SESSION 5: EPISTLE (LETTERS) — EXPANDED
Understanding Letters as Occasional Documents Epistles are occasional documents—they address specific situations in specific churches at specific times. Paul didn’t write 1 Corinth...
Understanding Letters as Occasional Documents
Epistles are occasional documents—they address specific situations in specific churches at specific times. Paul didn’t write 1 Corinthians as a comprehensive theology; he wrote it to address problems in Corinth: divisions, sexual immorality, lawsuits, confusion about spiritual gifts, and questions about the resurrection.
This occasional nature is crucial. A command that made sense in Corinth’s context might not apply identically today. Your task is to extract the principle underlying the command and apply it to your context.
Interpreting Commands in Context
When you encounter a biblical command, ask:
What specific problem was the author addressing?
What principle underlies this command?
How does that principle apply in my context?
For example, 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 addresses head coverings. The specific problem: In Corinth’s culture, women’s head coverings signaled respectability and marital status. Some Corinthian women were removing their coverings during worship, creating confusion about their social status and potentially bringing shame on themselves and the church.
Paul’s principle: Maintain culturally appropriate modesty and order in worship. His application: Women should wear head coverings.
Your application: In a culture where head coverings don’t carry the same social meaning, you might apply the principle differently—through modest dress appropriate to your culture, through respectful demeanor in worship, through honoring cultural norms about gender and propriety.
Exercise 5 (Expanded): 1 Corinthians 8 — Food Sacrificed to Idols
Read 1 Corinthians 8 in full.
Questions:
What was the specific problem in Corinth?
What principle does Paul establish (vv. 1-3)?
How does Paul apply this principle (vv. 4-13)?
What’s the modern equivalent of “food sacrificed to idols”?
Solution:
In Corinth, meat sold in markets often came from pagan temples where it had been sacrificed to idols. Some Christians felt eating such meat was participating in idolatry; others, understanding that idols aren’t real, felt free to eat it.
Paul’s principle: Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (v. 1). Theological correctness matters less than love for weaker believers. Paul agrees that idols aren’t real and eating meat is morally neutral (vv. 4-6). But he prioritizes love over liberty: if eating meat causes a weaker believer to stumble, don’t eat it (vv. 11-13).
The modern equivalent might be: alcohol consumption, movies, entertainment, or other practices that are morally neutral in themselves but might cause offense or temptation for some believers. Paul’s principle applies: your freedom must be balanced against love for those whose conscience is more sensitive.
Notice Paul doesn’t establish a universal rule (“never eat meat sacrificed to idols”). He establishes a principle (love limits liberty) and expects believers to apply it wisely in their context.
Exercise 6 (Expanded): Ephesians 5:21-33 — Wives and Husbands
Read Ephesians 5:21-33; compare with 1 Peter 3:1-7 and Colossians 3:18-19.
Questions:
What does Paul command wives and husbands to do?
What’s the theological basis for these commands (note the comparison to Christ and the church)?
How do these commands reflect first-century household codes?
How do you apply this passage in a culture with different gender dynamics?
Solution:
Paul commands wives to “submit” to their husbands and husbands to “love” their wives as Christ loved the church (giving Himself up for her). This reflects the household code structure of the ancient world, where patriarchal authority was assumed.
However, Paul’s theological reframing is radical: husbands must love sacrificially, imitating Christ’s self-giving love. This isn’t permission for tyranny—it’s a call to servant leadership. Wives’ submission isn’t degradation; it’s mutual submission (v. 21) within a relationship where the husband loves sacrificially.
The underlying principles: (1) Relationships require order and mutual respect; (2) Husbands bear responsibility for their wives’ wellbeing; (3) Love, not domination, should characterize marriage; (4) Marriage reflects Christ’s relationship with the church.
Modern application requires discernment. The specific form (wives submitting to husbands as the default structure) reflected ancient patriarchy. The principles (mutual respect, sacrificial love, committed partnership, spiritual unity) apply universally. Many Christians today apply these principles in more egalitarian marriages where decision-making is shared and both partners lead in different domains.
The key is distinguishing between the principle (what’s always true about Christian marriage) and the cultural application (how that principle was expressed in first-century households).
Real-Life Application: When a biblical command seems outdated or culturally specific, don’t dismiss it. Instead, excavate the principle. What virtue or value does this command embody? How can you embody that virtue in your context? This approach honors Scripture while applying it wisely.
Self-Assessment for Next Session:
Why is understanding the occasional nature of epistles important?
How do you distinguish between a principle and its cultural application?
Give an example of a biblical command and explain how you’d extract its principle.