Mark is one of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Mark may be the earliest gospel written. These books have a lot of content in common and they also have a common outline. The outline of these books is geographic: 1. the Galilee ministry 2. On the way to Jerusalem 3. In Jerusalem In the Galilee …
Galatians is a Pauline epistle written around 49-50 A.D. It is perhaps the first New Testament book written with the possible exception of the book of James. Paul, the apostle, established the Galatian churches in Asia Minor, but some Judaizers (Jewish legalists) apparently came afterwards to stir up trouble for Paul and his gospel. They insisted Christians must …
The epistle of James is a practical wisdom book in the NT. It emphasizes maturing in the Christian faith so that one’s life matches up with biblical precepts. Suffering is the context within which faith produces maturity. Suffering is connected to every aspect of the Christian life. The Christian who endures matures. The end result …
The book of Genesis, the first book of the bible, is the beginning of the Torah, or law. It is actually composed of ten books after the prologue, all which start with the phrase “This is the account of”, or Toledot in Hebrew. The book can also be divided into the Primeval History in the first 11 chapters …
The gospel of John is unique among the four gospels. It focuses on Jewish festivals and the last week of the life of Jesus Christ. John 20: 31 shares the purpose of the book: so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we might have life in his …
The book of Daniel is unique in the Old Testament. It is classified as “Writing” by Jewish thought. It is clearly prophetic in the first half of the book with stories of the exploits of Daniel and his friends. The second half of the book is apocalyptic. Daniel, especially chapter 7, is foundational to the NT …
The Pastoral Epistles (1Timothy, 2Timothy and Titus) reveal Paul dealing with false teachers in the church. The gospel cannot be compromised (see the gospel tract on the website). It must be believed, understood deeply and responded to so the people of God have their lives transformed. Paul reinforces the gospel message in these last letters that …
Ecclesiastes is the most philosophical book in the bible and one of the hardest books to understand in the Old Testament (OT). It is difficult because the approach to its interpretation is not intuitive. The narrator, who wrote the prologue and epilogue, is warning his son (12:12) against the danger of Qohelet’s (the sage who wrote …
Solomon wrote much of Proverbs, along with Agur (chapter 30) and Lemuel (chapter 31). Proverbs is a wisdom book along with Job, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. A proverb is a brief statement which can state an insight, make an observation, or offer advice in the form of an admonition or prohibition…it does not teach a universally valid …
The apocalyptic genre in the NT is found in the Book of Revelation. A lot of confusion exists about how to interpret this book because many don’t understand the importance of genre in the approach to a book of the bible. Apocalyptic is a genre which can be defined as revelatory literature which tells a story, given from …
