New Testament
The New Testament contains twenty-seven books. It opens with four accounts of Jesus Christ, follows the spread of the gospel in Acts, gives apostolic doctrine and instruction through the epistles, and closes with Revelation and the final victory of Christ.
What the New Testament covers
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record the coming, ministry, teaching, miracles, rejection, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They overlap substantially but each Gospel has its own arrangement, emphases, and selected events.
Acts begins with the risen Christ and his ascension and then follows the witness of the apostles from Jerusalem outward. The epistles explain the gospel, salvation, church life, doctrine, Christian conduct, ministry, suffering, false teaching, and hope. Revelation closes the New Testament with prophetic visions of judgment, Christ’s victory, and the new creation.
Five divisions of the New Testament
Gospels — Matthew through John
Four inspired accounts of Jesus Christ, his words and works, his death and resurrection.
History — Acts
The risen Christ’s witnesses carry the gospel from Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria, and outward into the Roman world.
Pauline Epistles — Romans through Philemon
Letters associated with Paul that explain doctrine, salvation, church order, Christian living, ministry, relationships, suffering, and hope.
General Epistles — Hebrews through Jude
Letters addressing the superiority of Christ, faith and works, suffering, false teachers, love, assurance, perseverance, and truth.
Prophecy — Revelation
John records visions concerning the churches, heavenly worship, judgment, conflict, Christ’s victory, final judgment, and the new heaven and new earth.
The New Testament’s movement
Christ comes
The Gospels introduce Jesus, his forerunner, his public ministry, his disciples, his teaching, and his signs.
Christ dies and rises
All four Gospels move toward the crucifixion and resurrection, which stand at the center of the apostolic gospel.
Witness spreads
Acts shows the gospel moving from Jerusalem outward as Jews and Gentiles hear and believe.
Churches are instructed
The epistles address real churches and believers with doctrine, correction, encouragement, and practical instruction.
Christ’s victory is revealed
Revelation looks toward the defeat of evil, resurrection and judgment, and God dwelling with his people in the new creation.
Major truths to watch
Jesus Christ
His identity, incarnation, teaching, authority, death, resurrection, present ministry, and promised return dominate the New Testament.
The gospel
The apostles proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection and offer remission of sins and eternal life through faith in him.
The Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is active in Christ’s ministry, regeneration, witness, spiritual gifts, sanctification, guidance, and the life of believers and churches.
The church
Acts and the epistles show local churches worshipping, teaching, sending, serving, correcting error, exercising gifts, and carrying the gospel outward.
Christian life and hope
Believers are instructed in love, holiness, service, endurance, sound doctrine, family and church responsibilities, and hope in Christ’s return and resurrection.
Read the New Testament watching for…
Old Testament quotations and how the New Testament uses them.
What Jesus and the apostles explicitly say a person must believe to have eternal life.
The distinction between salvation as God’s gift and instruction for believers who are already saved.
How doctrine is applied to church life and ordinary Christian conduct.
The movement of the gospel across peoples and places in Acts.
Promises concerning resurrection, Christ’s return, judgment, and the world to come.