
in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel
in this act of grace also. (2 Corinthians 8:7)

Romans: Paul’s Magnum Opus

EXPLANATION
Romans is Paul’s magnum opus—his great work. Lawrence Richards calls it,
“the theological cornerstone of the New Testament, the greatest of Paul’s
epistles.” 3 F.F. Bruce said about it, “Time and time again in the course of

1
D. K. Lowery, The Bible Knowledge Commentary
33
Lawrence O. Richards, The Bible Reader’s Companion
Christian history it has liberated the minds of men, brought them back to an
understanding of the essential Gospel of Christ, and started spiritual
revolutions.” 4 Frederick Godet said, “The probability is that every great
spiritual revival in the Church will be connected as cause and effect with a
deeper understanding of this book.” 5 John MacKay: “It may be because
Romans is the greatest treatise on God that has ever been written that the
letter has figured prominently in every significant evangelical renaissance in
history.” 6 Martin Luther called Romans “The chief part of the New Testament
and the perfect Gospel. If a tyrant should destroy the Scriptures and only a
single copy of Romans escape him, Christianity would be saved.”

1. Paul wrote Romans in late AD 56 or early AD 57 during a

(4) visit to Corinth (Acts 20:2,3). Paul did not start the church in Rome,
and he had never been there when he wrote this letter. But Rome was
the center of the world, and the church there could have a significant
influence on world events.

2. Paul wrote this letter to provide a (5) and

thorough presentation of the gospel.

EXPLANATION
Romans is unique among Paul’s letters because it was not occasioned by a
church problem. It is instead a systematic and logical presentation of the
gospel.

“Of all the letters of Paul, Romans comes nearest to a theological treatise.” 7

The gospel message is presented in a logical progression: Man is a sinner;

Christ paid the price for man’s sin; Christ’s gift is received by faith alone.

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for
faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
ROMANS 1:16,17

EXPLANATION
This theme is developed in chapters 1–8.

44
F.F. Bruce, Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol 5, p. 161
55
Frederick Godet, Commentary on Romans, p. 1
66
John MacKay, The Theme of Romans, p. 263
77
Dale Moody, Broadman Bible Commentary, vol 10, p. 157
 Ephesians: The Queen of the Epistles

1. Paul wrote Ephesians during his first imprisonment at

(6), between AD 60-62. It was probably written as a circular letter to
the capital city of Ephesus, and then distributed to the churches of
Asia Minor.

EXPLANATION
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are called the “prison
Epistles” because they were written while Paul was under Roman house
arrest.

2. There are several great themes in this letter.

• The exalted Christ and his work of (7)

EXPLANATION
That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in
Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in
the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the
one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to
be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him
who fills everything in every way. (1:19-23)

In him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our

trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. (1:7)

• The glorious (8) (2:19-22)

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So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens
with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the
cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows
into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built
together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (2:19-22)

• God’s eternal (9) (1:4,9,10)

4
. . . even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and blameless before him. 9. . . making known to us the
mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in
Christ . . . 10. . . as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him,
things in heaven and things on earth. (1:4; 9,10)
 • The believer’s (10) in Christ (1:3)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us
in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places . . . (1:3)

Colossians: The Preeminent Christ

1. Paul wrote Colossians during his first imprisonment in Rome
between AD 60-62. He had never visited Colossae at the time of his
letter (2:1).

EXPLANATION
Colossae was part of a tri-city area that included Hierapolis and Laodicea. It
was about 100 miles from Ephesus. It was located on the main road from
Ephesus to the Euphrates, and was once rich in prosperity and influence.
However, by the time of Paul’s letter, it was declining in both.

2. The (11) in Colossae was a blend of Christianity,

Jewish ritualism, Greek philosophy, and pagan mysticism. These
false teachers believed that salvation came through secret
knowledge known only to the initiated.

EXPLANATION
Many mystery cults were growing in popularity during the first century. A
mystery cult is a religion whose beliefs, practices, and true nature are
revealed only to those who have been initiated into its secrets.

3. Paul responded by declaring that the (12) was

Christ, and that salvation was open and available to all who believe
(1:26, 27).

EXPLANATION
26
. . . the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his
saints. 27To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles
are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory. (1:26,27)

4. The letter’s primary theme is the (13) and all-

sufficiency of Christ.

17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And
he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
 COLOSSIANS 1:17,18

EXPLANATION
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame,
by triumphing over them in him. (2:15)

APPLICATION
1. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians 11:23-28 is a list of Paul’s
“apostolic credentials.” Why are these credentials startling? What
would the tendency of most people be when forced to give a list of
their credentials?

2. Read Colossians 2:4-8. How does Paul’s warning apply to us today?