Bible Basics: What Is the Story of the New Testament?

The New Testament tells us the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It then describes the spread of Christianity. It ends looking forward to Jesus’ return and his future reign. In order to help you understand the New Testament, we’ve put together this overview of its message, and how the message relates to the books of the New Testament.

Jesus came to earth to fulfill God’s promises.

As we learned in the last episode, in the Old Testament, God had made a promise to a man named Abraham: the promise that God would save the entire world from sin and its bitter effects. Sin alienates people from God and calls for his just condemnation. Sin brings death and trouble into the world. Yet when the Old Testament ended, God had not finished this part of the promise. He hadn’t yet rescued and redeemed the world. That’s what Jesus’ coming was all about. He came as the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, as well as many other promises in the Old Testament.

The very first verse in the New Testament is rooted in the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise.

• Matthew 1:1 (NLT) This is the record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham.

The coming of Jesus fulfills the story of the Old Testament. That’s why, as Christians, it is so important to read the Old Testament, because it tells us everything God was doing until the coming of Jesus. It also provides a context to understand the death of Jesus and his resurrection.

Jesus died and rose again to save people from their sins.

Jesus came to this earth to die on the cross for our sins. He did a lot of other important things, but Jesus’ most important action was to die in our place, on the cross, for our sins, so that we could be rescued.

This is the emphasis of the Gospels, the four books that appear first in the New Testament. The Gospels are accounts of Jesus’ life. The first, Matthew, was written to tell Jewish people how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. Matthew presents Jesus as an authoritative teacher, including five large blocks of Jesus’ messages. The second, Mark, provides a vivid, dramatic overview of Jesus’ life. He emphasizes what Jesus did more than what he said, pointing to his identity as the suffering Son of God who offers himself as a sacrifice for sins. Luke traveled with the apostle Paul. His gospel stresses that Jesus is the Savior for all people, including the lowly and marginalized. Jesus brings the promise of rescue to all ethnic groups.  Like Matthew, John was an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry. His is the most theological of the four Gospels. He points to Jesus as the eternal Son of God, the self-revelation of God the Father in human flesh. While each of the gospels reveals aspects of who Jesus is, they all reach a climax by giving extended attention to his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.

This focus on Jesus’ death and resurrection is maintained throughout the New Testament. It contains many letters written by apostles like James, John, Peter and Paul to individuals and churches, in part to explain how Jesus is our Savior, and reinforcing his death and resurrection.

Paul wrote many of these books with this same message. For example, the book of Romans gives us perhaps the most basic explanation of Jesus’ role in God’s plan of salvation, including an understanding of sin, justification, and new life. For example:

• Romans 5:1 (NLT) Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

This verse explains how Jesus’ death on a cross connects to our lives.  When we believe (put our faith in) him, we receive forgiveness for our sins. The connection with God that humanity lost in the Garden of Eden was restored through Jesus Christ. We’re forgiven of  our sins and we receive eternal life. That’s a really important theme, not just in the New Testament, but through the whole Bible.

For example, Paul also wrote Galatians, in response to threats by false teachers, stressing that we are made right with God by faith in Jesus alone, not by obedience to religious laws or by religious rituals. His letter to the Ephesians covers many topics, but centers on God’s eternal purpose and grace. He explains how Christ has reconciled all creation with God, and how Christ has united people from all ethnic groups with himself and into his church. In 1 Corinthians, Paul strongly reprimands the church for problems in their conduct, and includes a strong section about the resurrection of Jesus and what it means to believers.

No one knows who wrote the book of Hebrews, but it helps to make the connection very clear between the Old Testament and the saving work of Jesus. Jesus is the substance of all Old Testament laws and rituals, so he is the one who fully reveals and mediates God’s grace.

Jesus commissioned his followers to make disciples.

Before Jesus returned to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father (where he is right now) he gave us an important command. After he saved us and rescued us, he then commissioned us and sent us out. These words apply to us as much as the first hearers.

• Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The rest of the New Testament explains how Christians did this, how they went out into the world and told their friends – and strangers even – about the good news of Jesus Christ and his salvation for them.

Much of this is recorded in the Book of Acts. It was written by the same Luke who wrote one of the Gospels. Acts captures the story of how Jesus worked in his church through the Holy Spirit, leading his people to fulfill his commission. It describes how the church grew numerically and expanded across the Roman world. The first half focuses on Peter’s role, while the second half follows the work of Paul. Acts helps us understand how you and I can go out into the world and tell people about Jesus.

Earlier, we saw how the letters of the apostles reinforce the saving work of Jesus on the cross and his wonderful resurrection. They also help those who become his disciples to live as followers of Jesus in ways that honor God.

Paul wrote many New Testament letters, which are called the “Pauline Epistles.” He wrote several to churches. 2 Corinthians is his second letter to the Christians in Corinth. He recounts the troubles he has faced in his ministry and expresses his joy in their response to his first letter. He then defends his authority as an apostle of Jesus and confirms the disciples in their faith. Paul wrote Philippians to thank the church for a gift they had sent him. He urges them to stand firm in the face of persecution, to rejoice in every situation, and to live as citizens of the heavenly kingdom. Paul wrote to the Colossians to refute false teachings about Jesus. Jesus, he says, is the very fullness of God, the Creator, and the head of the church. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in him. Paul also wants them to know who they are in Christ, and how they should accordingly live.

Paul wrote four individual letters, including two to his long-time coworker Timothy. 1 Timothy gives him instructions about how to lead the church with sound teaching and godly example. In 2 Timothy, Paul again offers guidance in ministry, knowing that his life will soon be over. He focuses on Timothy’s own life and character, and encourages him to be steadfast and to prepare others for ministry. Paul wrote Titus to another coworker. He had left Titus on Crete to help the new believers there, so he sent him advice for how to organize the churches and help the believers pursue godliness. He wrote Philemon to a friend, about one of his slaves who had run away. This slave met Paul in Rome and came to faith in Jesus. Paul interceded for him with his master.

The central theme of following Jesus as a disciple is also central in the “General Epistles” – those written by other apostles apart from Paul.

The letter of James, written by the brother of Jesus, tells Christians that genuine faith will result in a life of good works, including faithfulness in trials, listening to God’s word, and avoiding favoritism and prejudice.

The apostle Peter wrote two New Testament letters. In 1 Peter, he seeks to encourage believers who are persecuted or suffering, instructing them to look to Jesus for hope, and to remain faithful and to live a God-honoring life. In 2 Peter, he warns about trouble that will arise within the church, such as false teachers.

The apostle John wrote three letters. 1 John is the longest. It addresses a false teaching that claimed God would never become flesh, because flesh is bad. John offers us assurance of salvation based on Jesus’ work. It also warns how Christians who stray from the truth can also easily stray from their obedience to God. 2 John and 3 John are very short letters dealing with specific people and issues that John was familiar with.

The last General Epistle is Jude, the brother of Jesus. He writes to encourage believers to stand up for the faith, and to warn them about false teachers who sought to undermine their obedience.

In these New Testament books, we see that through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, as God’s people, we can be changed. We can be mature disciples of Jesus. And we learn that together with God’s people, we can change the world. We can make disciples for Jesus. The New Testament shows us that God’s church is not perfect. Christians are not perfect by any means. But under the lordship of Jesus Christ, fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can transform the world and bring glory to the name of Jesus Christ.

Now let’s look at the final part of the story of the New Testament…

The end of history is already written, and God wins. 

After explaining what happened with Christians in the first century, and giving us a lot of ideas about how to live lives of faith, of honoring God and helping others, the Bible looks to the future. It tells us how Jesus will return one day. And when he returns, God will deal with sin and death forever, to eternally restore his relationship with his people. This theme appears frequently in the New Testament. For example, in 1 Thessalonians, Paul expands on the future coming of Jesus. In 2 Thessalonians, he exhorts believers to stand firm in their faith until Jesus comes back.

But God’s future for his creation is most vividly expressed in the Book of Revelation. This book is mainly a record of the apostle John’s visions of events that are to happen in the future, surrounding the return of Jesus. Using “apocalyptic” language, full of symbols and images, it warns of the final showdown between God and Satan, which is ultimately won by Jesus when he comes. His appearance will usher in an eternity of blessedness. Revelation explains that God and Jesus are on the throne, and it describes what God’s future plans for his people look like.

• Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT) “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

God’s future for us is depicted as paradise. For those who believe in Jesus, it says that we will be connected to God – and to God’s people – for all eternity. We will live lives of deep meaning and purpose as we worship God. This future God is calling us toward is the hope-filled end of the New Testament. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, it’s not just some fairy-tale future. It is your assurance.

The Takeaway

I hope you will read the New Testament. As you read it, I hope that you will get to know Jesus Christ, and get to know God’s great plan for you, for the whole universe, and for his church.