NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament is a collection of twenty-seven documents: (a) They are classified as "scripture," a term suggesting a divine writing (1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Pet. 3:16). (b) Eight known writers -- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, and Jude -- produced these books. (c) The time of composition covered approximately fifty years. The final book, Revelation, was completed about A.D. 96. (d) The first four books are biographical in design, providing select details of the life of Christ. Acts is a history of the growth of the early church. Romans through Jude are instructional letters to churches and individual Christians. Revelation is prophetic in content, showing the ultimate victory of truth over error. (e) The value of the N.T. is in the fact that it shows that the promised Messiah was manifested in Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Son of God. It reveals the establishment of his church and its explosive growth in the first-century world. It provides instruction as to how one becomes a Christian and how he remains faithful in his service to God. It bestows confidence in the final triumph of God's plan over the evil forces of the world.