The 27 books of the New Testament contain biographies of Jesus, historical accounts and letters written to early churches. This canon of books was formally confirmed in the third century.
The Gospels
The gospels (literally ‘good news’) are four accounts of the life of Jesus. Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels and often describe the same events and teaching. The content of the gospel of John is largely unique.
Matthew
The gospel of Matthew is written to a Jewish audience and contains many links to the Old Testament to show how Jesus was the fulfilment of prophecy. The structure of this gospel is similar to Mark but contains longer blocks of Jesus’ teaching.
Mark
Mark is the shortest gospel and was the earliest to be written, believed to be based on the apostle Peter’s account of Jesus’ life. Written to Christians in Rome, this fast-paced book emphasises Jesus’ power and authority.
Luke
Written by Luke, an accomplice of Paul, this book says that it is based on interviews with eye-witnesses to the events of Jesus life and was written for Theophilus, likely to be the patron who funded the work of writing. Written to a Gentile audience, Luke emphasises Jesus’ love for the poor and outcast.
John
This gospel was written by ‘the beloved apostle’, believed to be John, around 90 AD for the purpose of encouraging belief in Jesus. There is a clear focus on the identity of Jesus and his teaching about himself, based around the famous ‘I am’ statements.
Acts
Acts continues on from the gospel of Luke, written by the same author for the same audience. It starts with Jesus’ ascension into heaven and describes the formation of the early church before following the conversion of Saul/Paul and his subsequent missionary journeys. This book acts as a bridge between the gospels and the letters which make up the rest of the New Testament.
The Epistles
The Epistles are letters written to early churches to encourage their faith and rebuke their errors. Most of the letters are written by Paul, along with some from other apostles.
Romans
Written by Paul to the church in Rome, this letter explains the fundamental doctrines of sin and salvation through faith in Jesus alone. After exploring the wonderful implications of this gospel of grace, the letter moves on to apply the gospel to relationships inside and outside the church.
1 Corinthians
Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian church in 53-54 AD in response to a letter he has received from them and reports he had heard. This is mainly a letter of correction, as Paul rebukes many behavioural issues and describes how the gospel of Jesus should shape the life of the church.
2 Corinthians
This second letter to the Corinthian church addresses Paul’s now difficult relationship with them, as Paul defends his authority and describes plans to visit them. Scholars believe that other letters may have been exchanged between Paul and the church between the two letters we have.
Galatians
Written to believers in the province of Galatia, this is an intense letter written by Paul to counter false teaching that the believers were experiencing. Paul stresses the gospel of grace – that they are saved by faith in Jesus, not by ‘works’.
Ephesians
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians in 61-62 AD to encourage and exhort the church. After describing the cosmic scope of Jesus’ redemptive work and the radical reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles, the letter moves on to describe Christian behaviour in the church and the family.
Philippians
The letter to the church in Philippi is a joyful letter written by Paul in prison! Paul encourages the church with their identity in Christ, their partnership with him in the gospel and their perseverance in suffering.
Colossians
This letter describes the supremacy of Jesus and his victory over Satan, sin and death. Paul also warns the believers against relying on religious practices before describing Christian behaviour in a similar way to Ephesians.
1 Thessalonians
Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica is possibly the earliest document in the New Testament, written in 50-51 AD to encourage very recent Gentile converts to Christianity.
2 Thessalonians
Written shortly after 1 Thessalonians, Paul’s second letter is shorter and seems to have been written to address some unhelpful views and false teaching about the return of Christ.
1 Timothy
This letter was written by Paul to Timothy, a younger man who had accompanied Paul on missionary journeys and was now leading the church in Ephesus. Paul encourages him in that leadership and addresses false teachers that were causing problems in the church.
2 Timothy
Written from prison, Paul’s second letter to Timothy picks up many of the themes from the first letter. Paul may think that he is approaching the end of his life and the letter has the feel of a farewell letter.
Titus
Written by Paul to Titus, who was leading the churches in Crete, this letter describes the criteria for raising up healthy leadership for the churches as well as addressing false teaching.
Philemon
A personal letter from Paul to Philemon, a gentile Christian in Colosse to secure forgiveness for the runaway slave Onesimus who has become a believer and is returning home.
Hebrews
This book of unknown authorship is written to Jewish Christians who are suffering persecution. The letter draws on many Old Testament themes and shows how Jesus is the fulfilment of them all, encouraging and warning the readers to continue to put their trust in him.
James
James was the brother of Jesus who led the early church in Jerusalem before being martyred. This letter is not addressed to any particular recipients and covers many practical concerns for churches, including wisdom, suffering, the abuse of power, and the importance of words.
1 Peter
This letter, written by the apostle Peter to churches in five provinces of Asia Minor (Turkey), encourages Christians experiencing suffering and persecution.
2 Peter
Peter’s second letter seeks to see the readers established in their faith, grow in godliness and hope in the certainty of Jesus’ return.
1 John
The first of 3 letters written by the apostle John towards the end of the first century. This letter includes themes of Jesus’ incarnation, the importance of love and the relationship with sin in the life of a believer.
2 John
John’s second letter seems to be written to a specific church to warn them about the teaching of false prophets that have left John’s community.
3 John
This is the shortest book in the Bible, a personal letter written by John to Gaius, a friend in another town, discussing the obligations of hospitality.
Jude
This letter is written by Jude, who describes himself as a brother of James (and therefore of Jesus). The content addresses the threat of some teachers who see God’s grace as a license to sin.
Revelation
The final book of the Bible is different in style to the rest of the New Testament, taking the form of an apocalyptic vision given to John, written around 95 AD. Using vivid imagery to address both contemporary life and the end times, the vision emphasises God’s absolute control of the past, present and future.