William F. Cook III - Journey through the New Testament: Understanding the Purpose, Themes, and Practical Implications of Each New Testament Book of the Bible

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Journey through the New Testament: Understanding the Purpose, Themes, and Practical Implications of Each New Testament Book of the Bible

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ISBN 978-1-4964-6192-6

Build: 2022-04-07 10:50:39 EPUB 3.0

G ODS S PIRIT USES Gods Word to conform Gods people into the image of Gods Son, Jesus Christ. Whether you are preparing for vocational Christian ministry or are just beginning your acquaintance with the Bible, this book is for you.

Although Journey through the New Testament introduces readers to the second half of the Bible, dont think of it as a traditional introduction. Many New Testament introductions provide comprehensive background information on each book, discussing details of authorship, date, and provenance. Journey through the New Testament focuses more on the content of each book and asks readers to use it with an open Bible. We live in a biblically illiterate culture, which means we must work hard to master the content and major themes of each New Testament book.

I am both a seminary professor and a pastor. I have taught ministerial students for more than thirty years and have served more than twenty years as lead pastor at the Ninth and O Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. These dual roles have provided me the opportunity to train future servants of the church while implementing in the local church what I teach my seminary students. All ministerial training should glorify Christ and build up the church.

The church of Jesus Christ needs men and women saturated in biblical truth. Everything that ministers of the gospel do should begin with the Word of God. We regularly read today about the fall of once-influential Christian leaders who knew the Word of God intellectually, but who did not allow the Word of God to daily transform their lives. This is why I ask you to read this book with an open Bible. As you read, look up every Scripture passage and cross-reference. As you read about Matthews Gospel, for example, also read the text of Matthews Gospel. Measure my words by Gods Word. I want to help you become better equipped to serve the church of Jesus Christ.

The church needs competent servants in the Word who have a passion for God and who also love the church. A calling to gospel ministry is wonderful but not easy. Satan, a roaring lion, seeks whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). John the apostle describes the churchs archenemy as a dragon, making war against the saints (Revelation 12:17). God has not abandoned us to our foe, but rather indwells us by his Spirit, gives us access into his presence, and provides us with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). God is still looking for men and women ready to be used for Kingdom advancement.

T HE FOUR G OSPELS and the book of Acts make up nearly 60 percent of the New Testament. The Gospels focus on the life of Christ, while Acts recounts the expansion of the church. The word gospel means good news. The four Gospels present the Good News concerning Jesus Christ. Each Gospel tells the story of Jesus from the authors own perspective. The four Gospels resemble each other at certain points, while at other points look quite distinct.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Lukeknown as the synoptic Gospelsresemble each other much more than Johns Gospel. In fact, approximately 90 percent of Johns Gospel is unique to him. The word synoptic means to look at something from a common perspective. Though the first three Gospels have much in common, they still present Jesus life from their own distinctive vantage points. For Matthew, Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, the Son of David. For Mark, Jesus is the powerful, miracle-working Son of God. Luke presents Jesus as the Savior of all people. John, writing last, declares that Jesus Christ is God. As you read the Gospels, pray that the Holy Spirit will develop in you a greater love for Jesus and a greater passion to take his message across the street and around the world.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off, especially Lukes Gospel. Luke, a traveling companion of Paul, wrote both the third Gospel and Acts. Acts traces the spread of the Good News from Jerusalem to Rome. Along the way, Luke tells stories to help his readers trust God to do great things through them.

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Jesus Is the Son of David

T HE G OSPEL OF M ATTHEW serves as a doorway from the Old Testament into the New Testament. If the author is the apostle Matthew (Levi), it could not have been written by a more unlikely candidate. Before Matthew followed Jesus, he worked as a tax collector (Matthew 9:9). His fellow Jews would have hated him because of his collaboration with Rome.

But the question remains: Did Matthew write the first Gospel? Strictly speaking, the writer is anonymous, unless the superscription (According to Matthew) was part of the Gospel from its beginning. More likely, scribes added the superscription around AD 125 to distinguish it from the other Gospels. Whether the superscription formed an original part of the Gospel or was added early in the second century, it provides strong evidence for Matthews authorship. In addition, the early church writers unanimously affirmed Matthew as the author of the Gospel. It is hard to imagine the early church attributing the Gospel to a former tax collectorone of the lesser-known apostlesunless he wrote it.

Key Places in Matthew

What do we know about Matthew? Not much, but we can gain some insights about him from reading his Gospel. Since the Jewish people despised tax collectors and typically thought of them as traitors because of their collaboration with Rome, Matthew would have felt distant from most of his countrymen and disenfranchised by the Jewish religion. Matthews authorship demonstrates Jesus power to change the lives of the most unlikely of people, even tax collectors.