The Inspiration of the New Testament:
The Inspiration of the New Testament ~ From the way Jesus and the apostles treated the Old Testament, we can tell that they believed it to be inspired by God. When Paul and Peter declared the Scriptures to be inspired, they were referring primarily to the Old Testament (2Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). We believe the New Testament to be inspired by God as much as the Old Testament for the following reasons: Jesus promised His apostles that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things and bring the things He had taught them to their remembrance (John 14:26; 16:13). Peter, writing toward the end of his life, refers to Paul’s letters which were already in circulation and classifies them as inspired Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). Writings from the Old Testament were combined with writings from the New Testament, and both were considered to be God's Word (e.g., 1 Timothy 5:18 combines Deuteronomy 25:4 and Luke 10:7).
The Interpretation of the New Testament:
The Interpretation of the New Testament The books of the New Testament were actually letters, written under inspiration, sent to people and churches to address different needs and questions (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1; Revelation 1:1-7; etc.). These letters were occasional. This means they were occasioned by a particular need. After determining to whom the letters were sent, we can study the area and its history to better understand what the letter said to those who originally received it. Through a careful reading of each letter, we can draw conclusions as to what the original needs were and then decide how what was written to address those needs addresses our own needs today. To properly interpret and apply the Bible's messages, we need the ministry of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2).
The Canon of the New Testament:
The Canon of the New Testament Definition - In literature a canon is a list of works that would be attributable to a given author. In the case of the New Testament, the author is the Holy Spirit. Decision - Who decided what was inspired? How did they decide? 1. God determined the canon through inspiration. A book was considered inspired if: a. its contents center on Christ (Luke 24:44); 1) Preparation for Christ – Old Testament 2) Manifestation of Christ – Gospels 3) Propagation of Christ – Acts 4) Explanation of Christ – Epistles 5) Consummation in Christ – Revelation
The Canon of the New Testament:
The Canon of the New Testament b. its effect is transformation for good; and c. it was accepted by the early Christian Church as inspired. 2. Men recognized the canon. a. Early church fathers quoted from various sources distinguishing between books which they deemed authoritative and those which they didn't. b. Two church councils convening in 397 and 419 A.D. affirmed 27 books to be canonical (the same ones we have today). Involved in their decision was the question whether the books and writers bore apostolic authority. The writer either had to be an apostle (Matthew, John, Paul, Peter) or be closely associated with an apostle (Mark, Luke, James, Jude).
The Dating of the New Testament:
The Dating of the New Testament Some of the New Testament books bear internal witness as to when certain events occurred ( egs . Acts 18:1-2, 12; Luke 2:1-2; Rev. 1:9-10). By dating the events, we get an idea as to when the book was written. The letters of Paul are dated according to his 3 missionary journeys and his journey to Rome, as recorded in Acts. A chronology for the writing of the New Testament might look something like this (all dates are A.D.):
The Dating of the New Testament:
The Dating of the New Testament James (30 - 47) 2. Galatians (48/49) 3. 1 & 2 Thessalonians (50 - 52) 4. Matthew (52 - 59) 5. 1 & 2 Corinthians, Romans (52 - 56) 6. Luke (57/58) Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Acts (58-61) 8 . 1 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter (61 - 64) 9. 2 Peter (64) 10. 2 Timothy (64 - 67) 11. Hebrews, Mark, Jude (67 - 70) 12. John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation (85 - 95)