The New Testament

The Five Gospels

The five Gospels includes the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ and the account of the Acts of the Apostles written by Luke.
  1. Matthew wrote the most authoritative and complete record of the life of Jesus. It was written to the Jew. He was one of the 12 Apostles.
  2. Mark's Gospel is believed to have been the first written. It was written to the Greek Christian. He neither heard or followed Jesus but was a student of Peter.
  3. Luke wrote his Gospel to the Gentile. He was the only Greek biblical writer. He studied the other Gospels and was a student of Paul.
  4. John wrote a Gospel of Love. He was one of the 12 Deciples. He took the literal facts of the life of Jesus and wrote a spiritual account.
  5. Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles. It is an account of the growth and advancement of the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Nine Church Letters

These nine letters were written by Paul to churches that he had started during his many missionary journeys. They were written to support and encourage as well as to condemn the evil that had crept into them. Much of our Christian Doctrine is derived from these letters.
  1. Romans was written to the Church in Rome. It is believed, by most Christians, to be the most important book in the Bible. The theme is "Justification by Faith".
  2. First Corinthians was written to the Church at Corinth. It addresses the many problems that were the outgrowth of being in a very sinfull city.
  3. Second Corinthians was also written to the Church at Corinth condemning the false teachers that were teaching false doctrines there.
  4. Galatians was written to the Churches of Galatia, condemning the "Judaizers" who were trying to place the Gentile believer under the Mosaic Law.
  5. Ephesians was wrirren to the Church at Ephesus. It was written to "rekindle" the joy of their salvation.
  6. Philippians was written to the Church at Philippi. It is a dissertation on "living victoriously" in Christ.
  7. Colossians was written to the Church at Colossae. It condemns the "Eastern Philosophies" that were creeping into the church there and stresses the "completeness" of Christ.
  8. First Thessalonians was written to the Church at Thessalonica. It describes what a model church should be and emphases the need to "be ready" for Christ is comming.
  9. Second Thessalonians was also written to the Church at Thessalonica. It encourages those suffer and establishes rules for "Christian Living".

The Five Perosnal Letters

These include four personal personal letters written by Paul to individuals and the Book of Hebrews, believed by some to have been written by Paul but other scholars suggest, Silas, Barnabur or Percilla as possible authors.
  1. First Timothy was written by Paul to Timothy while he (Timothy) was pastor at Ephesus. The theme is "Be Faithful. Be faithful to the "message", the "members" and the "ministry".
  2. Second Timothy was written by Paul to Timothy and is believed to have been the last letter that Paul wrote. It is an appeal to the young minister to be courageous and faithful to his ministry.
  3. Titus was written by Paul to Titus who had replaced Timothy as the minister at Corinth when matters in the church became more than young Timothy could handle.
  4. Philemon was written by Paul on behalf of a run-away slave by the name of Onesimus. The slave belonged to Philemon but he had found Paul and had been converted.
  5. Hebrews was written by Paul to the Jewish converts in Rome. They were back sliding into their old Jewish customs to escape persecution.

The Seven Genreal Letters

These seven letters were written and circulated amongst all the churches. They cover points of doctrine, christian conduct, persecution, outside influences, condemnations and recommendations.
  1. James was written by James, the half brother of Jesus. It was written to a generation of christians who had grown "luke warm" in their christian endevers. The Theme is, "Faith Without Works is Dead".
  2. First Peter was written by the Apostle Peter to a group of churches in Asia Minor facing sure persecution.
  3. Second Peter, also written by Peter, to a group of churches to warn them about false teachers.
  4. First John was written by the Apostle John to expose a false teaching that was going around that Jesus was a "myth".
  5. Second John, also written by the Apostle, was written to condemn the practice of fellowship with unbelievers.
  6. Third John, again written by the Apostle John, to a well-to-do layman by the name of Gaius. It delt with internal conflicts that were common within the church.
  7. Jude was written by Jude, the half brother of Jesus, who wrote it as a warning to all christians who are involved in false doctrine and undermining the fellowship of believers.

The Book of Revelation

This book was written by the Apostle John and is primarily a book of prophesy. The book appears to be written to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. The contents were received by John in a series of startling and ecstatic visions. God revealed these visions to John while he was on the Isle of Patmos about A.D. 94.

Apocrypha
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