Overview of the New Testament...

Chapter Seven:

There is a 400 year time span between the last Old Testament book of Malachi, and the first New Testament book of Matthew. This four hundred year interval has been referred to as "the dark period".  Some believe that this is due to this being a period of time where there were no prophets or writers. 

 Others, however, disagree and believe that there are, indeed, books that were written during this 400 year time period.  It's referred to as Apocrypha, or "the lost books of the Bible."  There is much disagreement within various religious communities as to whether these fourteen hidden books are factual and valid.  The Apocrypha are documents that were not accepted into the canon of the New Testament by the orthodox church, and therefore do not appear in many versions of the Bible.

 I do not intend to debate whether these lost books are valid, as I am not a theologian nor a true Bible scholar, so I will continue with the layout of the Bible that I use, which begins with the first book of the New Testament, the book of Matthew.

Keep in mind, as you begin reading the New Testament, what the history of Israel has been up to this point.  It was several hundred years earlier that Jerusalem had been overthrown and the Jewish people carried into exile in Babylon as punishment by God for their unfaithfulness and in the hope that it would bring about repentance.  After seventy years of being punished, the Babylonians were overthrown by the Persians.  Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, allowed the Jews to return to Israel.  Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, approximately five thousand Jews returned.  After many setbacks, the rebuilding of the Temple was finally completed.  Years later, Ezra returned to Jerusalem with a small group of Israelites and restored the Law and the ritual.  A few years later, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to become governor and rebuild the walls.  Once again, there was a Jewish state in Judea, which was under Persian rule, until the time of the Romans.

So, this is where we find ourselves at the beginning of the New Testament.  The Jewish remnant has been back in Judea for approximately one hundred and fifty years.  Jerusalem, the walls and the Temple have been rebuilt, and the rituals and the Law has been restored.  However, there is still a very large group of people who have yet to return to their homeland.

Matthew:  the first of the four books of the New Testament, referred to as "The Gospels".  Its purpose is to witness to the Jewish people that Jesus was the promised Messiah as was foretold in the Old Testament.  There was a popular belief in that day that the Messiah would be a military leader who would overthrow the Romans in order to restore the throne of David.  However, this book portrays Jesus as not being a military leader, but as the son of God who came to tell of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mark:   the second book of "The Gospels".  Mark describes the miracles of Jesus, and gives detail of the crucifixion and death of Jesus.  The key verse is Mark 10:45, which says "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Luke:  the third book of "The Gospels".  Luke was thought to be a doctor.  This book gives the most complete look at the life of Jesus and the author uses eyewitnesses as sources for his writings.  Jesus' humanity is strongly referred to, as is the power of the Holy Spirit and of prayer.

John:  the fourth book of "The Gospels".  John is oftentimes thought of as the most important book of the Gospels.  This book was written so that humanity would realize that Jesus is the Son of God, and therefore the Redeemer to all who believe in him and in the Kingdom of God.  The resurrection of Jesus is a key point in this book.  The main emphasis is that Jesus is the manifestation of God.  John gives many examples of miracles that Jesus performed as signs that he was indeed the Son of God.  This book contains the key verse of Christianity, which for many is the first verse of Scripture they ever hear.  It is John 3:16 which says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Verse 17 goes on to say, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him".  

 

Acts:  describes the first-century church, its foundation and its activities.  It tells of the problems and struggles the first Christians faced, as well as how they overcame them.  It describes the power, given by the Holy Spirit, to a select number of men at Pentecost in order to promote the Gospel.  It traces Paul's missionary journeys as he helped form churches throughout Rome, southeastern Europe and Asia Minor.

Romans:  is the story of Paul, who had lived his life by persecuting the Christians.  He had a personal encounter with the Living God and was converted.  Afterwards, he was instructed to become a minister to the Gentiles.  He discusses the sinfulness of mankind in God's eyes and that without Christ all would face death as a result.  Christ is presented as being an acceptable sacrificial substitute as he was a  man without sin. Paul encourages the Gentiles to accept what Christ has done for them and to follow Christ and become a "disciple".  Paul goes on to explain the difference between the Gentiles and the Jews, and the end of all things when Christ returns to the earth to establish God's Kingdom.  The key verses in this book is Romans 1: 16,17 which says, " For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith".  

 I  Corinthians:   written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth.  It tells of his having to deal with false teachings and problems that were in this newly formed church.  As most members were from a background of pagan immorality, Paul was encouraging them to change their way of living.  Some in the church were also trying to mix the Law of Moses with the teachings of Christ.

II Corinthians:  also written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth.  His words were an attempt to give guidance and instruction on several issues that were causing division within this church.  He gives encouragement, and teaches on the suffering that many believers face.  He teaches that he has come to realize that God can work through him best when he is at his weakest.  One of the main emphasis of this book is the comfort that God can give to us all.  The key verse for this is II Corinthians 1: 3,4 which says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

Galatians:  also written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Galatia.  It focused on the divisions that Jewish Christians were causing among the new Gentile converts.  They were trying to convince the Gentiles that Paul's authority had not really come from God, and that they needed to be circumcised in order to be saved.  Paul teaches that both Gentile and Jew can enjoy Christ's complete salvation, and that reliance on The Law would not give them the life and freedom they wanted.  Paul spoke strongly against how legalism perverts the true nature of the Gospel.  

Ephesians:  also written by the Apostle Paul.  It is thought to be one of several letters which were circulated to the different churches in Asia as it was written during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome.  Paul's emphasis is on the blessing and spiritual riches we can find in Christ, so that believers would follow in Christ's steps and change their behavior to live like Christ lived.

Phillipians:  also written by the Apostle Paul.  He outlines his own beliefs and admonishes others not to be self-centered.  He challenges them to look to Christ as an example of self-sacrifice so that all believers are one in their purpose.  It is thought that Paul wrote this while he was in prison.

Colossians:  also written by the Apostle Paul.  He wrote this in response to the heresies and errors he had heard had crept into the church.  They were worshipping angels, had come to believe that certain religious rituals and self denial was the real way to spirituality, and some were claiming special knowledge they had found outside the Gospel of Christ.  Paul wrote that these errors were based on traditions of man and, therefore, worthless in God's eyes.  He taught about humility, love, and the need to submit to authority.

I & II Thesalonians:  The state of the dead in Christ is the main focus of these letters.  The focus is on their resurrection and the future Kingdom of God.  It appears Paul wrote these letters because of the many newly baptized believers in Thessalonica.  He had been forced to leave the city by jealous Jews. In the second letter, he gives further encouragement regarding the punishment of the wicked men who are persecuting them.

I & II Timothy:  written by Paul.  He is giving encouragement to Timothy and is reminding him of the work at hand.  Paul tells Timothy of his fears that there are dangers within the church.  He also gives advice for all to follow in order to have godly conduct.  These two letters to Timothy, along with that to Titus are often referred to as the Pastoral letters, because they were not addressed to the churches themselves, but to pastors and leaders of the churches.

Titus:  this letter was written to Titus by Paul, when Paul was in Nicopolis.  Titus was teaching the churches on the island of Crete.  It provides instruction and advice for his conduct as a man of God, as well as guidance for dealing with the believers in Crete.

Philemon:  a letter from Paul to Philemon, whose slave named Onesimus had run away to Rome.  While in  Rome, Onesimus met Paul and converted to Christianity.  Paul is sending him back to Rome and his rightful owner, with a letter recommending he accept him back with love.

Hebrews:  believed to be written by Paul, he is presenting the distinctiveness of Jesus Christ as God's Son.  Written primarily to Jewish Christians who're wavering between Judaism and Christianity.  The primary message is to prove that Christ was the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy.  There is no longer any need for animal sacrifices, etc., required under the Mosaic Law.  Christ, the High Priest, is now mediators of all believers throughout the ages who look unto God for salvation.

James:  written by James, it contains practical information pertaining to life as a Christian.  Not directed at any church in particular, but rather to Jewish believers.  It focuses on several things: living through trials and the necessity of going through trials as it causes growth to become more like Christ; the need to use one's faith and reach out to others to help them; and that a changed life is one of the main purposes being a disciple of Christ.  The key verse is James 2:26, which says" For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead".  James is encouraging believers to show their faith by going out and helping others.  James encourages them to put their faith into action by helping others.

I Peter:  written by Peter to Christians in Asia Minor who were facing coming persecution.  He was encouraging them to try to maintain joyful hope even in the face of persecution.  He warned that persecution would come and that they must stand fast against it.

II Peter:  also written by  Peter.  The newly formed church, being threatened by false teachers, is exhorted to be aware of this danger.  He explains that false teachers had come into the church and were trying to undo the true doctrine of the Gospel so as to cause confusion in the hopes that many would fall away.

I John:  written by  the apostle John.  It was written to a community who faced heresy.  He teaches them how to walk in the light and to remember the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ made for them.

II John:  also written by the apostle John.  It was written to an "elect lady" who is advised to have minimal fellowship with unbelievers.  The ideas of love, truth and obedience are emphasized.

III John:  also written by the apostle John.  This letter commends Gaius for allowing Christian teachers to use his home and for helping them financially.  He is urged to receive only good men, who are known by their works, and to shun evil men.

Jude:  written by Jude. He warns of the dangers of the false teachers who have unknowingly slipped in among the newly converted Christians.  He outlines the past judgments upon the evil men who forsook the Word of God and perverted it into the traditions of men.

Revelation: written by the apostle John.  This is the final book of the New Testament and the Bible as a whole.  John is shown events down the ages that affect the true believers, and the events leading up to the return of Christ (the Second Coming), and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  His visions are highly symbolic, and shows the corruption of the churches as well as the judgments on those who are held accountable.

The book of Revelation ends with a warning in verses 18-20, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:  If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.  He who testifies to these things say, "Yes, I am coming soon."

In conclusion:  One of the things that is most profound to contemplate is that all of Jesus' Apostles were later killed for their beliefs.  Most of them died horrific deaths, some were skinned alive, others were crucified, and some were stoned to death.  Being a disciple of Christ is a costly endeavor, and you need to consider this when you decide to follow Jesus.  Do you want to be a Christian in name only, or are you willing to be slandered, persecuted, ridiculed, rejected and possibly killed by others for following Christ?  Many follow the Christian faith for what they can get out of it, when in reality we are to follow Christ with the willingness to give up everything and anything in order to become more like Christ, to help spread the Gospel and bring forth the Kingdom of God.  Consider these words carefully, my friend, because the life of a "true" disciple is not easy.  Choosing the narrow path will be the hardest decision you'll ever have to make.  But, it will also be the most fulfilling.