Think on These Things: Positive thoughts in a negative world…
An epistle is a letter. The epistles of Paul are actual letters he wrote to various areas. In one letter he wrote to the Corinthians, he mentions that followers of Christ are actual living letters that all who see can read.
2 Corinthians 3:1-3: “Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our Epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men, manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone but in fleshy tables of the heart.”
Being compared to letters may not seem significant in a society that rarely writes them, but years ago letter writing was almost an art form. With no phones or e-mail, it was a major genre of communication. People spent a great deal of time and put a lot of thought into each of these compositions. Much of what we have learned from history can be found in letters exchanged between friends and loved ones.
In the early church, it was the custom for some teachers to bring letters of introduction or commendation from a well-known Christian leader or another church to validate their ministry. Some were authentic; some were not. Some questioned Paul’s authority to preach because he had no such letters. However, Paul felt his teaching about Christ and the lives impacted by it would serve as his “letter.”
Paul had no better recommendation than the changed lives of the Corinthian believers themselves. These believers lived in one of the worst cities in the ancient world. So evil was its reputation, the phrase “Corinthianize” meant to corrupt. Yet in the midst of this licentiousness lived Christians who were a living testimony of the power of Christ to transform lives. These Corinthian believers were an open letter for all to read—and so are we.
Just like the Corinthian believers, our spiritual letters are not written on paper with pen and ink, but on our hearts by the Spirit of God. We are living letters and all who enter our lives, whether casually or intimately, can read every word written.
Fortunately, we can let God do the writing because we are His epistles. Signed, sealed, and delivered—we are His!
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“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” ~Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
