NOV 13

Romans 3:23
Memorise Romans 3:23
“…give diligence to make your calling and election sure….”

21 out of the 27 books in the New Testament are epistles which are letters addressed to certain individuals or churches. Most of the epistles were written by the Apostle Paul and are known as the Pauline epistles. These epistles can be grouped into 5 categories, namely soteriological, (dealing with the doctrine of salvation) ecclesiological (dealing with church matters), eschatological (focusing on the last days), pastoral and prison epistles. We will study each group in turn.

The soteriological epistles are those that deal largely with the doctrine of salvation. They cover fundamental truths of our faith, correct misconceptions and explain the hows and whys of salvation such as why we need salvation, who needs salvation, how we are saved, why salvation is only through Jesus, etc. These epistles include the epistles to the Romans, Galatians and Hebrews. An example of an essential salvation truth would be Romans 3:23 which speaks of how all Mankind “have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” which implies that all of Mankind needs salvation and no one can stand before God’s judgment and not be found guilty. It also gives us a good definition of sin, in that it is when we come short or fall short of the glory of God.

Dear Teen, are you able to explain the Gospel clearly to an unbelieving friend? Have you ever been stumped by some of the questions they ask you? 1 Peter 3:15 says to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you”. Studying the soteriological epistles will enable you to find the answers to questions that deal with the fundamentals of salvation. It will also allow you to reflect on your own salvation and check if you fully understand and believe in the Gospel. Many of us may have just said the sinner’s prayer at a young age having grown up in church and may not have fully comprehended the Gospel. Therefore, it is important not to take our salvation for granted and “give diligence to make [our] calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10).

Thought: How can you be sure that you are saved?
Prayer: Lord, may the studying of the fundamental truths of salvation through Thy Son inspire in me a greater awe, reverence and gratefulness for Thy love for me.