Letters to the Church

The first literary section of the Letter to the Hebrews concludes with an exhortation and an ominous warning. Any believer who fails to heed the far “ better word ” that God is now speaking in His Son will suffer an even “ sorer punishment ” than the rebellious Israelites received when they disobeyed the Mosaic Law. At Mount Sinai, the Torah was mediated to Moses by angels. Nevertheless, it was God’s word – He was its source – and therefore lawbreakers were punished severely.

Paul begins his Letter to the Romans with a lengthy introduction in which he identifies himself and his mission. The calling and “ grace ” of God have equipped the Apostle to preach the “ obedience of faith ” to the “ Gentiles .” And in his introduction, he includes a brief description of the messianic qualifications of Jesus of Nazareth, and links what God has done in him to His promises recorded in the “ Holy Scriptures .”

After explaining the coming “ Apostasy ” and “ Man of Lawlessness ,” Paul instructs believers on how to avoid the coming deception and thereby find themselves standing “ blameless ” before Jesus when he “ arrives .” They must “ stand fast ” by adhering to the teachings and “ traditions ” of the Apostles. The conclusion to his discussion includes verbal links to his first letter to the Thessalonians. The second letter was written within a few weeks or months at the most of the first letter.