What is the Bible: The New Testament

The New Testament of the Bible is full of hope, light, revelation, truth and Eternal Life. If you were given only the New Testament and were asked to answer the question “What is the Bible?”, you would be able to answer, “it is the revelation of Jesus Christ”. The New Testament shares the story of His first coming, and it the confirms the promise of His second coming. The good news for mankind is fully revealed.

The New Testament tells of events from before the birth of Jesus, to sometime near the end of the first century. God now speaks through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Click here for an overview of the Bible: What is the Bible: one BIG book? or a LIBRARY of books?

Four Divisions

Remember that the New Testament can be divided into four sections:

1. Gospels: Matthew to John
   1. Theme: the life of Christ the Saviour
2. Book of History: Acts
   1. Theme: evidence of changed lives by the gospel
3. Epistles: Romans to Jude
   1. Theme: living the new life
4. Book of Prophecy: Revelation
   1. Theme: warning of judgment and the promise of completed salvation

Four Themes, many books

Each of the divisions consists of several books. The 27 books of the New Testament are organized in following way:

Gospels consist of:

• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John

Gospels present the Lord Jesus Christ. They describe events from before His birth, to His death, His burial, and His resurrection. John 20:31 summarizes the purpose of the Gospels: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

The Book of History consists of:

• Acts

The book of History shares the story of lives changed because of the Gospel. People who once denied Jesus, preaching about Him without fear. People who once imprisoned and killed the followers of Jesus, converted and imitating Him. Acts 4:20 describes the boldness of the believers even in the face of persecution: “for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

The Epistles consist of:

• Romans
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews
• James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Jude

The Epistles instruct believers on what their new lives should be like. Getting saved is only the start and Ephesians 2:10 explains the follow through “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”

The Book of Prophecy consists of:

• Revelation

The book of Prophecy is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It confirms the truth of the first coming of Christ, and warns man of the consequences of rejecting Him. Beware, because as He says in Revelation 22:20, “I am coming.”. Jesus Christ will return one day and establish all righteousness.

A Clear Picture

The writers of the New Testament got it. They understood what the Creator had planned for mankind. As they watched and listened, the picture went from fuzzy to clear. Read here what those who knew Jesus Christ have to say about it.

• John the Apostle (the one whom Jesus loved, who walked with Jesus for some three yeas)
  • John 1:16 – 18 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
• Paul an Apostle to the gentiles (who had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus)
  • Galatians 4:4 – 5 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
• Unknown author (who may or may not have known Jesus personally but certainly knew the Old Testament)
  • Hebrews 1:1 – 2 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
• John the Apostle (the one whom Jesus loved, who walked with Jesus for some three yeas)
  • 1 John 1:1 – 4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life, the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us, that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

A Tough Challenge

Reading the New Testament can be a little challenging the first time through. There is lots of information provided, and you can easily fall into a trap if you put the horse before the cart.

But don’t worry, I will take you through the plot one step at a time, and sort through the parables, teachings, miracles, and sermons.

Using Printable Bible Lessons, you will be able to follow along to make sense of it all. What will eventually emerge, is a salvation message written to you, a message directly from God manifest in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

Action Point: Summarize the New Testament

1. Take a few minutes to watch this short video describing the general
   themes of the Old Testament. Watching the presentation will reinforce what you have read and help you to understand and process the information.
   1. Watch the short video here: What is the Bible: The New Testament
2. Now take a few minutes to review this printable bible study lesson. By filling in the chart with the information learned, you will reinforce the learning process. Feel free to read through the post and re-watch the video as often as you need to in order to properly fill in the chart
   1. Download the PDF worksheet here
3. Solve online or print a printable PDF Bible Word Search Puzzle of the New Testament Books here
4. Go here to find out more about the Old Testament
5. If you have not already done so, please establish a personal Bible Reading Plan. In order to benefit from the Bible Study Lessons you will need to keep reading the Bible even if it is only for a short time or a few chapters per day.
   1. Visit this post to select and download your Printable Bible Reading Plan.