The New Testament picks up where the Old Testament left off, with the promise of a Savior. However, this time it wasn’t a promise to come but a promise that had already been fulfilled. The New Testament is about God’s own son, Jesus, and how he came into the world as a man, lived a perfect life, died for all our sins, and was resurrected to offer us eternal salvation.
Like the Old Testament, the New Testament is broken up into sections.
The Gospels (Matthew - John)
Acts
The Epistles (Romans - Jude)
Revelation
The Gospels are about the life of Jesus. Written by Jesus’s followers, these books walk us through what Jesus did while he was on earth. Everything from miracles to healings to his death and resurrection are recorded in these books. There are four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, that all tell this story from slightly different perspectives. Each gives us immense insight into his life and shows us many of the words Jesus spoke to them and others.
The book of Acts comes directly after the gospels, and it tells us about what Jesus’s disciples did after Jesus ascended into heaven. The disciples walked in Jesus’s footsteps by preaching about the kingdom of God and Jesus’s miraculous resurrection. They also performed many miracles and healings along with experiencing God in new ways. The church was born in the book of Acts.
The Epistles or the Letters were written by Jesus’s followers. These books were intended to teach Christians what it meant to follow Jesus and how to do that in a God-honoring way. These books are full of encouragement, but they are also full of correction. No one is perfect, we all mess up, and that’s why these books are so important. They light the way for all of God’s people and show us how to live like Jesus.
The last book of the New Testament stands in a category of its own. The book of Revelation is just that. It is a revelation of the things that will come in the future of the church and the world. Revelation is written by John the apostle (one of Jesus’s closest disciples). In this book, John describes a vision that God gave him about the end of the world. Here we are reminded that Jesus died and went to heaven, but he is coming back. And when Jesus comes back, he will bring all of his followers into heaven with him.
Overall the entire Bible is about Jesus and his role in saving humanity. The New Testament shows us plainly what Jesus has done for us, and it encourages us to accept everything he has done for us and to live a life worthy of his calling.
Key Takeaways:
Jesus is the son of God
Jesus is our Savior
Everyone Needs Jesus!