While the Old Testament tells us why we need a Savior, the New Testament introduces us to the Savior. Similar to the Old Testament, the New Testament books are divided into three major groups: history, letters, and prophecy. The books of history include the four Gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, with the final book of history being the book of Acts which deals with the establishment of the church.
The four Gospels describe the life of Christ from four different perspectives. Matthew portrays Jesus as King, the Messiah. Throughout the book, Matthew quotes from the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, to give proof to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah that the Old Testament prophets foretold. In the book of Mark, Jesus is shown as the Servant. Mark describes Jesus by His actions in helping the people He meets. In Mark, there are more narratives of miracles than teachings of Jesus. The book of Luke shows Jesus as 100% man. Luke accomplishes this by emphasizing the humanity of Jesus by describing Jesus’s physical limitations, like hunger and exhaustion. The book of John depicts Jesus as the Son of God by stressing Jesus’s holiness and divine connection to God the Creator.
Acts wraps up the books of history by telling how the Gospel, the “good news” of Jesus Christ, was spread throughout the world. Luke, the author and author of the Gospel of Luke, begins his narrative by discussing the establishment of the first church which was located in Jerusalem. The second half of Acts tells the history of the first missionaries that left the comforts of their home to share the Gospel beyond the walls of Jerusalem.
The next group of books is a collection of letters. The first thirteen epistles were written by Paul the apostle. These letters from Romans to 2 Thessalonians were written largely to churches that Paul had visited to encourage them how to live a godly life. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon are letters Paul wrote to individuals concerning how to be leaders in the church and how to treat fellow Christians. The remaining letters are considered the general letters written by various authors including James, Peter, John, Jude, and the unknown author of Hebrews. These letters give us hope, announce warnings about false teachers, and emphasize the importance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The letters better explain history of the church when read in parallel with the book of Acts.
The book of Revelation, written by the disciple John, is the only book considered mostly prophecy in the New Testament. Revelation means “an uncovering, a removal of the veil, a disclosure of what was previously known” (Holeman Bible Dictionary, 1991). John describes future events pertaining to the church and the judgment of mankind. These future events are the same events that many of the Old Testament prophets spoke of when they referred to the Day of the Lord. The Old Testament prophets were probably unknowingly looking beyond the cross to a day in the future when Christ would come and reign as King and God would deal with man’s sin. Revelation is a recollection of John’s vision9o of future events when God allowed him to get a glimpse of heaven.
Learning the organization of the books will not only help the Bible feel more comfortable in your hands, but also, give you the knowledge to understand its message easier.