Knowing how to read the Epistles is very vital to Christian growth since they make up 21 of the 27 books in the New Testament. Paul wrote 13 of them. Three were written by the apostle John, two by Peter, one each by James and Jude (the brothers of Jesus), and one by the unknown author of Hebrews. Epistles are Letters written Post-Resurrection and in the era of the beginnings of the spread of the Church; meant to be read as a whole to a community of believers who are mostly non-readers.
Reading the epistles is like listening to a one-sided conversation or reading someone else’s letter without knowing the full context of what the other party said or they were talking about, that's why it is key to understand the sociocultural and cross-reference (Acts) context to these letters.
Most of these letters have three parts: (1) the opening; (2) the body; and (3) the closing. The opening of a letter has four different elements: (1) the sender (e.g., Paul); (2) the recipients (e.g., the Corinthians); (3) the salutation (e.g., “grace and peace to you”); and (4) a prayer (usually a thanksgiving).
A wide range of circumstances prompted the writing of the epistles. Disorder in a church, the threat of false teaching, trepidation about the end of the world, confusion about death, controversy over religious practices, ambiguity about ethics, weakness in leadership. Some epistles were meant as a word of encouragement or just a way of reconnecting. The books of Hebrews and Romans offer an expansive theological perspective. Some letters focus on a particular theological point: Christ is our All in All as in the case of Colossians. So let's go and rediscover this sometimes overlooked yet vital letter of Paul.

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