Paul's Letters & Travels

Of the twenty-seven New Testament books, nearly half (thirteen) are letters which were written by the Apostle Paul.

The General Structure of His Letters

Though this structure occasionally varies in one way or another, Paul’s letters generally follow this pattern.

• Greetings and salutations
• Prayer of thanksgiving
• Exposition of doctrine
• Application of truth
• Conclusion

The People Involved in His Letters

Author – Paul

Paul was a former Jewish rabbi and Pharisee, highly trained and well-respected. He was also well-versed and -attuned to Gentile culture and an early, leading persecutor of Christianity (Phil. 3:4-6). He converted dramatically to Christianity (Acts 9), spent 3 yrs. secluded in the Arabian wilderness where he was taught personally by the resurrected Christ (Gal. 1:11-24), then became a lead pastor-teacher at the growing multiethnic church in Antioch of Syria (Acts 13:1-3), before becoming the leader of multiple, westward missionary journeys and author of multiple New Testament letters. Historical church tradition indicates that he was eventually executed (beheaded) by the Roman government.

Amanuensis (scribe)

• Tertius is an example of this (see Rom. 16:22)

Messenger (letter carrier)

• Phoebe is an example of this (see Rom. 16:1-2)

Recipients

• Individual people (such as the Pastoral Epistles or Philemon)
• Individual churches (such as the Thessalonian or Corinthians epistles)
• Groups of churches (such as Galatians)

The Doctrinal Focuses of His Letters

Though all of Paul’s letters speak to specific matters in either a church or an individual’s life, they also each exhibit a primary theological focus or emphasis overall.

Christology (the doctrine of Christ)

• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• Philemon

All four of these epistles were written during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome; this is the imprisonment described at the end of Acts 28.

Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation)

• Galatians – probably written after Paul’s 1st missionary journey to the churches he had planted in Asia Minor
• 1 Corinthians – probably written from Ephesus during Paul’s 3rd missionary journey
• 2 Corinthians – probably written from somewhere in Macedonia during Paul’s 3rd missionary journey, as he travelled from Ephesus to Corinth
• Romans – probably written during Paul’s 3rd missionary journey while he revisited the church at Corinth

Ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church)

• 1 Timothy – written after Paul was released from his first imprisonment in Rome
• Titus – written after Paul was released from his first imprisonment in Rome
• 2 Timothy – written during Paul’s second and final imprisonment in Rome, prior to his execution

Eschatology (the doctrine of last things)

• 1 Thessalonians – written during Paul’s 2nd missionary journey shortly after he planted the church in Thessalonica
• 2 Thessalonians – written during Paul’s 2nd missionary journey shortly after he wrote 1 Thessalonians

The apostle Peter, in his own second New Testament letter, acknowledges that both he and the early churches accepted Paul’s letters as God-inspired Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15-16). He also acknowledged that Paul wrote about some difficult topics!