Rooting Path · New Testament Survey · Lesson 5: Paul’s Letters: Written to the Churches
This lesson in one sentence: Paul’s letters were written to real churches: first what God has done in Christ, then how we are to live. We are saved by grace, and created for good works.
Timing (about 60 minutes)
- Opening5 min
- Read Together10 min
- Practice Together15 min
- Discussion20 min
- This Week5 min
- Pray for One Another5 min
Opening
Of the letters or long messages you have received, is there one you have kept all along?
Read Together
16For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
Rom 1:16 · WEB
8for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, that no one would boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
Eph 2:8–10 · WEB
20I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.
Gal 2:20 · WEB
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
Eph 2:8 · WEB
Practice Together
Ask five members each to read one passage: Romans 12:1–2, 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, Galatians 5:22–23, Philippians 1:21, Philemon 15–16. After each reading, the group says two things: who was this letter written to? How does this passage urge people to live?
Discussion
- “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves” (Eph 2:8)—is ‘not of yourselves’ a relief to you, or something you are not quite used to?
- The same passage goes on to say that we are God’s workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” (Eph 2:10) In your life, how are grace and good works related?
- “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20)—in which setting of your week would these words be hardest to live?
This Week
This week, read Philemon in one sitting (only one chapter, five minutes), or Ephesians (six chapters). Afterward write one sentence: does this letter first speak of what God has done, and then of how we are to live?
Each person says whether they read Philemon or Ephesians this week.
Closing
Read Eph 2:8–10 together; the leader prays.
Tips for the leader
- Election and predestination, and the role of women in gatherings: the lesson does not quote those passages. If someone asks, use the standard wording—ask your own church—and don’t go into it in the group.
- Don’t present the thirteen letters as a system of theology. Get to know them one at a time; reading one letter all the way through yourself does more than hearing an introduction to ten.
- When reading Philemon, keep the focus on how Paul pleads for Onesimus: “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother” (Phlm 16).
General principles for leaders
- The leader is not a teacher but someone who walks alongside everyone.
- Give everyone a chance to speak; with someone who talks a lot, you can gently say, ‘Let’s also hear from friends who haven’t spoken yet.’
- Don’t rush to give answers. If someone is silent, wait a few more seconds.
- For a question you can’t answer, you can say, ‘I don’t know either; let’s look it up together,’ and note it down for next time.
- What is said in the group stays in the group.
- At the opening, the leader can give their own answer first, showing that it can be simple and honest.