Five Facts to Help you in New Testament Bible Study

In our last column, we explored five facts to help in Old Testament Bible Study. Contrary to what we often think, it’s not impossible to understand the Bible. It takes some effort, but it’s not impossible. Just as we explore topics in-depth when we find them interesting, so we should dive into Bible study in the same manner. Remembering that the Bible isn’t a novel, studying Bible text in context of history and culture, and drawing on word studies (hint: Strong’s is still a great resource) goes a long way to help us learn more about Scripture.

Here we are going to look at five facts to help you understand the New Testament. New Testament Bible Study is common among both new and seasoned believers alike. It also has its own unique study challenges. Want to dive into New Testament Bible Study and get more out of it? Read on to discover new information!

The Gospels were not written as events happened

Much as we discussed in Old Testament study, the New Testament isn’t a diary. While it took much less time to compile the New Testament than it did the Old Testament, the New Testament wasn’t written as events happened. Narrative writings, such as the Gospels and Acts, were written as a collection of memories, often decades after the fact. Some narrations were written by people who lived them, while others were written by those who heard the stories and recorded them sometime later. Much as with the Old Testament, some of the details we often argue about were inconsequential to them. Their focus was the life and work of Christ and the Spirit in the early church.

The purpose of these writings was to inspire faith, recounting the Good News of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, and the empowered way the early church grew across the ancient world. They were not meant to be a social media live event.

Things aren’t always in chronological order

This point was also made with Old Testament Bible Study. It’s our temptation to think that we’re reading Bible events as if they happened, one sequential item after another. The Gospels cover approximately a three-year period of time (with insertions in Matthew and Luke about the birth of Christ and one instance when he was around 12) while the book of Acts covers approximately 30-35 years. Even when reading the Gospels, we don’t find parallel narratives follow the same order. We don’t know how many days are found between incidents or chapters.

Remember, the focus of New Testament Bible Study is Christ, not the passage of time.

Each of the Gospels was written for a different audience

Most of us imagine the early church to be a perfected version of our own denominations. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The early church revolved around the leadership of apostles (both the 12 and others), each of whom led a small group of disciples. Each of these groups varied in practice: some were more Jewish, some more Greek, and so on and so forth. We see evolution of church growth in the four Gospel writers (although there were other Gospels, all of whom had their own audiences, as well):

• Matthew’s audience was primarily Jewish. He used many phrases, such as Kingdom of heaven and Son of Man, to illustrate Jesus was the Messiah. He was an original follower of Jesus.
• Mark’s audience was primarily Gentile. He was likely a contemporary of the Apostle Paul, sometimes identified as “Mark the Evangelist.” He wrote a “highlight reel” Gospel, to prove Jesus was Savior of all people.
• Luke’s audience was also primarily Gentile. He was a physician, also likely a contemporary of Paul. He wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts to be read during communion services. His Gospel was to emphasize that Jesus was as much for the Gentile as for the Jew.
• John’s audience was both Jewish and Gentile. As an original apostle, John’s unique perspectives on Jesus were expressed in Greek terms familiar to both Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles alike. He proves Jesus is the Logos, the incarnation of God.

The majority of the New Testament consists of letters

If you’ve read the New Testament, you’ve likely read letters written to various churches and Christians. The New Testament features a genre of letters known as epistles. Epistles are a type of formal letter, written for teaching purposes. Most of those in the New Testament (especially those written by the Apostle Paul) follow Hellenistic form:

• The author is named at the beginning, followed by the recipient
• The recipient is greeted (“peace” was common among Jewish letters, while “grace” common among Greek)
• The recipient is thanked, and wishes for good health follow
• The body follows, with a brief statement as for the reason of the topic at hand
• In conclusion, the scribe or courier is often named (scribes often influenced content)

The New Testament contains 21 epistles. 13 were written by Paul, one by James, two by Peter, 1 by Jude, 3 by John, and one by an unknown author (Hebrews).

The early church is a central part of the New Testament

We know Jesus Christ is the central figure of the New Testament. The church, however, is also of prominence. The Gospels lay the foundation for the One the church will follow. From Acts onward, we see the powerful role of the early church. What started as 12 followers turned into a worldwide movement, one that had touched much of the ancient world as they knew it within a few generations. We can’t divorce our belief in Jesus Christ from His body, the church. Even in New Testament times, we see issues among church bodies. Nobody got it perfect, and leaders intervened to help align on the right track. When everyone does their part, we see the true value – and benefit – in being part of God’s body of believers.

What’s your reason for study?

New Testament Bible study is an important part of one’s faith. Why do you study? What do you hope to gain?