THE LETTERS OF PAUL (Part 2)

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1. Christ and His Church (Colossians 1:15-20; Ephesians 2:19-23; 4:11-16)

2. About Christ’s Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

3. Pastoral Care and Instruction (1 Timothy 6:3-12; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2:1-7; Titus 3:1-8)

Central Truth: Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church.

Focus: Analyze and apply God’s instruction through Paul to the Church.

Evangelism Emphasis: Sinners must submit to Jesus Christ to be saved.

Text: “He [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).

INTRODUCTION

In today’s lesson, we continue exploring Paul’s letters to the churches, which constitute a significant portion of the New Testament. Most often, Paul sent these letters to individual churches to address certain conflicts, correct erroneous doctrines, and give instruction in righteousness. In his second letter to Timothy, he wrote, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (3:16-17 ESV).

When Saul of Tarsus cried out to Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus as to what He would have him do, he could not have known the far-reaching effects of such a cry of surrender. Saul was an antagonist to the gospel of Christ, a Jewish zealot, and a notorious persecutor of the fledgling New Testament church. But he became Paul, a protagonist of the Gospel, a Christian evangelist, a teacher, and leading figure in the newly established Church. The ministry opportunities God placed before him and the fiery trials that accompanied the call shaped him into perhaps the most influential leader in church history, second only to Christ himself. As church leaders circulated Paul’s letters among the churches after his death, his writings were accepted as inspired and acceptable to the Canon of Scripture.

Today’s lesson focuses on excerpts from Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus. Colossians and Ephesians, similar in content, deal much with the individual believer’s relationship to Christ as the Head of the Church, while the main theme in the letters to the Thessalonians is the Second Coming. The letters to Timothy and Titus are intended to instruct, strengthen, and encourage two young pastors in the work to which God had called them.

1. CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

A. The Fullness of Christ (Colossians 1:15-20)

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

It is not easy to define the heretical movement that arose in Colossae, for like most philosophic thought, it was filled with esoteric teaching and complicated inconsistencies. Ultimately, this heresy challenged the supremacy of Christ by elevating angels as intermediaries between God and man. There also developed a dualism which (1) embraced the idea of subduing the flesh through rigorous self-denial and (2) viewed the body as completely contemptible. The first view, known as Stoicism , led to unwarranted sacrifice; the second, branded Epicureanism , encouraged licentious living. C. I. Scofield noted, “Pure Christianity lives between two dangers ever present: the danger that it will evaporate into a philosophy . . . and the danger that it will freeze into a form.”

The rapid rise of what has been called Gnosticism —the teaching that ultimately denied Christ’s preeminence—placed urgency on Paul to turn the minds and hearts of the Colossian Christians to the person and work of Jesus Christ. He called Jesus the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature,” meaning He is the visible manifestation of Deity and the heir of all things (v. 15). Being the Creator of all things, He necessarily existed before any creature or substance came into being. Not only did He create all things, He created all things for Himself (v. 16).

Paul identified Christ as the Head of the Church, because He founded it. He is Lord and Master, and from Him all authority and all blessings flow. The Father was pleased that “all the fulness of the Godhead” should dwell bodily in Jesus Christ (v. 19; 2:9).

Christ’s preeminence rested on the fact that He was full of God because He is God. This fullness means we find in Jesus the totality of divine attributes and strength. In Him there is fullness of power, wisdom, and love. In His fullness, we find justification, enrichment, comfort, liberty, joy, and completeness. We are complete in Him through His “having made peace through the blood of his cross” (v. 20) and through His being the Head of the Church.

Why does Jesus Christ “have the preeminence” (v. 18)?

B. The Building of God (Ephesians 2:19-22)

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.

In this passage, Paul expresses the relationship in which believing Jews and Gentiles find themselves united in Christ in three figures of speech: citizens of a commonwealth, members of a household, and stones of a temple. In these three metaphors, three fundamental human relationships are suggested: to the state as a subject, to the family as a child, and to God as a worshiper.

Sojourners (“strangers and pilgrims,” v. 19) were residents with restricted rights. When Paul related that concept to the Ephesians’ former spiritual life, the meaning was clear. They knew what it was to be on the outside, but in Christ they had full rights in God’s kingdom. They were now “members of God’s family” (v. 19 NLT).

Paul begins verse 20 with a foundation provided by the ministry of both the apostles and the prophets. Though the apostles were separate from the prophets by hundreds of years, they shared the commonality of proclaiming the word of the Lord. This reminds us of the importance of Biblical preaching and teaching. Without it, we are like those who attempt to build their lives and governing principles on sand. The shift and mobility of the elements guarantee eventual disaster.

The vitality of the words of the prophets is seen as we consider the words of the apostles. They did not overlook the prophetic words of the prophets as they preached Jesus Christ, who is the cornerstone of the Church.

Paul’s choice of the word temple (v. 21) is significant. There were two words for temple . One applied to the structure in a general sense and might be used of the whole area, including the outer courts. The other word, the one he used, was restricted to the Temple proper; and that included the Most Holy Place, where the Shekinah glory had been.

Verses 21 and 22 comprise a statement which has far-reaching and mysterious implications. He compared the church to a temple in which God is taking up His abode. God dwelt in Solomon’s temple in a manifest way. But the manifestation was a means to an end. The Temple was the point of contact, the way of approach between God and man. Is not the Church to be, through all the ages, the vehicle of the manifestation of the grace of God to the entire universe?

Why is Jesus called “the chief corner stone” (v. 20)?

C. The Function of the Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

There are differing opinions concerning the term apostles as used here. Some churches believe it refers only to the Twelve (along with perhaps certain others who had seen the resurrected Christ). As for the word prophets , some churches teach the office is past—that prophecy is complete. Conversely, other Bible interpreters insist the two offices remain in effect today. However, more important than our particular understanding of apostles and prophets is the teaching that God has gifted every believer for the benefit of the body of Christ: “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased” (1 Cor. 12:18 NKJV).

Therefore, whether someone is endowed with the gift of apostolic ministry, or graced with a calling to speak prophetic words, or called to be an itinerant preacher, or a pastor-teacher (Eph. 4:11), the object is the same—“for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (v. 12 NASB). Paul lists similar gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28, and adds miracles, gifts of healing, helps, leadership, and diversities of tongues.

All the various spiritual gifts operating within and through the Church are employed under the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to gather the harvest, lead believers to a deeper understanding of Biblical truth, develop spiritual maturity, and to enlighten the body of Christ. The immediate goal is to bring stability in doctrine (Eph. 3:14), enablement to speak “the truth in love” (v. 15), and harmony within the body, with every part making its necessary contribution (v. 16). The ultimate goal—only reached through the return of Christ and the resurrection of the body—is the complete sanctification of the believer, which Paul refers to as the “perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (v. 13).

Describe spiritual gifts that are operating in your local church.

An Organism, Not an Organization

The Church is an organism, not an organization. There is a vital relationship between Christ and the Church, both partaking of the same life, just as there is between the physical head and the body. We cannot join the Church as we would a lodge or any mere human organization. We must be partakers by faith of Christ’s life before we can become members of Christ’s Church, in the true sense. As the Head of the Church, Christ is its guardian and director; the source of its life; filling it with His fullness; the center of its unity and cause of its growth.—William Evans

2. ABOUT CHRIST’S COMING

A. Sorrowing With Hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

The oldest manuscripts have “we would not,” no doubt referring to Paul’s fellow laborers, Silas and Timothy. The leading topic of the apostle’s preaching at Thessalonica had been the coming Kingdom, but some had perverted it into a cause for fear in respect to friends and family members who had already died, thinking that these would not share in the glory of those still living at Christ’s coming. This error he seeks to correct.

Paul did not suggest believers refrain from sorrowing over the death of loved ones who have died in the Lord. Grief for the loss of someone dear to us is normal and acceptable. Yet, we must understand that our weeping is for our loss and not for the ones who have gone to be with the Lord. When asked about how he was dealing with the death of his wife, one pastor responded, “I am sad and glad—sad for my loss but glad for my wife’s gain.”

Although we sorrow, our sorrow must not be excessive like those who have no hope of a better life—the hope here meaning the hope of the resurrection. We who are in Christ are strengthened and encouraged daily by this blessed anticipation.

Matthew Henry said: “Death is an unknown thing, and we know little about the state after death; yet, the doctrines of the resurrection and the second coming of Christ are a remedy against the fear of death, and undue sorrow for the death of our Christian friends; and of these doctrines we have full assurance.”

B. Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Our hope in Christ for the future rests on our faith in Christ for the past. That is, we hope in the resurrection that is to come because we believe Jesus died and rose again two thousand years ago.

Those who “sleep in Jesus” (v. 14) refers to spirits that have departed at death to be with the Lord. Paul observed in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that to be “absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord.” When Christ returns, these departed spirits will return with Him to be rejoined to resurrected bodies. Furthermore, when that time comes, the ones still living on earth will not in any way interfere with the raising of the dead.

After Paul had given the reasons—our faith and our hope—for not sorrowing over the ones who had died in Christ (1 Thess. 4:13-15), he proceeded to give the order of the Second Advent. “For the Lord himself [not a patriarch, not a prophet, not an angel, but Jesus our Savior] shall descend” (v. 16). Two angels stood near as the disciples of Christ watched Him ascend into heaven and declared, “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:10-11 NKJV). Jesus will not send another in His place; He will Himself return for us.

Christ will descend with a personal shout, the voice of the archangel will resonate, and the trumpet of God will ring out. There is no reason to doubt that these accompaniments to His return will be literal. The Israelites heard the sound of a loud trumpet coming from Mount Sinai and trembled (Ex. 19:16, 19). Likewise, these audible manifestations will announce His appearance “unto them that look for him” (Heb. 9:28).

What will follow these sounds of His coming will be unlike anything that has ever happened before. Those asleep in Christ will rise from their graves to join the living saints, and together will ascend to heaven (1 Thess. 4:17). Because of the magnitude of this momentous event, we have no logical point of reference. Any attempt to mentally and emotionally grasp this miraculous catching away of the saints will be met by the limitations of our human nature, for “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” ( 1 Cor. 2:9 NKJV). Alhough the Spirit has revealed to us the truth of what God has prepared for us, we still are unable to imagine the beauty of heaven and eternal life.

Finally, Paul wrote that we should “comfort one another” with the words he had just written (1 Thess. 4:18). We are to cast away our sorrow, because the dead in Christ are not lost or forgotten. Rather, they are more alive than ever before and will share in the grand occasion of our Lord’s coming with those who remain. What comfort it is to reflect on Paul’s words and to rehearse them frequently!

How does this passage bring you comfort?

C. Manifestation of Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Paul warned the Thessalonian believers not to be agitated in mind or troubled in spirit, thinking the day of the Lord had come or was present. Their misunderstanding of the Lord’s coming had given rise in them to a measure of panic.

Paul sought to correct this error by noting the day of the Lord would be preceded by a “falling away” from the faith and by the revelation of “that man of sin,” who would oppose God and try to supplant Jesus Christ as the true Lord (v. 3). Yet, with all the fierceness of Satan’s wrath, and with the unrestrained deceptive tactics employed by him, God will ultimately consume Antichrist and his influence.

Still, the spirit of the age that manifests itself today throughout our culture will, at some point, give rise to the revealing of “the son of perdition.” In the process, many will be deceived who refuse to receive “the love of the truth” (v. 10). To these who reject truth, God will send judicial blindness that will cause them to accept as truth the words of Antichrist. People will call “evil good, and good evil,” and “put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isa. 5:20).

Scriptural error contributes to the darkening of the human soul so it ultimately takes pleasure in concepts and behaviors that God hates. Interestingly, people who reject the Bible are often quick to accept anything other than the Bible. That is why such people frequently find Christ-denying religions palatable. Because they reject the truth of Jesus and find “pleasure in unrighteousness,” God blinds their minds so they will believe a lie and “be damned” (2 Thess. 2:11-12).

The Rapture Is a Transformation

In that moment, God will give you a brand-new resurrection body. Perhaps you struggle now with the effects of old age, disease, or some other physical difficulty or problem. All of that will be gone in an instant. Age melts away. Disability disappears. Sorrows are replaced by pure joy.—Greg Laurie, Signs of the Times

3. PASTORAL CARE AND INSTRUCTION

A. Health and Wealth of True Religion (1 Timothy 6:3-12)

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Paul continually faced the challenge of warning the church of false teachers who threatened pure doctrine and unity among believers. There were such teachers in Ephesus whose tendency was to sow seeds of discontent in the minds of slaves, thereby creating a climate of conflict and displeasure. Without discussing the political, socioeconomic, and moral ramifications of slavery, the apostle did address the relationship between slaves and slave owners in the context of Christian behavior. Regardless of the institution itself, Paul insisted on actions that would reflect the graciousness of Jesus Christ himself, declaring that anyone who taught otherwise would do so because of pride, a spirit of divisiveness, and because of being destitute of the truth (vv. 4-5).

However, not all false teachers set themselves up as enemies of truth. Some well-meaning believers grow careless in their spiritual walk and become captivated with novelty and cultural fads, like the Athenians, who “spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas” (Acts 17:21 NIV). This we must guard against because it leads to controversies, misgivings, and disagreements rather than to peace and harmony.

Instead of such disputing, believers must seek contentment, not in money or material wealth, but in godliness of character through Jesus Christ, for “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). The excessive pursuing of tangible treasures come, paradoxically, at a high cost, for Paul wrote that these professing Christians erred from the faith and had their hearts pierced through with “many sorrows” (v. 10). The health and wealth of pure religion rest only in the forgiveness of sins, obedience to our Master, and the laying up of treasures in heaven.

In verse 11, Paul exhorted Timothy to run away from worldly things and pursue true riches instead. The list of six Christian virtues logically group themselves into pairs: righteousness and godliness, faith and love, patience and meekness.

Righteousness and godliness refer to God’s law in relation to Christian duties toward God and people. This is not imputed righteousness, for Timothy had already received that through God’s judicial declaration. Rather, it means to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12).

Faith and love are the two foundational principles of the Gospel. Faith is the root principle, as well as the sustaining principle, of the Christian life, while love both influences faith and is influenced by faith—“faith . . . worketh by love” (Gal. 5:6). Although Paul wrote that we are justified by faith alone, clearly love is the abiding principle that leads to good works.

Patience and meekness bring peace and calm in the face of criticism and adversity. In this life there will always be detractors and antagonists who withstand truth and proponents of truth. How we deal with them has much to say about our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Operating under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we are able to return good for evil and blessings for curses. When patience and gentleness rule our lives, we are able to influence the outcome of any conflict.

When must Christians “flee” (v. 11), and when must they “fight” (v. 12)?

B. Wise Exhortation (2 Timothy 2:1-7)

1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Paul encouraged Timothy by calling on him to be strong. But to say to someone who is discouraged, “Be encouraged,” never seems sufficient for the moment. The difference in the words of the apostle is that he adds “in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). Forgiveness, healing, strength, peace, and assurance come through our Lord. The grace of Jesus Christ is the inward power which enables us to be “strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Eph. 6:10).

Moving a step beyond encouraging his son in the faith, Paul called on Timothy to take what he had learned from him and pass these doctrines along to other faithful men to teach (2 Tim. 2:2). This is the process whereby the body of Christ is established and the means whereby it grows. This is not only transmitting the faith; it is transmitting the ministry of teaching to others qualified to teach through spiritual knowledge and maturity.

Now the apostle challenged Timothy to be a “good soldier” of the Cross and a worthy athlete (vv. 3-5). He noted that to obtain good-soldier status, an inductee could not allow the affairs of this life to ensnare him. That is, no person who becomes engaged in military service is to become involved in civilian pursuits, so that he may effectively serve the one who enlisted him. Nor can an athlete obtain the mastery in a contest unless he plays by the rules. This is wise counsel from the apostle who called upon Timothy to consider his words, assuring him that God would give him “understanding in all things” (v. 7).

How must a Christian live like a soldier (vv. 3-4)?

C. Evil Days (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded , lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Just as Paul encouraged Timothy in the Lord and challenged him to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, he now sought to sharpen his discernment by warning him of the danger to come. We can summarize these elements in this manner: selfishness, arrogance, defiance of human authority, defiance of God, savagery, pleasure-seeking, and religious formality.

Although we often use this portion of Scripture to highlight the characteristics of the last-day generation, Paul did not strictly refer to this era. Rather, he spoke of conditions that Timothy would encounter in his time, saying, “From such turn away” (v. 5). Nonetheless, like the prophecy of Jesus concerning wars, pestilences, and natural disasters in the last days, these elements will only intensify as we near the coming of the Lord. That is, although these attitudes describe every generation, they especially define the mind-set that will prevail during the last days of the dispensation of grace.

What powerless “forms of godliness” have you witnessed?

D. Maintaining Good Works (Titus 3:1-8)

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour .

In verses 1-4, Paul outlined for Titus—who served as the first pastor of the island of Crete—a threefold Christian duty which is also incumbent upon us. First, Christians must wisely support civil government (“principalities and powers . . . magistrates”); second, in a spirit of humility we must be self-sacrificing in relation to society in general (“speak evil of no man”); third, we must be conscious of our personal moral well-being (not foolish and self-serving). Essentially, Paul emphasized that the duty of believers in relationship to other people is to respect authority, respect each other, and respect ourselves.

As important as good works are, they do not make a person good. It is “not by works of righteousness” that we find salvation; instead, that new life must come from within (v. 5). And that can only happen by God’s mercy and “by the washing of regeneration.” But the heart must be more than just cleansed; it must be filled. The removal of the stain of sin is only the beginning. There must be the “renewing of the Holy Ghost” so the inward sanctification a believer experiences translates to outward progressive sanctification.

How must Christians live toward “all men” (vv. 2, 8)?

“Let men laugh when you sacrifice desire to duty, if they will. You have time and eternity to rejoice in.”—Theodore Parker

LIFTING UP JESUS

When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippian church while incarcerated in Rome, he spoke more from the perspective of a prisoner of Jesus Christ than he did from the viewpoint of a prisoner of the Roman government. When others perhaps bemoaned imprisonment as an attack of Satan, Paul wrote, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places” (1:12-13). He further declared that although departing to be with Christ would be the far better thing, the greatest need for the moment was to remain and minister to the Philippian believers (vv. 23-24).

Paul understood his calling was first to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified—initially to the Jews, but mainly to the Gentiles—and second, to establish believers in the faith. At the heart of every facet of this apostle’s life we find Jesus. He took literally the words of Christ in John 12:32: “ And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”