John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
We have finished the Old Testament (OT) in our “What’s In The Bible” series, so we will now learn about the New Testament (NT)! 400 years passed between OT times and NT. Why? God’s timing is perfect and much had changed over those years. There was now a common language (Greek) and roads which connected the towns. Remember, the OT tells us about God’s promises and the NT shows us how these promises were fulfilled through Jesus Christ. The truth of the Messiah could now be more easily shared with lots and lots of people. Let’s get started.
The NT is divided into 4 sections: The Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles, Revelation. We will learn about the Gospels this month! The term, “Gospel”, is translated “Good News”. This section tells us about the Good News of the life and saving work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! There are 4 books, each written by a different man of God, from a different perspective, sharing details about Jesus’ time here on Earth.
Matthew
-Matthew was an Apostle who walked with Jesus. He shares many of the Lord’s teachings.
-Matthew begins with the Lord’s genealogy (family tree) proving that He was a descendent of Abraham.
-This book was written to the Jewish people, primarily, and emphasizes that Jesus was the King of the Jews, the Messiah they had been waiting for.
Mark
-A disciple of the Apostle Peter, this book shares the perspective of Peter during the Lords’ life.
-This book focuses on the actions of Jesus Christ and the fact that He was the Savior for the Gentiles (non-Jews) as well as the Jews.
-The Lord’s suffering and servanthood are emphasized.
Luke
-A disciple of the Apostle Paul who shared the perspective of eyewitness.
-This book is an “orderly” account and begins with the birth of John the Baptist, the Lord’s “forerunner”. John preached repentance to the Jews and baptized them in order to prepare them for Jesus Christ.
-The Lord’s compassion is emphasized.
John
-John was one of Jesus’ closest Apostles.
-This book focuses on who Jesus said He was (both God and man).
-The Lord’s deity (being God) is emphasized.
These 4 books together tell us about the Lord’s ministry, His life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection. They teach us how He provided salvation for His children. These books not only share Jesus’ teachings and instructions for how His people should live, but also show us that He became our example of how to do so.
It is impossible to adequately cover these beautiful books in this blog. You need to go read them and discuss them with your parents in order to begin to learn how amazing Jesus Christ is. In order to love, obey, and be grateful to Him, we must come to know Him. This starts with reading your Bible!
