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I. Titus
А. The writer(s), the place, and the time
B. The subject
C. The background
D. The central thought
E. The general sketch
F. The sections
II. Philemon (A to F)
III. Hebrews (A to F)
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: The apostle Paul wrote this book to Titus (1:1, 4) from Nicopolis around A.D. 65, after being released from his first imprisonment in Rome and passing through Crete (1:5; 3:12).
B. The subject: the maintenance of the order of the church.
C. The background: [During Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, the churches were subject to testing. During this time of testing, certain churches proved not to be so orderly. Thus, after his release from prison, Paul visited various places, including the city of Ephesus and the island of Crete. Realizing the situation of the churches, Paul became burdened to write an epistle to Titus telling him how to maintain the proper order of a local assembly. This was the background and also the reason for the writing of this book.]
D. The central thought: [To have an orderly life, we need to take care of four units: the church, the family, the social system, and the government. If we care for these units properly, we shall have an orderly life in every way. When Paul was writing the book of Titus, he had within him a concern for these four units. Unbelievers, of course, care only for family, society, and government. Even the philosophers and thoughtful people throughout the centuries have considered only these three units among mankind. But among us in the Lord’s recovery the most important unit is the church. For us, the church is first. We give the church preeminence in our consideration, for the church is the house of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. Furthermore, the church is the great mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh. Paul covered the matter of the church first in this Epistle, and we follow him to give the church the first place among the four basic units covered in this book.]
[Next to the church, the family is the most important unit in society. Without a proper family life, how could we have a healthy society or country? A nation is constituted of families as the basic factors. We fully realize that without a proper family life it is difficult to have an orderly church life. But we also realize that without a proper church life it is difficult to have a normal and proper family life. We are here for the church and also for the family. Furthermore, we care for society. We respect others, we honor our neighbors, and we care for the existing social system. We are not here as social reformers, and it is not our intention to change the social system. In the Lord’s recovery we are here to present to others healthy teachings concerning the all-inclusive Christ and the church as the Body of Christ.]
E. The general sketch: [When Paul was writing the Epistle of Titus, there were certain basic concepts within him. These concepts were the factors, the elements, of the composition of this book. In writing chapter one of Titus, Paul was deeply concerned for the church. Hence, in this chapter he takes care of the proper order in the church and speaks of establishing the eldership for the administration of a local church, of the termination of the various isms, and of holding to the healthy teaching of the apostles. Paul goes on in chapter two to speak of an orderly human life, which is primarily related to the family life. Then...he speaks of society, or of the social system. In 3:1-8 Paul speaks of the rulers, that is, the government.]
F. The sections: 1) introduction (1:1-4), 2) establishing the authority in the church (1:5-9), 3) dealing with the influence of Judaism and Gnosticism (1:10-16), 4) bringing the saints of different ages into an orderly life (2:1-8), 5) charging the slaves to behave well in the social system of slavery (2:9-15), 6) charging the saints to keep a good relationship with the government (3:1-8), 7) dealing with a factious one (3:9-11), and 8) conclusion (3:12-15).
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: This book was written by the apostle Paul and Timothy to Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus, and to the church in their house (vv. 1, 2). It was written about A.D. 64, shortly before Paul’s release from his first imprisonment in Rome (vv. 9, 22).
B. The subject: an illustration of the believers’ equal status in the new man.
C. The background: [When Paul wrote to Philemon, Philemon was in Colosse and Paul was far away, a prisoner in Rome. One of his co-prisoners, Onesimus, was brought to the Lord and begotten by Paul in the Spirit to become not only a believer in Christ and a child of God, but also a dear child to Paul himself. Since there was a church in Rome, why did Paul not recommend this newly saved one to the local church there? Paul did not do this, because Onesimus was a runaway slave and his master, Philemon, lived in Colosse.
The fact that there were churches in Rome and in Colosse indicates that the churches as the expression of the Body of Christ are universal. This was true in ancient times just as it is true today. The first church, the church in Jerusalem, came into existence approximately 34 or 35 A.D. The Epistle to Philemon was written about thirty years later. Even during the comparatively short time of thirty years, churches had been established not only in Judea, but also in the Gentile world. Thus, the church was universal. This was according to the Lord’s sovereignty to carry out the commission He had given to Paul. It also was the fulfillment of Paul’s desire to see a new man on earth.
By the spreading of the Roman Empire the various nations and peoples around the Mediterranean Sea were brought into contact with one another and were even unified politically. There was a great deal of traffic and communication between people in various parts of the empire. This communication was altogether related to the old man. But at the time Paul wrote to Philemon, another man had come into existence on earth. In the midst of the old man, the new man had come into being. This is fully revealed in Colossians 3:10 and 11: “And having put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him; where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all.” Philemon was an elder of the church in Colosse. In the Epistle to the Colossians Paul emphasized that all the believers are part of the new man. Furthermore, in the new man there cannot be Greek and Jew, slave and freeman. Philemon was a freeman, and Onesimus was his bondservant. But in the new man they were of equal status.]
D. The central thought: [This short Epistle serves the special purpose of showing us the equality in eternal life and divine love of all the members in the Body of Christ. In the age of Paul the life of Christ had annulled, among the believers, the strong institution of slavery. Since the sentiment of the love of the Christian fellowship was so powerful and prevailing that the evil social order among fallen mankind was spontaneously ignored, any need for institutional emancipation was obviated. Because of the divine birth and living by the divine life, all the believers in Christ had equal status in the church, which was the new man in Christ, with no discrimination between free and bond (Col. 3:10-11). This is based on three facts. First, Christ’s death on the cross has abolished the ordinances of the different ways of life for the creation of the one new man (Eph. 2:15). Second, we all have been baptized into Christ and made one in Him without any difference (Gal. 3:27-28). Third, in the new man Christ is all and in all (Col. 3:11). Such a life with such a love in equal fellowship is well able to maintain good order in the church (in Titus), carry out God’s economy concerning the church (in 1 Timothy), and stand against the tide of the church’s decline (in 2 Timothy). It is of the Lord’s sovereignty that this Epistle was positioned after the three preceding books in the arrangement of the New Testament.]
E. The general sketch: [In the book of Philemon we have an excellent pattern and example of bringing a sinner to the Lord through begetting him with the divine life; regarding him as a child, even as our heart; and helping him to rectify all the human relationships. In the churches in the Lord’s recovery it is our practice to send back the escaped one and the divorced or separated wife or husband. We want to help rectify all human relationships. In doing this, we must have a loving concern and appeal to the love of the other party. Finally, in keeping with Paul’s example in this Epistle, we must help the newly saved one to come into the church life. Paul’s desire was to bring Onesimus into the church life. Having been begotten by Paul, Onesimus was now a slave reborn to be a brother. As the one who had begotten him, Paul bore the responsibility to bring Onesimus into the church life, into the fellowship among the members of the Body.]
F. The sections: 1) introduction (vv. 1-3), 2) a slave reborn to be a brother (vv. 4-16), 3) a brother recommended for the acceptance of the new man (vv. 17-22), and 4) conclusion (vv. 23-25).
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: According to the rich and deep contents of this book, none other than the apostle Paul was qualified to be its writer. The mention of Timothy in 13:23 and the tone of fellowship also indicate that Paul was the writer. (For the reason why the writer was not clearly mentioned, see 1:1 footnote 2.) This book may have been written around A.D. 67 after the apostle Paul’s release from his first imprisonment in Rome, while he remained in Miletus (2 Tim. 4:20). The mention of “those from Italy” (13:24) proves that this book was not written in Rome. According to the content, it was clearly written to the Hebrew believers.
B. The subject: Christ is superior to Judaism and everything it encompasses. His completed new covenant is likewise superior to the old.
C. The background: [The Hebrews to whom this book was written believed in the Lord, but they still wanted to hold on to their Jewish religion.] [In A.D. 63 Ananias, one of the high priests in the Jewish religion in Jerusalem, rose up with the Sadducees and Pharisees to persecute the Hebrews. At that time those dear Hebrews appreciated the Lord Jesus, but they were unwilling to forsake their old religion. Eventually, the Lord sovereignly raised up a circumstance which forced them out of it. If they were unwilling to go out, they would be forced out.] [Those Hebrew Christians truly suffered under that persecution. The Jewish religionists robbed them of their property and even threatened their lives (10:34). The Hebrew believers were troubled.] [The Hebrew brothers were bothered and began to wander. They could not say that what Peter and Paul preached and talked was wrong; neither could they say that the temple, the sanctuary, was wrong. They were in a dilemma, finding it difficult to decide whether to go on or to retreat. It was at this juncture that the book of Hebrews was written to them.]
D. The central thought: [In Hebrews is the present Christ who is now in the heavens as our Minister (8:2) and our High Priest (4:14-15; 7:26), ministering to us the heavenly life, grace, authority, and power, and sustaining us to live a heavenly life on earth. He is the Christ now, the Christ today, and the Christ on the throne who is our daily salvation and moment by moment supply. This is the Christ revealed in Hebrews.]
E. The general sketch: [This book, from 1:3, points us continually to the Christ seated in heaven. Paul, in all his other epistles, presents to us mainly the Christ who dwells in our spirit (Rom. 8:10; 2 Tim. 4:22) as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45 ASV) to be our life and our everything. But in this book, he points us particularly to the Christ seated in heaven with so many aspects to care for us in every way. In Paul’s other epistles, the indwelling Christ is versus our flesh, self, and natural man. In this book, the heavenly Christ is contrasted with the earthly religion and all earthly things. To experience the indwelling Christ we need to turn to our spirit and contact Him. To enjoy the heavenly Christ we need to look away from all things on earth unto Him who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. He has accomplished everything that is needed for both God and us by His death and resurrection. Now in His ascension He is sitting in the heavens, in the Person of the Son of God (1:5) and the Son of Man (2:6), in the Person of God (1:8) and man (2:6), as the appointed Heir of all things (1:2), the Anointed One of God (1:9), the Captain of our salvation (2:10), the Sanctifier (2:11), the instant Helper and constant Succor (2:18), the Apostle from God (3:1), the High Priest (2:17; 4:14; 7:26), the Minister in the true tabernacle (8:2) with a more excellent ministry (8:6), the surety and the Mediator of a better covenant (7:22; 8:6; 12:24), the Executor of the new testament (9:16-17), the Forerunner (6:20), the Author and Perfecter of faith (12:2), and the great Shepherd of the sheep (13:20). If we would look unto Him as such a wonderful and all-inclusive One, He, ministering heaven, life, and strength to us, will transfuse and infuse us with all that He is to enable us to run the heavenly race and to live the heavenly life on earth, carrying us through all the lifelong pathway and leading and bringing us into glory (2:10).]
F. The sections: 1) introduction — God speaking in the Son (1:1-3), 2) the superiority of Christ (1:4—10:39), 3) faith — the unique way (11:1—12:29), 4) virtues for the church life (13:1-19), and 5) conclusion (13:20-25).
[There is an urgent need today for the completion of the word of God. Although Paul was used in the completion of the divine revelation centuries ago, there is still the need for its completion in a practical way among Christians today. In most Christian groups there is very little ministry of Christ as life. Furthermore, not many dare to face the issue of the church. Through his subtlety, Satan, the enemy of God, is seeking to nullify the completion of the word of God. The enemy may allow Christians to preach what is revealed in the Old Testament, in the Gospels, and in the Acts. But he cannot tolerate the teaching concerning Christ as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit or concerning the church as the mystery of Christ. Anyone who ministers along this line will be attacked by the enemy.] We are not afraid of the enemy’s attack because we love the Lord and His completed word. We should give ourselves to study the word that we may be full of the truth. Then we may complete the age and bring the Lord back.
