MATTHEW

The first gospel was written by Matthew, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, sometime before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the year A.D. 70. Matthew wrote his gospel for the Jews, to show them that Jesus was the Messiah who had been promised in the Old Testament. He quoted many Old Testament prophecies and showed how they came true in Jesus' life. He also included many of Jesus' teachings about the kingdom of heaven, since the Jews were looking for a king. One of the best-known parts of Matthew's gospel is the Sermon on the Mount, which shows Jesus as a great teacher.

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MARK

Mark may have been the first to write down the events of Jesus' life. He is probably the same person who worked for many years as a missionary with Paul and Barnabas. Mark wrote his gospel so the early Christians would know what Jesus was like and why he had to die. He shows Jesus as a man of action and authority. One-third of his book tells the events of Jesus' last week on earth, ending with his death and resurrection.

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LUKE

Luke, the doctor who traveled with Paul, wrote the third gospel. Luke tells us in the first four verses of his book that he wrote this gospel so we would have the true story of Jesus' life. He wrote the fullest, most orderly story of Jesus' life and showed Jesus' love for all kinds of people—not just the rich and important, but also the poor or unpopular.

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JOHN

The fourth gospel was also written by one of Jesus' disciples—John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." John wrote this gospel so that "you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31). John wanted to show that the things Jesus said and the miracles he did prove that He is God. He chose stories that show Jesus's godly powers at times when men were powerless. But he also showed that Jesus was human and could become tired or angry or sad, just like us.

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ACTS

Acts is the second part of Luke's history. It was written so we would have the true story of how the Christian church began and grew. This book is sometimes called "The Acts of the Apostles". It especially tells about the work of two of the apostles—Peter and Paul. Acts can also be called "Acts of the Holy Spirit" because it teaches about the coming and work of the Spirit. The Book of Acts teaches three things about the early church: 1) what the message of the early church was; 2) how the Jews rejected this message and how God sent the apostles to the Gentiles, who accepted the Gospel; and 3) how the early church was treated by the local Roman governments.

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Letters

Except for the last book, Revelation, the rest of the New Testament is made up of letters written by leaders in the early church to local churches and individuals. There are twenty-one letters—thirteen were written by Paul, one (Hebrews) is anonymous, one is by James, two by Peter, three by John, and one by Jude.

ROMANS

Paul probably wrote this letter to the Romans at the end of his third missionary journey. He was returning to Jerusalem, and then he planned to visit Rome and go on to Spain (Romans 15:23-25). The theme of this letter is righteousness. Paul taugh that: 1) no human being is righteous; 2) Jesus Christ is perfectly righteous; 3) if we have faith in Jesus, we are freed from the power of sin, given a new life, and returned to a right relationship with God; 4) we should live Christian lives that are "holy and pleasing to God".

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1 CORINTHIANS

1Corinthians was written by Paul from Ephesus, where he had heard disturbing news about the church at Corinth. The Christians there were not getting along with one another—they were taking sides. And some of them were living sinful lives. Paul wrote this letter to scold them and teach them how Christians should act. Corinth was a wicked city. It was hard for the Christians there not to act like their neighbors. In this letter Paul was trying to teach practical lessons about the Christian life so they would know right from wrong.

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2 CORINTHIANS

When the Corinthians got Paul's first letter, some of the people became angry. But most of them knew that what they were doing was wrong. They sent news to Paul that they would change their behavior. The first part of this letter tells how happy and thankful Paul was when he heard that the Corinthians were sorry for the way they had acted and were now trying to live the way God wanted them to. In the second part of the letter, Paul defended himself against the people who were angry with him and who were saying untrue things about him.

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GALATIANS

Paul wrote this letter to the Christian churches in the Roman providence of Galatia. These churches were being confused by false teachers called Judaizers. These men were teaching the Gentile Christians that they were not really saved unless they obeyed all the Jewish laws—such as being circumcised, eating special foods, and celebrating Jewish feast days. Paul wrote that we cannot be saved from our sins by obeying the law; we are saved only by believing in Jesus Christ. He also taught that Christians are free to live by the law of love, not the law of Moses.

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EPHESIANS

Ephesians was written by Paul while he was in prison in Rome. Probably this letter was sent not just to the church at Ephesus but to all the Christian churches near Ephesus. Ephesus was a large, important city at that time, so it was a natural center for the Christian churches. In this letter Paul wrote about the church—not a church building in a certain place, but the church that is made up of all Christians who have ever lived. We call this the "church universal". Paul wrote that because all Christians are one family in Jesus, they should act with love toward each other.

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PHILIPPIANS

Philippians was also written while Paul was in prison in Rome. The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus to Paul with a gift. While he was in Rome, Epaphroditus became sick, and the Philippian Christians were worried about him. After Epaphroditus was better, Paul sent him back to Philippi with this letter. Even though Paul was writing from prison, this letter is full of joy. Paul was thankful for the love and helpfulness of the Philippians.

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COLOSSIANS

Colossians is a third letter written from prison in rome. Epaphras had come to Rome and told Paul that there were false teachers in Colosse who were telling the people that the Christian faith was incomplete. They were teaching the Colossians to worship angels and to follow special rules and ceremonies. Paul wrote to the Colossians to oppose these false teachers. He reminded them that Jesus is supreme over everything, that His death is all we need to save us from our sins, and that through Him we are free from man-made rules.

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1 THESSALONIANS

Paul started the church at Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. He taught there for about three weeks, but then had to leave because the Jews were opposing him so strongly. Paul wrote this letter from Corinth to encourage the Thessalonians and to teach them more about Christianity. He praised them for being brave and not giving up their faith in spite of sever suffering". He instructed them "how to live in order to please God". And he taught them about Jesus' second coming. He explained that the time of Jesus' coming was secret, so they should keep on working hard till he came.

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2 THESSALONIANS

This letter was sent from Corinth a little while after the first letter. Some people had misunderstood Paul and were sure Jesus was coming very soon. They had stopped working and were just waiting for Jesus. Paul told the Thessalonians again what Jesus' second coming would be like. He reminded them to keep working hard till Jesus came.

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1 TIMOTHY

Timothy was a young friend of Paul's who became a Christian on Paul's first missionary journey. He went with Paul on his second missionary journey and from then on he helped Paul in his work. At the time Paul wrote this letter, Timothy was working as the teacher and leader of the church at Ephesus. Timothy was young to have the important job of leading a church. Paul wrote to give him help and advice for his work. This letter teaches how people in the church should act and what kind of leaders a church should have.

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2 TIMOTHY

When Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy, he was a prisoner in Rome again. He knew that there was no chance of getting out and that he would be killed soon. He wanted to encourage Timothy because he would have to continue Paul's missionary work after Paul's death. Paul gave Timothy more instructions on how to lead a church. He told him to resist false teachers and to be faithful to true Christian teachings.

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TITUS

Titus was another friend and helper of Paul's. He had traveled with Paul on some of his missionary journeys. Now he was working as the leader of the church on Crete. This letter is much like the two letters to Timothy. Paul wanted to teach Titus how to be a good leader of the church. He told him how God's people should behave and what his own responsibities were.

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PHILEMON

Philemon was a leader of the church at Colosse and a friend of Paul's. Philemon's slave, Onesimus, had stolen money from Philemon and had run away to Rome. While he was there he met Paul and became a Christian. Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with this letter. He begged Philemon to forgive Onesimus and to treat him as a brother in Christ rather than a runaway slave.

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HEBREWS

At the time this letter was written, Christians were being hurt and killed because they believed in Jesus. Some of the Jewish Christians were thinking about giving up their Christianity and going back to the Jewish faith. The book of Hebrews was written to teach Jewish Christians that the Christian faith is better in every way that the Jewish faith. It shows how Jesus completed the Jewish faith by making the final sacrifice for sin. After His death, none of the Old Testament sacrifices were needed. Chapter 11—the famous chapter on men of faith in Old Testament times—give Christians examples to follow of faith and trust in God.

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JAMES

The seven books of the New Testament from James through Jude are called the general letters. This first one was written by James,
the brother of Jesus. He was one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. James wrote this letter to teach Christians the practice of Christianity. He insisted that if we have real faith, we will show it by acting like Christians. He gave practical advice on things like anger and quarreling, showing favoritism, taming the tongue, boasting, patience, and prayer.

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1 PETER

1 Peter was written by Peter, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, to the Christians who lived in the northern provinces of Asia Minor. These Christians were being persecuted for their faith, so Peter wrote to encourage them. Peter told these Christians to remember how much Jesus had suffered for them and to follow his example by being brave and trusting God. He said that because God chose them to be His people and because Jesus suffered and died for them, they should live the way God wanted them to.

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2 PETER

2 Peter was written to the same group of Christians as Peter's first letter. These Christians were now in danger of being led astray by false teachers. Peter reminded them that the best way to resist false teachers was to grow in the knowledge and practice of the Christian faith. He warned them that God would destroy the false teachers. Peter also reminded these Christians to live "holy and godly lives", because Jesus would certainly keep His promise to come again.

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1 JOHN

John, the beloved disciple who wrote the fourth gospel, also wrote these next three letters. The first letter was written to warn Christians about dangerous false teachers who were trying to mislead them. They were teaching that the man Jesus was not the Christ, the Son of God. They said that God did not become a man. John wrote about how important it is to know and believe that Jesus Christ is both God and man. He said Christians can know they are God's children if they love one another and if they obey God's commands.

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2 JOHN

John wrote this letter to "the chosen lady and her children". He might have meant either a Christian woman and her family or a church and its members. In this letter John wrote how important it is for Christians to love one another. He said that to love means to obey God's commandments, and God's commandments tell us to live a life of love. John also warned about the dangers of false teachers.

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3 JOHN

3 John was written to Gaius, a friend of John's and a leader in the church. There was a man named Diotrephes in Gaius's church who was refusing to welcome messengers sent by John. He would not recognize John's leadership. John wrote this letter to praise and thank Gaius for his help and to scold Diotrephes for not cooperating. John promised to come to this church soon to deal with this matter personally.

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JUDE

Jude, like James, was a brother of Jesus. He wrote to warn Christians about the same false teachers Peter wrote about in his second letter. These false teachers were not only teaching that Jesus was not the Son of God; they were also leading the people to live sinfully. Jude warned that God would punish and destroy these false teachers just as he had punished sinners in the Old Testament.

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REVELATION

Revelation is the only book of its kind in the New Testament. It is a book about the end of this present world and the beginning of "a new heaven and a new earth". The book of Revelation was written by the apostle John during his exile on the island of Patmos. While John was there, Jesus gave him a vision of what would happen in the future. John wrote this book so Christians who were being persecuted would trust that God controls whatever happens here on earth. John's vision shows that Jesus is the ruler over everyone and everything—even powerful human governments—and He will judge and punish whatever is evil. It also gives Christians a picture of heaven, where we will be with Jesus.

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