General Epistles

In order to best compare Paul’s pastoral epistles and the general epistles, it is highly important to accurately define the type of epistle that we will be looking into. According to www.biblicaltraining.com, the general epistles are, “It is concerned with the way the Christian faith is to be lived out in daily life, perhaps the most important section being that in which James opposes a corruption of the Pauline teaching that a man is justified by faith alone” (General Epistles, 2022). This definition also compares the teaching types of the two different types of epistles. Generally, the general epistles do not address a single church, but the lessons can be applied to any and every church and church leader that reads the words. The pastor’s epistles of Paul usually address a pastor’s specific needs for the job that they are facing. Paul will answer questions and provide guidance for the pastor. In this study, we will be reviewing Paul’s letter to Titus and comparing it to the writing of James.
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First, we will be reviewing Paul’s letter to Titus while Titus was pastoring a church in Crete. This letter was written approximately in 64 AD, most likely during a time when Paul was imprisoned. According to the NIV Study Bible, It is possible that Paul wrote this letter in Macedonia while Paul traveled between his Roman imprisonments (NIV, Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition, Bonded Leather, Black, Red Letter, Thumb Indexed, 2019). The introductory notes continue to explain Paul’s ability to speak to a wide audience; everyone including the educated and the poor (NIV, Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition, Bonded Leather, Black, Red Letter, Thumb Indexed, 2019). Titus was a greek believer who was taught and nurtured by Paul throughout his life. Taking a moment to do an overview of the main themes of the Letter of Titus, it is easy to see that Paul focused on Service, Character, Church Relationships, and Citizenship. In this, Paul explains that the good news of salvation comes solely through Jesus Christ. Yet, it is important to serve the community around us as a way of demonstrating our faith in Jesus. While Paul’s letter to Titus is brief, it has been shown to be an important link to the discipleship process.

Secondly, we will be looking at the writings of James. It is believed that this letter was written by James, believed to be the brother of Jesus around 49 AD. The purpose of this letter was “to expose hypocritical practices and to teach how Christians should live” (NIV, Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition, Bonded Leather, Black, Red Letter, Thumb Indexed, 2019). This letter is often considered a how-to book on Christian living. This fact makes this book very important to the life of a pastor and average-day Christians. According to the website, https://www.biblicaltraining.org, it states, “If we doubt that God is the source of all we need, then we are what James calls ‘double-minded.’ We have not yet made up our mind whether to follow Christ or not”(General Epistles, 2022). Similarly to the letter Titus, James focuses on living out the Christian life and allowing God to provide the power that we do not have to transform our lives. As it states in www.theologyofwork.org, “If faith is real—if we truly trust God—then our faith will lead to all kinds of practical actions for the benefit of others in need. This perspective makes James an eminently practical book” (https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/general-epistles#introduction-general-epistles, 2002). We should fully trust in God to transform our lives and provide us with opportunities to grow and involve our faith in every aspect of our lives. Although, often our faith is strengthened and developed through difficulties. This is expanded on in www.theologyofwork.org, “ Another kind of trial arises from failure at work. Some failures can be so traumatic that they shake our faith. For example, getting laid off (made redundant) or dismissed from a job may be so devastating that we question everything we previously relied on, including faith in Christ” (https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/general-epistles#introduction-general-epistles, 2002).

These two letters are written nearly 20 years apart, but they often speak about the same subjects. The two letters are also written for a similar audience; pastors and church letters. Since pastors are teaching everyday Christians, it is important for pastors to demonstrate a livelihood of honesty and integrity. I believe that there is a lot to learn in studying these two letters and we should read them closely to learn and observe the life of a Christian leader.

Resources:
Davy, D. (1865). New Testament for English Readers. http://ia902806.us.archive.org/9/items/newtestamentfor03alfogoog/newtestamentfor03alfogoog.pdf. http://ia902806.us.archive.org/9/items/newtestamentfor03alfogoog/newtestamentfor03alfogoog.pdf
NIV, Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition, Bonded Leather, Black, Red Letter, Thumb Indexed (Indexed, Thumbed). (2019). Zondervan.
General Epistles. (2022). https://www.biblicaltraining.org. https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/general-epistles
https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/general-epistles#introduction-general-epistles. (2002). Introduction to General Epistles. https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/general-epistles#introduction-general-epistles