In the four Gospels and the book of Acts we have been reading objective reports about the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and reports of the activity of the gospel in the first century. Now, we turn our attention to a series of letters written by the Apostle Paul. A letter is different from a report. A letter is a very intimate and warm expression from one heart to another.

In those days, letters were written on thick paper made in Egypt called papyrus. Papyrus was made by beating reeds together until they became a parchment. Sometimes these parchments were 20 to 30 feet long and a person would roll them up and personally deliver them as a letter.

Paul’s letters were dictated to secretaries. Imagine him as he strides up and down the room, talking, and the secretaries writing his words down. He is pouring out his heart. With his great training in philosophy, in religion, with his trained intellect, and now with his reborn heart, he is trying to put together the new Christian faith so that you, a new Christian, can understand.

Every letter Paul wrote was written to a particular group of people or to an individual who faced a situation or problem. Study this course to learn that the problems Paul addressed in the first Century were not unique. These are problems that Christians in every generation would face. You and I, living today, face the same things Paul was covering in his letters to the first Century Churches. As you study Paul’s letters, allow his anointed teachings to help you grow and mature in Christ our Lord.