Faith & Reason Nexus

The New Testament is divided into five sections:

1. Gospels: This section includes Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each Gospel provides a unique perspective on the life of Jesus. Notably, only Matthew and John were direct disciples of Jesus, while Mark was a disciple of Peter and Luke was a physician who accompanied Paul.
2. History: This section contains just one book, the Acts of the Apostles, which details the early church’s history.
3. Pauline Epistles: These letters are attributed to Paul and are divided into:
4. General Epistles: Written by other apostles, these include:
5. Prophecy: This section contains the Book of Revelation, which offers prophetic visions.

• Church Epistles: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians.
• Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus.
• Prison Epistles: Philemon and Hebrews (though Hebrews’ authorship is debated).

• James (written by James)
• 1 Peter and 2 Peter (written by Peter)
• 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John (written by John)
• Jude (written by Jude)

In exploring the Gospels, it’s interesting to note that although only Matthew and John were Jesus’ disciples, Mark (a disciple of Peter) and Luke (a physician and companion of Paul) also contributed. Mark’s Gospel is sometimes referred to as the “Gospel of Peter” due to his connection with Peter, while Luke, a Greek who converted to Christianity under Paul’s ministry, wrote the third Gospel.

In the Gospels, each author presents a different perspective on Jesus to suit their audience:

1. Matthew: This Gospel portrays Jesus as the Messiah and King, focusing on how Jesus fulfills Jewish prophecies and addressing a primarily Jewish audience. It emphasizes Jesus’ royal lineage and his role as the awaited King.
2. Mark: Mark’s Gospel, the shortest of the four, is aimed at the Romans. It presents Jesus as a servant and is characterized by its quick, straightforward narrative, reflecting the Romans’ preference for brevity and efficiency.
3. Luke: Luke writes for a Greek audience and is addressed to a person named Theophilus. It highlights Jesus’ human nature, portraying him as the Son of Man. Luke’s Gospel includes many details about Jesus’ compassion and humanity, aiming to connect with a Greek audience interested in the human aspects of Jesus.
4. John: which also addresses a Jewish audience, focuses on presenting Jesus as the Son of God, emphasizing his divine nature. Unlike the other Gospels, John starts with a cosmic perspective, stating, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He highlights Jesus’ divinity through a selection of seven specific miracles, which are meant to illustrate different facets of Jesus’ divine nature. John also omits the parables found in the other Gospels, as his focus is strictly on showcasing Jesus’ godhood.

In the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, you can trace a continuous narrative from the birth of Jesus to the spread of Christianity to Rome. Luke concludes with Jesus’ ascension into heaven from the Mount of Olives, a scene that is picked up in Acts.

The Book of Acts starts where Luke ends, with Jesus’ ascension and his instruction to his followers to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 outlines a progression: the disciples will receive the Spirit in Jerusalem, then witness in Judea, Samaria, and eventually to the ends of the earth. This sequence mirrors the spread of the Gospel throughout Acts.

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples in Jerusalem, leading to Peter’s first sermon and the baptism of about 3,000 people, marking the beginning of the Christian church. As Acts progresses, it shows the church’s growth and the challenges it faces, including issues such as the distribution of food among the early believers described in Acts 6.

In the early church, there was a division between Greek-speaking and Hebrew-speaking Christians, which led to the appointment of seven deacons to handle the distribution of food. One notable deacon was Philip, who played a key role in the spread of Christianity beyond Jerusalem.

Philip traveled to Samaria and then followed divine instructions to head south to meet an Ethiopian eunuch. This eunuch, who was a high-ranking official in his country, had been in Jerusalem and was reading the Book of Isaiah. Philip explained the Gospel to him, and the eunuch was baptized. This marked the spread of Christianity to Ethiopia, symbolizing the expansion of the Gospel to the “ends of the earth” as described in Acts 1:8.

The Book of Acts details this expansion of Christianity from Jerusalem to Judea, then to Samaria, and finally to the Ethiopian eunuch. The narrative also covers the conversion of Saul, a persecutor of Christians, who becomes Paul and undertakes three major missionary journeys, spreading Christianity further. The book concludes with Paul in Rome, preaching for two years, marking the Gospel’s reach to the heart of the Roman Empire.

Acts provides not only a historical account of the early church but also spiritual and theological insights into its development and challenges. It begins with the church’s growth in Jerusalem, its expansion into Judea and Samaria, and concludes with its establishment in Rome, the world capital of that era.