2012–2013 Horizons Bible Study
Dispatches to
God’s Household:
The General Epistles
by Nancy Benson-Nicol
Suggestions for Leaders
by Magdalena I. García
The six books of the New Testament explored in thisstudy—1 and 2 Peter, 1–3 John, and Jude—teach uswhat it means to live in community, what it means tobelong to the household of God. A subset of NewTestament letters known as the General Epistles, these letters were written to be shared and read aloud in early Christian communities.
During the time in which the authors of these letterslived, believers regarded one another as members ofGod’s family. Thus, a guiding and powerful metaphorin these epistles is the understanding of family—what it means in the world of the Roman Empire as contrasted with the more expansive idea of being a member of God’s household through the Holy Spirit.These letters were meant to inspire and comfort thefaithful in first-century Asia Minor, and they continueto speak to us today as we grapple with how to live incommunity as disciples of Christ.
