New Testament Overview
About This Class
Over the course of 20 lectures, Dr. Carl Laney walks you through a moderately detailed overview of the New Testament with ministry applications. You will begin with God’s plan for the ages, then move to a discussion of the historical context and key events in the life of Jesus. After a couple of lectures on James and the testing of our faith, Dr. Laney highlights Paul’s missionary journeys, his trip to Rome and his subsequent imprisonment. The New Testament survey continues with a study through the books of I and II Timothy, Titus, Hebrews and concludes with the book of Revelation.
Recommended Reading:
A Survey of the New Testament: 5th Edition, by Robert Gundry
J. Carl Laney
Lessons
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An overview of the New Testament is necessary for Biblical literacy. You need to know more than Bible stories with moral lessons. What you need is a worldview of God’s encompassing plan for the ages. Keep your eyes on the road. If only you watch those things directly in front of you, you can lose perspective of God's bigger plan and overcorrect your course. However, if you keep your focus on the big picture, you can steer a straight course. This lecture calls your attention to the main point: God’s sovereignty over all, including history, and God's redemptive plan for humankind.
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This second lecture focuses on God’s plan to reclaim his kingdom, and execute judgment on Satan and his followers. Humanity joined with Satan to rebel against God, and yet in God’s infinite grace and mercy, God has a plan for you along with the rest of humanity (John 3:16). This plan reasserts God's sovereignty over all creation, including humanity and Satan and his followers.
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In this third lecture, Dr. Laney gives a brief inter-testament timeline leading up the physical presence of Jesus on earth. You will learn about the synoptic gospels and listen to a brief discussion of the four source theory of the synoptic gospels and its difficulties. A brief overview of the design and purpose of the gospels gives proof to the divine authorship of scripture. Finally, you will learn about the land which God chose to reveal himself to not only Israel but also to the Gentiles, which points again to the scope of God’s redemptive plan for humanity.
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In this fourth lecture, you will learn about significant events in the life of Jesus Christ our Lord. You will start with the most significant event in human history, the birth of Jesus, with which begins the fulfillment of God’s plan for the ages: the redemption of humanity. As you read about his baptism, the temptations he faced, the offer of his Kingdom, the miracles he performed, the rejection of Israel, his teachings through parables, the transfiguration, his entry into Jerusalem, his death, resurrection, and ultimately his ascension, you will stand amazed at how each one validates who Jesus is: your Savior and your King, sent by God the Father out of love and mercy for your redemption.
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Chapters 1-2.
Ten days after the ascension of Jesus came the Feast of the Pentecost. It was on this day that the early church received the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised. As a result of the indwelling and empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit the church grew. With that growth also came persecution. In this lesson, you will learn about the testing of a living faith, the response of your faith to the trials you face and the importance of your response to the Word of God. You are challenged to ask yourself “what does active faith look like?”
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Beginning in Chapter 3, James emphasizes the power of your words and the importance of controlling what you say. He also addresses the importance of wisdom, treating the poor with compassion, praying for each other and knowing and being able to accurately teach the gospel.
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Acts 13 - 14
The people in the church in Antioch, Syria were led by the Spirit to send out Paul and Barnabas to preach the gospel to the gentiles. Cyprus was their first stop and then they went on to Asia Minor. The Lord empowered them to perform miracles when they faced opposition. People responded to the gospel by becoming disciples of Jesus.
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The Jerusalem Council, Acts 15
Paul and Barnabas were faithful to preach the gospel, even though they faced opposition and physical persecution. As gentiles became disciples of Jesus, there was the question of whether or not they needed to follow Judaism in order to be a part of the early church. In the Jerusalem Council, the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas agreed on an answer to this question and gave Paul and Barnabas a letter they could take with them to churches in other cities.
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Acts 16-17:10, Philippi and Thessalonica
Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways for a while because they disagreed about whether or not to take John Mark with them. Paul went to Asia Minor, Macedonia and Greece with Silas.
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After leaving Macedonia, Paul went to Athens. He preached on Mars hill to the Areopagus, using the, “altar to the unknown god,” as a way to explain to them about Jesus. After that, he spent some time in Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila, met up with Silas and Timothy who had recently been in Thessalonica, then traveled back to Jerusalem. On the way, he stopped at Ephesus and Antioch of Syria.
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Priscilla and Aquila mentored Apollos in Ephesus and he went on to have a ministry that was influential to people in a wide geographical area. There were also believers there who hadn't heard about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When Paul prayed with them and laid hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. To them, this was a confirmation of the prophecy in Joel chapter 2. As people responded to Paul's preaching, Demetrius and others associated with the temple of Artemus confronted Paul because they saw this as a threat to their religion and their occupation of making idols. After continuing to preach in Ephesus and also write the book of Romans, Paul traveled to a few more cities, then left for Jerusalem. He stopped in Ephesus to say goodby to the elders that he had relationship with, and charged them to watch over and encourage the believers there.
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Letter to the Romans
The letter to the Romans has had a significant influence on our Christian faith and in our understanding of the Gospel. It was a pivotal book in directing reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin. In Luther’s introduction to his commentary on Romans, he writes, “Night and day, I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement, the just shall live by his faith. Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through shear grace and mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt my self to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into Paradise. The whole scripture took on a new meaning and whereas before the justice of God had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. The passage of Paul became to me the gate of Heaven.” The purpose of this lecture is to summarize the main points of Romans and to offer some insights into the foundational ideas that the apostle Paul presents.
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In this section of the book of Acts, you can travel with the Apostle Paul as he is transported to Rome as a prisoner. Just before the last part of the trip, Paul warns the crew to wait for better weather. They proceed anyway and get caught in a storm that destroys the ship near the coast of Malta, where everyone makes it ashore. While they are there, Paul is bit by a poisonous snake, but God miraculously heals him. When they are able to get another ship, they go on their way and arrive in Rome.
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Paul's Imprisonment and Ministry in Rome. By this time, Paul is living in Rome as a prisoner under house arrest. As Paul writes the book of Ephesians, he uses the metaphor of, "sit, walk, stand," to describe how we live life as a fully devoted follower of Jesus. In Philippians, he emphasizes living with an attitude of joy, even in times of suffering. A major theme in Colossians is how Jesus is the, "image" of God the Father. Philemon is an example of reconciliation because of the work of a mediator.
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1 Timothy and Titus
After the conclusion of the book of Acts, you don’t have a historical account of Paul’s activities. However, there is a significant amount of information from his letters that give you an indication of where he may have traveled. It was during this time that Paul wrote a group of letters that are referred to as the, “pastoral epistles.” They are letters to teach and encourage a couple people that have recently become pastors.
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Titus and 2 Timothy
The letter to Titus and the second letter to Timothy are written to encourage and instruct a couple people who have each recently begun to shepherd a congregation. Paul encourages them to be people of integrity, choose leaders of good character, value the teachings of scripture, teach sound doctrine and refute error. Some of the comments reflect the close personal relationship that Paul had with each of them.
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The Superior Person of Christ
The author of the book of Hebrews is not known, but the book teaches us about how the person and work of Christ is superior to everything that has happened before he lived on earth. He is better than the visions and dreams of the prophets because he is an exact representation of God. He is also superior to Moses, Aaron, the angels and the high priest. There are passages that warn you that there are consequences if you don’t press on in your relationship with Jesus.
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The Work of Christ and Life of Faith
The work of Christ is superior to the old covenant because it’s not limited to a physical sanctuary, it is based on Christ’s sacrifice not the blood of sacrificial animals, and the Spirit lives in you to give you access to God. This should encourage you to persevere in your life of faith and live it out in practical ways.
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Letters to the Churches
God gave the apostle John a vision about churches in 7 cities at that time and prophecies about future events. John was exiled for his faith to the island of Patmos. Some of the churches were commended for their faith and some were rebuked for areas of failure and encouraged to repent and return to living their lives by loving God.
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End Times
The prophetic section of Revelation describes the tribulation and judgment that will take place on the earth before Christ returns. After the 1,000 year reign of Jesus, Satan will be vanquished and the final “great white throne judgment” will take place. Then the “New Jerusalem” will descend on the earth and believers will enjoy fellowship with Jesus and each other forever. “Revelation shows us that the bad guys lose, Jesus wins and we all get to be with God in the new heaven and new earth.”
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