Summary of the books of the Bible Part II (New Testament Books). (Matthew to Revelation) - Essay Example

Matthew The book of Matthew begins the New Testament and is the first of the four Gospels – accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry, which include stories he taught (called parables), lessons He taught, and miracles He worked. The Gospels also include the teachings, insights, and instructions Jesus gave to the people who followed Him so many centuries ago, as well as to those who follow him today.Matthew focuses on Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament law, on Jesus as the Messiah Who was prophesied for so long, and on the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew is especially rich with Jesus’ practical instructions in the lives of others. This book has a great emphasis on Jesus’ teaching ministry.In Matthew chapters 5-7, there is a collection of teachings called The Sermon on the Mount. In this great sermon are The Beatitudes, which is a list of heart attitudes and character qualities that bring blessings, as well as The Lord’s Prayer.MarkMark is the shortest of the four Gospels and tells the story of Jesus in a style that is simple and concise, yet detailed.

It focuses on facts more than on themes and on actions more than attitudes. Because of Mark’s straightforward and unadorned approach, many believe this book gives a much more vivid account of Jesus’ life and ministry than the other Gospels. Scholars believe Mark’s Gospel was written during a time when Christians were viciously persecuted and killed for their faith. This may be the reason for the sense of urgency we feel in Mark and for its emphasis on the cost of following Jesus. LukeLuke’s Gospel is the longest of the four Gospels and presents Jesus as the Savior of the world; it highlights the ministry of the Holy Spirit; and it pays particular attention to women, children, the poor, and the oppressed.

Luke contains many wonderful stories and lessons, including one of the greatest and most important truths for any Christian’s life: “For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment” (1:37). In Luke 4, it is seen that the devil is tempting Jesus in the wilderness and every time the devil says something, Jesus immediately responds, “It is written, …” and fights back with a verse or passage of Scripture. This is one of the most important passages in the whole of the New Testament, as it is the passage that shows Jesus fighting, and winning over, temptation.

JohnThe book of John does not take a chronological approach, but tells about Jesus in terms of themes and topics.One of the themes in John is love – loving God, receiving His love and loving others. In John 13:34, Jesus says: “I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another.” This is one of the most important principles seen throughout the New Testament.John also gives great insight into the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

ActsThe book of Acts basically picks up where the Gospels end. Before His death and resurrection, Jesus told His disciples that it was “profitable (good, expedient, advantageous)” for them that He would go away, because if He did not, the Holy Spirit would not come to them. In Acts, it is seen that the Holy Spirit did come and that He is still on earth today. RomansThe book of Romans contains many vital truths that are considered essential to a proper understanding of Christianity. Many of Christianity’s basic truths are found in Romans: we cannot earn God’s love, but we must receive it as a gift; everyone sins; sin requires death; Jesus’ death paid the price for the sins of others.

Paul talks about people and what it is that they did, or shouldn’t have done. Paul understood so well the things we do are separate from who we are.First CorinthiansFirst Corinthians covers a variety of subjects, but most of them are centered on motives and the behaviors of believers. This letter was written by the apostle Paul and addressed to the Christians in Corinth, a wealthy city on the Mediterranean Sea, where people from various cultures and religions often converged. Their diverse backgrounds and religious experiences often caused problems in the church and created a need for Paul to write his letter.

First Corinthians deals with everything from spiritual issues such as the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the importance of unity among believers, being confident in God, and how to behave in church. It is also a vivid description of what love is (chapter 13).Second CorinthiansSecond Corinthians is perhaps the most personal of all letters from the apostle Paul. It is his second letter to the believers in Corinth, probably because their problems continued after his first letter. Into their situation of strife and conflict, Paul sends this letter to thank and encourage those who have been faithful to God and loyal to him, to share some personal insights and struggles and to encourage people in the church.

One of the great themes in Second Corinthians is that a believer in Jesus Christ in a new creation, one who has right standing with God and is an ambassador for Him. GalatiansIn Galatians, Paul addresses and emphasizes a subject that is very important: the grace of God. Many people tend to approach God through the Law, which simply means doing what is right and obeying the “rules” of Christianity. This is called “legalism.” Galatians teaches that God is to be approached through grace. Legalism teaches that God is obeyed out of obligation; grace teaches that God is obeyed out of love.

EphesiansThough Ephesians is literally filled with wisdom, encouragement, and great teachings about what it means to be a Christian and how the church should operate, one of the most important messages seen is the unconditional love found in God. One of the key points of this book is that God loves everyone.In addition, this book addresses the spiritual blessings that belong to those in Christ, their position of authority in Christ, the mysteries of God, the need to walk in love and light, and how to war against the powers and principalities in the spiritual realm.

PhilippiansPhilippians is full of truths and principals for living a victorious Christian life; it contains much practical advice for everyday life; and it is a book of great joy. Even though Paul wrote this book from a prison cell, undoubtedly in very bad conditions, he had real joy in his heart and he encouraged his readers to do the same. He knew that the enemy always wants to steal the joy of others so he can sap their strength.ColossiansPaul’s message in his letter to the Colossians is all about Jesus.

In this book, Paul addresses a popular false teaching that undermined the sufficiency and lordship of Jesus Christ and was prevalent in the city of Colossae. In response, Paul wrote throughout Colossians of Jesus’ power and preeminence, of His superiority over worldly thinking, and legalism. Among all great teachings in Colossians, Paul continually urges his readers to keep Jesus first in their lives, and to do everything as though it were being done for God and not for other people. First ThessaloniansIn every chapter of First Thessalonians, Paul mentions the second coming of Jesus Christ.

This is a topic that has sparked interest, speculation, excitement, and controversy for years. Also in this book, Paul commends the Thessalonians’ courage and steadfast faith in the midst of persecution. Their conduct serves as an example and an encouragement to people today when they are being persecuted or ridiculed.Second ThessaloniansBecause the people in Thessalonica did not properly understand some of the things Paul wrote to them in his first letter, he soon had to write them a second time.

In this letter, he addressed the fact that some people overreacted to his comments on Jesus’ return to earth. They thought the second coming of Christ was so imminent that they lost their proper perspective of life. First TimothyFirst Timothy is the first of two letters the apostle Paul wrote to a young minister, his “true son in the faith,” named Timothy.In First Timothy, Paul emphasizes the importance of praying for people, especially those who are in authority. He writes, “First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men.

For kings and all who are in positions of authority …” (2:1,2)Also in First Timothy, it also states the qualifications and characteristics needed in church leaders, instruction on proper behavior in church services, insight on dealing with doctrinal error, and exhortation to honor widows, elders, and people in authority.Second TimothySecond Timothy is filled with encouragement, perhaps because the young man Timothy really needed it. It is believed that Paul wrote this letter shortly before his death, while he was suffering a much more harsh imprisonment than he previously endured.

For that reason, this is quite a personal letter from the older Apostle to his spiritual son – like Paul’s final instructions before he finished his course on earth.TitusTitus, like Timothy, was a young minister who followed Paul’s leadership and received oversight of the church in Crete. This church seems unorganized and fill of people who needed more instruction and correction. To help Titus, Paul wrote this letter, which addresses several subjects he also wrote about in First Timothy.

In Titus, Paul emphasizes the proper structure of the church, solid doctrine and godly living, especially in the form of good works. PhilemonPhilemon is a very short book, but with a very important message. From prison, Paul wrote this letter to his friend, a prominent and wealthy Christian man named Philemon. According to the customs of his time, Philemon was a slave-owner. His slave, Onesimus, escaped, went to Rome, became converted, and met Paul. When Paul realized what happened, he decided to write Philemon and encourage reconciliation and forgiveness between the two men.

Paul opens his letter by addressing Philemon as “dearly beloved,” making sure to show respect and affection for a fellow believer. He then affirms Philemon’s work and ministry before confronting Philemon with the need to take Onesimus back to his slave and receive him as a Christian brother. Throughout this letter, there is a tone of friendship and unity in Christ. Paul’s humility and genuine love for both Philemon and Onesimus are evident and allow him to make a bold request for their reconciliation.

HebrewsSimply put, the book of Hebrews in about “better things. Written to believers under pressure to turn back to their former Jewish faith or to mix Judaism with Christianity, this book emphasizes a new and better covenant that people have with God through Jesus Christ. Hebrews exalts Jesus’ supremacy over all kinds of former things, such as prophets and angels. It clearly reveals that superiority of the new covenant over old religious places and things, such as the tabernacle.Hebrews contains a thorough description of Jesus as Great High Priest and mankind’s once-for-all perfect sacrifice for sin.

It also includes and addresses the extreme importance of faith in the lives of Christians.JamesThe book of James emphasizes the fact that true faith in God must be accompanied by good works. In addition to his focus on unwavering faith and good works, James also provides tremendous practical advice for Christians’ everyday lives, including extensive teaching on the joy that is found in suffering and the power of the tongue. He writes about wisdom, about resisting temptation, and about prayer.

First PeterFirst Peter is such an encouragement to those who believe because it reminds them that we always have hope in Jesus. This letter is full of practical advice for everyday living, especially in the midst of hard times, and urges Christians to keep the glory of our inheritance in view while we are living here on earth.First Peter teaches that there is such thing as godly suffering. Some suffering is done in Christ and some is done for him. When a believer suffers in order to do God’s will, that is cause for rejoicing.

Saying no to self and suffering in the flesh leads to the death of selfishness, and that kind of hardship yields tremendous freedom and strength. Second PeterSecond Peter was written to people who either did not know the truth of God or were not standing firm in it, so they were in danger of being deceived concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Bible exhorts us in several places in the New Testament not to be deceived. First JohnThe letters called First, Second, and Third John were written by the same apostle John who wrote the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation.

This man was a disciple of Jesus Christ; he knew Him personally and was one of three disciples with whom Jesus spent a great deal of time. Two of First John’s themes are love and light. In chapter one, it is seen that God is light and that there is no darkness in Him. Second JohnSecond John is addressed to “the elect (chosen) lady (Cyria) and her children.” Though we do not know if this “lady” was an individual or a group of believers who collectively comprised a church, we do know that John loved this person or these people dearly.

John’s reason for writing this letter was that his readers were dealing with false teachers who traveled from place to place spreading error and refused to admit that Jesus Christ ever came to earth in bodily form, in the flesh, and was both fully human and fully divine. Third JohnThird John is a brief letter addressed to a man named Gaius, who was most likely a pastor or leader in the early church. Where John has to warn the recipients of his second letter not to associate with false teachers, this letter provides Gaius with instructions on how to treat traveling ministers and missionaries who teach the truth.

In this letter, John also urges his readers not to imitate evil, but to imitate good. Those who do good, he writes, are of God, but those who do evil have no experience with Him and do not know Him in any way.JudeThe book of Jude warns believes against false teaching and provides a helpful list of characteristics of false teachers and erroneous teachings. False teachers are ungodly; they want to use God’s grace as an opportunity for disobedience; and they deny Jesus Christ as Lord and Master.

They reject authority and look down on what they do not understand.RevelationsThe book of Revelations tells about the second coming of Jesus Christ. It tells of the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Bowls (which are the various plagues and horrors that befall on those who do not accept God as their Savior). Some of these include the great earthquake, mountains crumbling, water turning into blood, and darkness. All of these, and more, take place in the seven years proceeding Jesus Christ coming back to earth.