Touchpoint Bible Study

New Testament

The New Testament is the fulfillment of the law of the Old Testament as the promises and prophesy of the Old Testament is completed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist announced the arrival of the kingdom of God which was realized through Jesus, and which fulfilled God's lasting promise to both Jew and Gentile. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, spent his childhood in Nazareth, and began his ministry at the age of 13. He was the final prophet predicted by Moses (Deut. 18:15, Acts 3:22-23; 7:37) and held authority of God as fully being divine and human. This was the achievement of his virgin birth of his mother Mary, through the divine nature of the Holy Spirt, creating both a man and divinity. 

Jesus was able to demonstrate his anointing and position in the holy trinity through his miracles, wonders, and command over demons and all things of the spiritual realm. Jesus is the Son of Man who received the kingdom from the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:13-14) and will reign forever as the final king in the line of David. He realized the promise that One would sit on the throne of David forever. Jesus is specifically called "God." (John 1:1, 18; 20-28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1) 

The New Testament created a radically different view of salvation throughout the whole of mankind. Salvation that cannot be earned through works but by the saving grace alone of understanding, accepting, and receiving the gift of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross to save us from impending mortal doom by being the final sacrificial lamb for our sins. The New Testament focuses on the redeeming nature of the sacrifice on the cross and the suffering that Christ went through, as a perfect and sinless human being, to act as a replacement for our imperfect and sinful human nature. Thus, restoring the initial sinful act of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden while simultaneously replacing the law and sacrificial system of the Tabernacle/Temple system in the Mosaic law. 

Jesus stated that a man must be born again in the spirit and the water to inherent the kingdom of God (John 3:3-6) and that no man can be with God without going through him. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. To know Jesus is to know his father also. (John 14:6-7) Jesus gave his word to send the holy spirit to those that were his disciples in his age, during Pentecost after Jesus had arisen to take on the right-handed seat of God the father. (Acts 2:1-4, 33). Christians today receive the gift of the Holy Spirit upon receiving Christ within their hearts, in order to bear witness to Christ and acting as a mark of a person belonging to the house of God. (Acts 10:44-48; 15: 7-9; Rom. 8:9; Gal. 3:1-5). The Holy Spirit than produces gifts within the practicing Christian that glorifies God's kingdom and can serve as evidence of the spiritual realm and the power of Christianity. The New Testament is a supernatural testament to the spirit world, and God's authority is still demonstrated this day, through the miracle healings and deliverance spoken in the name of Jesus. 

The New Testament is 27 books written by 15 or 16 different authors and contains four different groups including the gospels, the acts, the epistles, and apocalypse. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have 2 books represented by Apostles: Matthew (Levi) and John. Luke and Mark were associates of Apostles Paul and Peter, respectively. Mark was Peter's translator as Peter likely was not fully fluent in Greek and Luke was considered a gentile or a Hellenistic Jew that did not follow all the common Jewish traditions. Luke is considered the author of the gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. 

New Testament Timeline [10]