How to Teach the Epistles in Youth Ministry
This month’s series is focusing on how to teach the different genres of Scripture to youth. We all know there’s a big difference between a Ezekiel and Psalms, but how should that effect the way we study and teach those portions of God’s Word in our ministry? Subscribe to the blog to get forthcoming articles in this series.
In my opinion, the Epistles are often easier books to understand for the average reader. They are quick reads that reflect upon the person and work of Christ. Although there is a level of simplicity in the Epistles, we must approach this genre with a level of caution; we can wrongly assume their simplicity is all that there is to them and miss deeper truths they highlight.
In order for us to rightly approach these books, I suggest that we learn to teach the Epistles by utilizing the Bible study approach known as the COMA method.
CONTEXT
Often when we approach the Bible, we want to jump to, “What does this mean for us today?” Although we rightly desire for God to speak to us through His Word, if we start with us, then we may miss the meaning that was intended originally. If we miss what was said back then, we might miss what God has for us today. This is why context is king, both with biblical interpretation and our approach to teaching.
This is especially true with the Epistles. First, we need to understand that the Epistles are a collection of letters addressed to people in a particular context. It is good to begin with the question, “What do we know about the circumstances of the author and the audience?” If the author is writing to a primarily Jewish audience, then that will help us understand why he uses the Old Testament as much as he does. If we are reading one of Paul’s letters, it is important to know when in his life he wrote it. For instance, Paul wrote Colossians while he was imprisoned. This helps inform us on why he speaks about prioritizing the gospel even if suffering is to be expected (Colossians 4:18).
Grounding your teaching within the context is also important. However, your audience may determine how much context you include in your lessons. For instance, when it comes to Abraham and Rahab in James 2:14-26, I would teach it differently to Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers. The context is needed to both understand James’s argument and prepare students who may not know the Old Testament Stories. However, comprehension levels among students are different. Although I would show how James uses these two stories to articulate one idea, with middle schoolers, I might unpack one story, while with high schoolers I might do both.
OBSERVATION
The key to observation is being a careful reader of the text. Since the Epistles are letters to specific people, we must remember there is a reason why the author is writing. The goal is to figure out their purpose, which is the interpretive lens for how we understand everything else. Sometimes, the writer gives us their purpose statement clearly, while other times we need to do some extra work to find it. A good way to do this is paying attention to recurring words and themes.
Let’s examine how this works within 1 Corinthians, where the themes of division and unity in the church help us interpret the whole letter. Paul begins the letter by stating how he desires for the church to agree with one another (1 Corinthians 1:10). Then, he lists different ways that division is occurring: over leadership (1:10–12; 3:1–4), pride (4:6–10), tolerating sexual sin (5:1–13) and lawsuits (6:1). Paul’s continually states the problem, then gives theology for how to address it. For example, knowing Paul’s concern for unity within the church helps us understand in 1 Corinthians 13 that “love” isn’t about marriage, but about exhibiting love within the divided church. When we teach this passage, then, our outline should reflect Paul’s intent that we observe, not our predetermined point we want to make about “relationships.”
MEANING
“Meaning” is when we use our observations to formulate the key idea. We are not just concerned with stating what the point is, but understanding why it is made to these people at this time. In doing this, we need to understand the Bible as a whole: where does this passage fit in God’s overall plan of redemption? After all, the whole Bible is about Christ, whether directly or indirectly. Therefore, we must not only teach the Epistles for principles to apply, but to help students understand who Jesus is and what he has done.
For instance, James is known as wisdom literature with the goal of helping Christians live out their faith through various trials. To many, it’s a very practical letter, but it can leave one wondering if the “narrow” gospel is present or even if James goes so far as to promote works to earn God’s favor. However, a careful reading of the text will see that James does not have in mind earning God’s favor, but responding to God’s favor by trusting in Jesus, saying, “of His own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18).
Every sentence, paragraph, chapter, and book have their intended contextual meaning, but they are all written with the goal of magnifying Christ. When our teaching has that same aim, it deepens our fellowship with God, our convictions about Him, and our gratitude towards Him, leading us “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (Colossians 1:10).
APPLICATION
As I stated earlier, application shouldn’t be our starting point. But it should be our ending. Here are some thoughts on applying the Epistles:
Think less “me” and more “we”
Our western eyes often read Scripture thinking only about our personal relationship with Jesus. However, the Epistles were written for the edification of local churches; our applications should follow suit when we teach. We might advocate for our students to consider first how they are to love and serve one another within their local church context before anywhere else. For example, the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 should bring us to consider how well we are loving our church before using this text to teach on how to have a loving marriage, staying true to its intended meaning.
Teaching and living go together
D.A. Carson said this about application, “The Epistles are not only concerned with abstract doctrine, but often showcase how doctrine informs life… theology always drives methodology.” Paul often does just that. For example, in the book of Ephesians, chapters 1–3 emphasizes right theology and 4–6 emphasizes right practice. Theology should lead to Christian living, but even when we are teaching a text that is heavy on what we should do, we should never let it become disconnected from what we should believe.
Let the text refine your presuppositions
Christian culture is filled with buzzwords like “fellowship.” We often use this word when two Christians are meeting together over coffee or just describing a “good time.” However, the idea of fellowship in Scripture has more to do with partnership (Philippians 1:7), commitment (1 John 1:6–7), belonging (Acts 2:42) and identity (1 Corinthians 1:9). There are many kinds of incomplete or unhelpful presuppositions that people bring to Scripture, and we should seek to confront them in our teaching, to help rightly shape our convictions around the Bible itself.
Conclusion
Teaching the Epistles, as with the rest of Scripture, deserves the long journey of carefully studying the text; and it is important for our students to see and appreciate that journey within our lessons. I encourage you to not only have your students walk away with principles to believe in or applications to walk in, but an understanding of how and why the scriptures arrive at those conclusions. The COMA method helps hold us accountable to making sure that our teaching is rooted in scripture and appreciate it’s simple yet deep truths.