New Testament Survey

Structure

The New Testament is the story of this coming, this fulfillment of the God’s events and plans.

To better understand the structure of the New Testament, let us review the make-up of the writings. We have all heard the first five books of the Old Testament referred to as the “books of the law.” How does the New Testament break down in such a comparison? Consider some of the details.

OLD TESTAMENT

39 books
929 chapters
Written over 1100 years (1450 to 350 B.C.)
Covers over 4,000 years
About 31 authors

NEW TESTAMENT

27 books
260 chapters
Written over 50-55 years (A.D. 45 to 95-100)
Covers about 100 years
About 9 authors

Another break down concerns the divisions of materials:

The Divisions of the Old and New Testmaents
TYPE	OLD TESTAMENT	NEW TESTAMENT
Beginnings / Law	Gen – Deut	Matt – John
History	Judges - Esther	Acts
Wisdom/Poetry	Job – Song of Sol.	Epistles Romans - Jude
Prophecy	Isaiah - Malachi	Revelation

The order of the New Testament is one of logical sequence, not one of chronology. This is especially true if one views the order of writing. The letter of James is probably the first of the books of the New Testament to be reduced to writing. It covers the concepts of how a Christian should live his life. James assumes his audience has already received salvation. The writings of John, including his Gospel, are the last books of the New Testament to be written. Viewed in this fashion, the order is wrong, since one cannot be a Christian and be concerned about the matters of James until one has learned who Christ is and how one brings Him into one’s life. This is the material of John’s Gospel!

There is much disagreement among scholars and learned pastors over the centuries on the dating of some of the books of the New Testament. Many think John wrote in the late 60s, not at the end of the century. Some think Galatians was written much later in Paul’s life (closer to A.D. 60) than in the late 40s. These differences do not affect the validity of what is said in the writings, nor their inclusion in God’s Bible. These differences generally arise from theological presuppositions rather than from any specific information supporting a different date. A generally accepted set of dates is as follows:

The dates of the writing of the books of the New Testament
BOOK	DATE A.D.
James	45
Galatians	49
1-2 Thess.	50/51
Mark	50s or 60s
Matthew	50s or 60s
1 Cor	54/55
2 Cor	55/56
Romans	56/57
Colossians	61/63
Ephesians	61/63
Philippians	61-63
Philemon	61-63
Luke	61-63
1 Peter	63-67
1 Timothy	63/64
Titus	63/64
Acts	64/65
2 Peter	64-67
2 Timothy	64/65
Hebrews	68/69
Jude	68/69
John	85-95
1,2,3 John	85-95
Revelation	85-95

What difference does this history make to you?

Why?

Describe the Pharisee, scribes, and Sadducees. Do they resemble anyone in the modern day church?

Is a synagogue like a church? Why? Why not?

What does church do for you?

22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Proverbs 1:22-33

This is the world without Christ. Does it resemble anyone you know?

How do they live?

What do you do about it?

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