1. Introduction
Unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament doesn't contain as much chronological content in the narrative. Although there is less of this, the text provided is crucial to understanding the rest of the New Testament and the doctrine that is taught. In this video we'll discuss the New Testament book of history
2. The New Testament book of history
There is only one book in this group which is
Let's take a closer look at this book
3. Acts
We can identify Luke as the writer of the book of Acts based on the address to Theophilus. This matches the opening of the Gospel account of Luke. The narrative begins with the ascension of Christ as he tells his disciples to return to Jerusalem until they receive power from on high. A replacement is made for Judas who has committed suicide which complements the number of the twelve. This also fulfills prophecy which foretold this event. Acts details the spread of the Gospel beginning at Jerusalem, to Samaria and then to the Gentiles. The latter part of the book focuses on the work of the apostle Paul who, along with his companions, carried the Gospel to the Gentile world. The book closes with Paul's first imprisonment in Rome after appealing to Caesar.
Chapter two begins with the account of the day of Pentecost on which Peter preaches the first Gospel sermon and the remission of sins in the name of Christ. This is a significant point in the overall scriptural text as it demonstrates the establishment of the kingdom Christ stated he would build and that had been prophesied. These events specifically mark the beginning of the New Testament era in a doctrinal sense.
Acts is also important as it shows us how people became Christians. As the Gospel was preached and individuals believed, they followed a set pattern in their obedience that when studied carefully provides us with examples of what must be done today.
The book of Acts, when carefully studied provides information concerning
These are only a few of the things we can learn from Acts relating to the organization, nature and work of the church but it is a book of history and we can use the narrative as a backdrop for the New Testament books that follow. As we read through the book of Acts we can see the establishment of congregations that are later addressed by Paul and other writers as they further explain and define the doctrine that was being revealed. Overall the book of Acts serves as a good way of organizing a study of the later books of the New Testament.
5. Next
In the next video we will examine The Epistles