More than A Collection of Books 7

The epistle to the Galatians fulfills a critical role

And clears the air between the law and the gospel of grace,

It is an effort to save Christianity from a sect of legalism

That renders it mere form with grace removed without a trace.

Ephesians is a sermon on how a believer should behave

Cognizant of the investment God made in him by Christ,

The riches of God’s grace, the forgiveness of his sins

And much more is the believer’s through Christ’s sacrifice.

Philippians describes the simplicity of the early church life

The hallmark of which is unity through humility,

Jesus is held up as the epitome of such an attribute

As he suffered death upon the cross in ridicule and agony.

In Colossians the Apostle Paul counteracts some errors

By highlighting the Person and work of the Lord Jesus;

Gnosticism, Legalism and Mysticism were rife

But Christ sufficiency in the believer was the essential thrust.

In 1^st Thessalonians unbelieving Jews accused believers

For having turned the world upside down

Sanctification, love and hope are some of its several themes

The Christian life and the day of the Lord are others that abound.

2^nd Thessalonians enlightens about the day of the Lord

And some believers then felt his return was imminent,

They had become idle and particularly fearful

And setting the record straight became Paul’s intent.

1^st Timothy is a classic manual for an aspiring pastor

And sets out the Christian’s standard for required behavior,

False teachers to be silenced and give thanks to God for grace

Apostasy and the love of money should not be taking place.

2^nd Timothy is the call to a life of enduring fidelity

This was the admonition given by Paul to young Timothy

For some had departed from the faith and also from the truth

So the Apostle saw the need to warn of the coming apostasy.

Stewart Russell © March 2017