NT-102
New Testament Survey II: The Epistles
A survey-level pass through Romans to Jude and the shape of New Testament letters.
Topics: Pauline epistles, General epistles
Suggested resource: Read one short epistle a day for five weeks.
Week 1: Romans & Galatians — Grace and Freedom
Reading: Romans 1:16–17, 3:23–26, 6:1–11, 8, 12; Galatians 2–3, 5:1
Romans is Paul's most systematic letter, opening with a thesis statement he never backs away from: “the gospel of Christ… is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth… For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (1:16–17). Romans 3:23–24 states humanity's universal condition and God's solution in one breath: “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6, already studied for its baptism theology, is Paul's answer to an obvious objection, if grace increases through sin, why not keep sinning: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” (6:3) — grace does not license sin, because baptism has already joined the believer to Christ's death, ending the old life's claim on them.
Galatians confronts a church being pulled back toward law-keeping, specifically circumcision, for acceptance with God, and Paul's language is uncompromising: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (5:1). Salvation and sanctification both come by grace through faith, walking in the Spirit rather than the flesh, not by returning to a system of law-keeping Christ already fulfilled and released believers from.
Key terms: Romans 1:16–17 (the gospel's power), Romans 3:23–24 (justified freely by grace), Romans 6:3's baptism logic, Galatians 5:1's liberty
Discussion Questions
- How does Romans 6:3's logic answer the objection 'why not keep sinning if grace covers it anyway'?
- Where do you see the temptation to add works to grace show up in your own thinking, the way the Galatian church added circumcision?
Challenge: Outline Romans 1–8 in five sentences, quoting one verse per sentence, tracing the argument from humanity's condition to the believer's new life.
Week 2: Corinthians & the Prison Epistles
Reading: 1 Corinthians 1, 12–14; 2 Corinthians 5; Ephesians 2, 4; Philippians 2; Colossians 1–2
Corinthians addresses a gifted but immature, divided church — Paul corrects abuses of spiritual gifts, disorderly worship, and moral compromise while still affirming the gifts themselves belong in the church rightly ordered by love. The prison epistles, written from Paul's captivity, are some of the richest theological writing in the New Testament: Ephesians describes the church as one body uniting Jew and Gentile, Philippians contains one of the highest Christological statements in Scripture (2:5–11), and Colossians 2:9 states plainly that “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” — a cornerstone verse for the Oneness position you'll study in depth this term.
Key terms: Spiritual gifts in order, The church as one body, Colossians 2:9, Christ's humility
Discussion Questions
- What does Colossians 2:9 tell you about where to look to find the fulness of God?
- How does Philippians 2:5–11 describe Christ's humility, and what should that produce in us?
Challenge: Memorize Colossians 2:9 and explain in one sentence why it matters for the Oneness of God.
Week 3: General Epistles & the End
Reading: James 1–2; 1 Peter 1, 3; 1 John 1, 4; Jude; Revelation 1, 21–22
James insists genuine faith always produces works — “faith without works is dead” — a needed balance alongside Paul's emphasis on grace. Peter writes to suffering believers scattered across the empire, calling them to holy living and hope despite persecution. John's letters center on love as the proof of genuine relationship with God and warn against deceivers denying that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Revelation, though its symbols deserve careful, humble study rather than confident speculation, ends the entire Bible exactly where Genesis began — with God dwelling with His people — only this time forever, with sin and death finally undone.
Key terms: Faith and works, Suffering and hope, Love as proof, New Heaven and New Earth
Discussion Questions
- How do James and Paul complement rather than contradict each other on faith and works?
- What comfort does Revelation 21–22's picture of the end give you for today?
Challenge: Write down one area where your faith needs to be matched by a corresponding action this week.
Course Exam
Five questions for review or self-testing.
Q: What does Romans 6 teach about baptism?
Reveal Answer
That it identifies the believer with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
Q: What was Galatians written to correct?
Reveal Answer
A church being pulled back toward law-keeping for acceptance with God, instead of grace through faith.
Q: What does Colossians 2:9 state about Christ?
Reveal Answer
'In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.'
Q: What balance does James add to Paul's teaching on grace?
Reveal Answer
That genuine faith always produces works — 'faith without works is dead.'
Q: Where does Revelation end, and how does that connect to Genesis?
Reveal Answer
With God dwelling with His people forever in the new heavens and new earth, echoing where Genesis began.