Introduction to the Old Testament

The Old Testament (OT) consists of 39 books, written and collected over a period exceeding 1,000
years. The Bible is the sacred or holy Book to both Jews and Christians. Jesus and his apostles
embraced and used the Bible because it is the Word of God. Christians have always read the Bible
for comfort, strength, encouragement, guidance, instruction, vision for future, warning e.t.c. The
Old Testament books are of unequal length for instance the book of Obadiah is barely a page long,
while Psalms has 150 chapters. The Old Testament is mostly written in Hebrew although small
portion of Ezra, Jeremiah and Daniel are written in Aramaic. The Old Testament books exhibit
great diversity of literally style including narrative, poetry, sermons, dialogue, prayers,
hymns/songs, letters and prophecies.

The Old Testament Arrangements:

The Old Testament books are arranged in the order of the law, history, poetry and prophecy. The
law books of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and the historical books (Joshua-Esther) are
presented to narration or historical format. The poetic books (Job-Songs of Solomon) were
grouped together because they are presented in poetic form. These books deal with personal issues
from human devotion to God to human love. The prophetic books (Isaiah-Malachi) contain the
complex messages of the Israelite prophets. These messages were urgent, direct, contemporary,
morally informed and filled with warning, promise and judgment. There is also a universal element
in the messages. They reach out to nations surrounding Israel as well.

The Uniqueness of the Bible:

The entire Scripture, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is inspired (2 Tim. 3:16 -
17) hence useful for teaching, correcting and equipping God’s people for God’s service. It is this
aspect of inspiration that makes the Bible unique book as compared to any other religious book.

The author behind the human authors is God; and this speaks of its author-ity in matters of faith
and practice. God prompted the authors through his Spirit to record the revelations they received.

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Although it was written and collected over a period exceeding 1,000 years as mentioned earlier,
by over 40 authors the Bible is still coherent, reliable and highly organized. The Bible is a
transforming and living book that has changed many lives and continues to do so

The Nature of Biblical History and Secular History

Definitely, we will be dealing with aspect of history as we study OT Survey. Therefore, it is

necessary to look at how history is written, especially on the sources of biblical history in
relation to secular history. This will highlight the uniqueness of biblical history.

The sources of data for secular history are: Paleontology (Fossil records), Archaeology (material
remains of past human life), Anthropology (the study of humans), and research (written records
and documents /eyewitness accounts).

The sources of divine history are: Revelation (inspiration), Testimonies (eyewitness accounts by
writers), Testimonies (of written records, chronicles), Testimonies (of others/research). Refer to
Luke 1:1-4. Bible history is selective in the sense that it does not tell you everything about
history. It is an account of God’s acts in history as he works in the world to save his people. So,
one of the things to note as you read the Bible is to discern the author’s intention. The biblical
historians also laid different emphasis on certain texts or themes in applying their messages.

Compare the two approaches on how biblical history and secular history is written; especially
noting the unique feature that define Bible history.

Differences: In divine redemptive history revelation and inspiration are prominent. In secular
history research in the areas of paleontology, anthropology and archaeology are prominent.

Similarities: Both use written documents, eyewitness testimony, and research. (The use of
archaeology today supports the truth of biblical history).

Revelation means that God showed to authors what they could not have discovered or known by
themselves. Also, divine history was recorded by holy men of old as they were moved upon by
the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). These men were circumscribed, surrounded, or directed by the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

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 The Pentateuch

The term Pentateuch is derived from the Greek words pente-five and teuchos-scroll meaning five
scrolls or volumes. The Hebrew term for these five books of the Old Testament is Torah which
means the “law” or “teaching”. The Old Testament refers to the Pentateuch when it uses phrases
like the “Book of Law of Moses” (2 Kings 15:5) or “The book of the Law” (Joshua 1:8).

The history of the Pentateuch spans from the beginning of the time down to the time when Israelites
entered the Promised Land. The Pentateuch is believed to have been one scroll before it was
thematically sub-divided into five books by Bible compilers. The first book of Genesis describes
the beginning of the universe and the origin of God’s people the Israelites. The second book,
Exodus traces the salvation of God’s people who were helpless to save themselves. Leviticus calls
for holiness as the only natural lifestyle for the Israelites and as the only possible response to God’s
grace. Numbers, on the other hand, is a book depicting the wanderings in which God’s people
suffers the consequences of their unbelief; but the story ends on a positive note, when
Deuteronomy presents a program of renewal.

The Authorship of the Pentateuch

The authorship of the Pentateuch has traditionally been accredited to Moses who is believed to
have written it in around 1450-1400 B.C. However, it is worth nothing that not every Bible scholar
shares in this belief. In 19th and 20th centuries biblical critics arose who doubted the mosaic
authorship of the Pentateuch; the following points qualify mosaic authorship:

1. The oldest Jewish traditions the Talmud affirm of the mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.
2. The early church embraced and accepted the claim of authorship of the Pentateuch by
Moses.
3. The wording of the Pentateuch qualifies mosaic authorship.
4. Internal evidences depict mosaic authorship – (Exodus 17:14, 24:4, 34:27).
5. The flowing themes of the Pentateuch advocate for mosaic authorship.

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 6. Jesus Christ and the apostles often times quoted Moses in relation to the covenant law
hence credited him as the author of the law books (Mathew 19:8; John 5:46-47; Acts 3:22;
Romans 10:5).
7. The Pentateuch was one manuscript which was only sub-divided by the compilers of the
Bible to display themes contained in the Pentateuch.
8. The critics of mosaic authorship are recent Bible scholars who cannot provide tangible
evidence to rule out mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.
9. Many other Biblical references attribute the writing of the Pentateuch to Moses.
10. Moses had the pre-requisite qualifications to be the author because he was well educated
and also grew in a culture where the art of writing was cherished.

GENESIS: (BOOK OF BEGINNING)

BACKGROUND

The book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It is a foundational book to the understanding
of the rest of the Scriptures because it is a book of all beginnings. It records the beginning of
everything except God.

THEME

The major themes presented in this book are: God’s creation, beginning of man’s sin, and initial
steps taken for his redemption by a divine covenant made with a chosen race.

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

The book of Genesis highlights on the foundational relationships between God and nature, God
and man, and man and man. It is the very book in the Old Testament, which lays the foundation
of all beginnings as prescribed below.

Creation Story (Genesis 1-2)

Genesis describes vividly the manner in which God created the universe and all that is contained
in including mankind.

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 a) God created everything exnihilo (out of nothing), just by the word of command “let
there be…..” and all that he commanded came to existence/ came to be.
b) When it came to the creation of mankind God took his time to create him using his
hands and some material (dust of the ground Genesis 2:7). After he had made the
statue of man he breath the breath of life into his nostrils and the man became a
living being. What makes man a unique creation? Mankind, unlike any other
creatures has; intellect, emotions and will. Man is created in the image and likeness
of God.
c) God instituted the first marriage covenant in the Garden of Eden. It was between a
man and a woman. God saw that it was not good for a man to be alone and therefore
created a helper for him (Genesis 2:18, 19-24). Is man superior in any way to a
woman? (in dignity and value?)
d) God entered into a covenant relationship with man which has come to be known as
the Edenic covenant. They would always abide by the covenant so long as they
did not EAT the fruits of the forbidden tree.
e) What can we learn on taking care of environment from Genesis 1-2, and about God
and his original plan for mankind and creation? How is Satan described?

The Fall of Man and Origin of Evil (Gen. 3)

Genesis shows how man was created as a special and perfect creature of God, but who later gave
in to the deception of the devil (serpent). Genesis chapter 3 displays how Adam and Eve broke the
Edenic covenant by yielding to the Devil’s persuasive lies. This was the beginning of sin,
physically death, and external penalty of sin. There were immediate consequences of sin prescribed
for the serpent, the woman and the man (Genesis 3:14-19).

a) The serpent penalty included; crawling on its belly all the days of its life, there will be
permanent enmity between its seed and the woman’s seed (pointer to Christ’s
redemptive work at Calvary).
b) The woman penalty included; pain in childbearing, insatiable desire for her husband.

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 c) To the man, Adam, his penalty included: sweat and painful toil in order to eat all the
days of his life until he is laid to rest in the grave.
The Perpetuation of Sin after the Edenic Fall

The book of Genesis further displays how the fall of man ushered in untold suffering to the human
race as a result of series of sinful activities which included: murder, lies, theft, rebellion against
authority, jealousy, hatred, selfishness, attempts to take God’s glory among many others. The
killing of Abel by Cain inaugurated the era of murder that is witnessed up to today. The tower of
Babel was a project whose prime agenda was to question God’s power, authority and glory. The
Noahic flood catastrophe was precipitated by the people’s wickedness and rebellion against God.
However, after the flood which had universal consequence, God entered into a covenant with Noah
(Noahic covenant) depicting God’s resolution not to punish mankind with water again and the
constant seal that marks this resolution is the rainbow (Genesis 9:11-17). God also blessed
mankind, as he had originally in Gen 1-2.

God’s Redemption Plan

The book of Genesis introduces God’s immediate redemption plan after the fall of the first man
and woman. In Genesis 3:15 the serpent is informed of unending enmity between his offspring and
the offspring of the woman. The woman’s seed will crush his head and he will strike his heel (this
was pictorial of Jesus work on the cross).

- The election of Abraham as a channel through which God was going to carry out his
redemption plan for the human race. In Genesis 12:1-4 God made a covenant with
Abraham and promised him blessings, nation and a land flowing with milk and honey.
The sacrifice and the circumcision rite sealed the Abrahamic covenant.
- Abrahamic lineage was entrusted the responsibility of being carriers of the redemption
story. They became the founding pillars of the Hebrew community and always referred
to as the patriarchs. This promise is reiterated to Isaac (the son of promise), Jacob
(Israel), and to the twelve sons of Israel. The story of Genesis ends with the children of
Israel in a foreign land, Egypt, because of famine that had ravaged the land of Canaan.
Joseph who had been sold by his brothers rose up to become the second person in

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 command in the land of Egypt. But through this evil plot by the brothers, God fulfills
his plan and promise made to Abraham (Gen 50:20).

EXODUS: (DELIVERANCE) – REDEMPTION OF THE HEBREW NATION

BACKGROUND

The book of Exodus is the second book of the Pentateuch. The meaning of Exodus is “a going
out,” “going away” or “way out”; it refers to the Israelites departure from Egypt to the Promised
Land. Over four hundred years separate the events at the end of Genesis and the beginning of the
book of Exodus. God raised Moses to deliver his people from Egyptians slavery and lead them to
the Promised Land that had earlier been given to Abraham and his descendants.

Outline

I. God saves Israel from Egyptian bondage (1:1-18:27)

II. God gives Israel His law (19:1-24:18)
III. God commands Israel to build the tabernacle (25:1-40:38)
MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Exodus lays a foundational theology in which God reveals his name, his attributes, his redemption,
his law and how he is to be worshipped (Ex. 3:14; 14:13-14; 15:3-4; 34:6-7)

It also reports the appointment and work of the first covenant mediator (Moses). The book also
describes the beginning of the priesthood, defines the role of the prophet and relates how the
ancient covenant relationship between God and his people came under a new administration (the
Sinai covenant).

Exodus lays the foundation for the actualization of God’s redemption story (the Passover festival)
and was a pointer of the new Passover through Christ’s atoning blood.

a) Theme:

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 The overarching theme is: God’s deliverance of his people, and the Israelites development into
a great nation.

b) The Call of Moses

God raised and prepared Moses early enough to deliver and lead the Hebrew people from the
Egyptians slavery to freedom in the promised land of Canaan. Moses whose name means
“pulled out of the water” was a miracle child whose life was spared from destruction of Hebrew
infants by the two Egyptians midwives Shiphirah and Puah. Moses was found in the River Nile
and reared by Pharaoh’s daughter at the palace. He was given the best education in the land in
preparation to succeed Pharaoh but God had in mind a different mission – to deliver and lead
the Hebrew people from the Egyptian slavery.

Moses ran away to the median desert after he killed an Egyptian and realized that his act would
anger Pharaoh. He was taken care of by Jethro who later on became his father in-law. As Moses
was taking care of his father in-law flock in the desert, God called him to his ministry through
a burning bush that was not consumed. He was given the assignment to deliver the Hebrews
from Egyptian slavery in spite of his reluctance may be simply because he knew he was a
wanted criminal back in Egypt. Moses also claimed that he did not know the name of God who
was sending him and again he was a stammerer. God gave him Aaron to speak on his behalf
and assured him that his stuff would work out miracles.

Moses went back to Pharaoh and the Hebrews and communicated God’s message. God
hardened the heart of Pharaoh in order to prove to him that he was a powerful God above any
other god and also assure the Hebrews that their God was powerful as compared to the Egyptian
gods and goddesses hence they should trust on him.

c) Five Dominant Themes;

i) Deliverance: This is the predominant theme in the book because it shows how God raised
his servant Moses to go to Pharaoh to demand the release of the Hebrews to go to the
Promised Land. This deliverance task however was not easy because Pharaoh could not
easily release the Israelites as demanded by Moses. God through Moses send ten plaques
upon the Egyptians to soften the heart of the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. These plaques
range from: frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boil, hail, locust, darkness and death of

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 first born. The last plaque caused Pharaoh to allow the Israelites go. In addition, God,
through Moses, led the Israelites to cross over the Red Sea miraculously and drowned the
Egyptian chariots that were pursuing them.
ii) Covenant: This was the abiding agreement between God and his people. God made the
Israelites know that they were his own elected people and he was their God. They therefore
needed to worship him and glorify him alone and in so doing God would protect them,
provide for them and give them victory over their enemies and prosperity in all their
undertakings. The covenant was crowned by the issuing of the Decalogue or the ten
Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)
iii) The Promised Land: This was the very land that God has promised to the patriarchs that
is Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, almost 800 years as recorded in Genesis 12:1. The Israelites
had to drive away the Canaanites and take possession of the land.
iv) The Presence of God (chapter 25-50): The emphasis on the presence of God runs through
the entire book of Exodus. God assured Moses of his presence which is basically
interwoven with his own name “I am” (Exodus 3:14). The presence of God meant victory
to the Israelites. Moses literally appealed to God to manifest his presence among his people
as he led them to the Promised Land (Exodus 33:14-17). The tabernacle and the Ark of
the Covenant was the hallmark of God’s presence among God’s people and it was jealously
safeguarded.
v) Priesthood: The Priesthood was established by Aaron and his sons in the time of Moses,
when the Hebrew religion was formally instituted in the covenant of Mount Sinai. Aaron
was the first High Priest and his principal responsibility was to conduct worship for the
Hebrew community at the tabernacle and also officiate in all the sacrifices and festivals
that pertained to the continuing religious life of the people. The office of the High Priest
and Priesthood in general were transmitted throughout the Old Testament.

(Question: How does God manifest his presence among his people today?)

LEVITICUS: (HOLINESS) – SANCTIFICATION OF THE HEBREW NATION

BACKGROUND

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The name of the book is derived from the tribe of Levi- named after the 3rd son of Jacob and Leah.
The Levites were set apart and given the responsibility of conducting worship in the tabernacle
and the general maintenance of holiness among the people. Leviticus contains many of the laws
given by God to direct them in their work as priests for the worship of God.

THEME:

The central theme of the book is holiness and sacrifice, which perfected this holiness. The word
holy occurs over 80 times in the book. The verse “Be holy because I am holy” is the key verse in
this book of (Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:26). Another theme is the sacrificial system. There is
emphasis on sacrifices because it is the most important activity in the of formal worship during
the OT period. In the book there is also emphasis on the priesthood. It contains instructions to the
priests and how people could relate to the priests.

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

1. The Emphasis of the Book

The entire book of Leviticus emphasizes the need to cherish holiness, cleanliness and morality
in the day-to-day living. They needed to always maintain holiness and maintain access to God
by substitutionary atonement. They were required to worship God according to God’s
ordination and abstain from mingling the holy and the profane.

2. The Sacrifices Offered:

Leviticus describes how the Israelites perfected holiness through the sacrificial system. The
following were some of the most common sacrifices offered to attain this aspiration.

a) Burnt Offering (Lev. 1; 6:8-13, 8:18-21-16:24).

This offering comprised of burning of a bull, ram without defects or male bird (dove or young
pigeon for the poor). It was wholly consumed. This was done voluntary as an act of worship.
It was sort of forgiveness/atonement for unintentional sin in general, expression of devotion,
commitment and complete surrender to God. The law was also sensitive to the economic status

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 of the worshiper: one could bring cattle (1:3-9), sheep and goats (1:10-13), or birds (1:14-17).
Sacrifices were also gifts to God.

b) Grain Offering (Leviticus 2; 6:14-23).

This required grain fine flour oil, incense, baked bread (cakes or wafers) salt without yeast or
honey. Grain offering often times accompanied burnt offering and fellowship offering. This
was a voluntary act of worship in recognition of God’s goodness and provisions as well as
devotion to God.

c) Fellowship Offering/Peace Offering (Leviticus 3; 7:11-34)

Any animal without defect from herd of cattle or flock was sacrificed. This was also a voluntary
act of worship and thanksgiving to God. It was meant to maintain communion with God and
with fellowmen.

d) Sin Offering/Atonement (Leviticus 4:1-5, 5:13, 6:24-30, 8:14-17, 16:3-22)

The following were required for this kind of sacrifice:

i. Young bull – for the high priest and the congregation

ii. Male goat for the leader
iii. Female goat or lamb for a common person
iv. A dove or pigeon for the poor
v. Tenth of an ephah of fine flour for the very poor. Mandatory atonement for specific,
unintentional sin, confession of sin, forgiveness of sin, and cleansing from defilement.
- This sacrifice was offered to atone or cover an individual’s sins or communal sins.

e) Guilt offering/cleansing (Leviticus 5:14, 6:7, 7:1-6)

This required a ram or a lamb. It was a mandatory atonement for unintentional sin requiring
restitution, cleansing from defilement, make restitution which included payment of a
prescribed fine.

(What kind of offering is God requiring from believers today?)

3. The Genesis of the Biblical Sacrificial System

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The book of Leviticus lays the foundation of the biblical sacrificial system which culminates in
the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ as portrayed in the New Testament. The following
charitable depicts the cruciality of Leviticus in laying the new foundation of the biblical history of
sacrificial and priesthood systems.

THE OT SACRIFICIAL AND THE NT SACRIFICIAL AND

PRIESTHOOD SYSTEMS PRIESTHOOD SYSTEMS

OT priesthood was temporary (Heb.8:13) NT priesthood is permanent

Aaron was the first high priest (Heb.8:4) Jesus is the only superior high priest
(Heb.4:14)

Aaron served in a tabernacle set up by man Jesus ministers in heaven (Heb. 8:1, 2).

Priest come from the tribe of Levi (Heb. 7:5) Jesus came from the tribe of Judah (Heb.7:1)

Used blood of animals (Lev. 16:15) Use of the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:4-12)

Required many sacrifices (Heb.10:1-3) Requires only one sacrifice (Heb. 9:28)

Needed perfect animals (Lev. 22:19) Needs perfect life (Heb. 5:9)

Required careful approach to tabernacle Encourages confident approach to the throne

(Lev. 16:2) (Heb. 4:16)

Looked forward to new system (Heb. 10:1) Sets aside old system (Heb. 10:19)

4. The Highlights of the Jewish Festivals:

The book of Leviticus highlights various Jewish festivals as described below:

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i) Passover (Lev. 23:5) - This festival only lasts for a day. It is a celebration of remembrance
of how God delivered/spared the lives of the Israelites firstborns in Egypt during the last
plague and freed the Hebrews from slavery. The festival reminds the human race at large of
God’s deliverance.
ii) Unleavened bread (Lev. 23:6-8) – This festival lasted for seven days. The Jews remembered
and celebrated how God delivered them from Egyptian slavery inspite of the many
challenges and hardships they went through. It was also meant to remind the Hebrews that
they have to leave the old life behind and enter into a new way of living.
iii) First harvest (Lev. 23:9-14). This festival lasted for only one day. The first crops of barley
harvest in particular were presented to the priest. The festival was a reminder of how God
had provided to the people hence a thanksgiving celebration.
iv) Pentecost (Harvest) – (Lev. 23:15-22) – This festival lasted for a day. This was a celebration
of the end of the barley harvest and bringing of the wheat harvest. It was meant to show joy
and thanksgiving over the beautiful harvest.
v) Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25)- The festival lasted for a day. It was conducted at the beginning
of the seventh month to express joy and thanksgiving to God.
vi) Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:26-32) - It lasted for a day. This was a celebration to mark the
removal of sin from the people and the nation and restoration of fellowship with God.
vii) Shelters/Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33-32)- This celebration lasted for a period of seven days. It
was a celebration of God’s protection and guidance in the wilderness. It also renewed
Israelite’s commitment to God and trust in his guidance and protection.
viii) The Sabbatical Year (Lev. 25:2-7)- It was celebrated once after seven years to designate a
‘rest’ to the land for a year. The land was to be left untilled. This sabbatical year was also a
year of remission of debts.
ix) The year of jubilee (Lev. 25:8-16)- This was celebrated once in fifty years. Slaves were
liberated, debtors were freed and general restitution took place.
- The above festivals were all geared towards drawing the Hebrews closer to God in worship
and service to him.

NUMBERS: (WANDERINGS) – DIRECTION OF THE HEBREW NATION

BACKGROUND

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The book name in the Hebrew Bible means “wandering in the wilderness/desert”, the Latin
Vulgate, on the other hand, uses the word “Numbers” as a title suggested by the census that are
reported in the book during the second year after they left Egypt (Chapter 1) and in the fortieth
year (Chapter 26). Most of the book however tells of the experiences of the Israelites during the
40 years they were in the desert before they entered the Promised Land. In many of Israel’s
sufferings were direct outcome of faithlessness and disobedience. One could argue that numbers
is a record of human failure set against divine faithfulness.

Outline

I. The end of the Generation from Egypt in the wilderness (Sinai, Kadesh) – 1:1-25:18.
Characterized by cycle of rebellion, death, and deliverance.
II. The birth of a new generation that entered the Promised Land (between Kadesh and Moab)-
26:1-36:13. Preparations to enter the land of promise.
MESSAGE SUMMARY

1. Numbers relates the story of the Israelite’s journey from Mt. Sinai to the plains of Moab
on the border of Canaan.
2. The book tells of the murmuring of God’s people and of their subsequent judgment.
3. The very people whom God had redeemed from slavery in Egypt and covenanted with
engaged themselves in repeated acts of rebellion, which came to extreme expression in
their refusal to undertake the conquest of Canaan. Chapters 13 – 14 are key chapters
because they display the Hebrews turning point against God, and his servant Moses.
4. God’s chosen people forfeited their part in the Promised Land. They were condemned to
live out their lives in the desert, only their children would enjoy the fulfillment of the
promise that had originally been theirs.
5. The book shows how God is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, nations and entire
creation.
6. The book also shows how God makes his presence available to his people in their varied
circumstances. God instructs, chastises, and punishes his people in the immediate context
of their lives. They were subjected to snake bites, hunger and thirst and denial of entry into
the Promised Land.

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 7. The book graphically portrays Israel’s identity as the Lord’s redeemed and covenant people
set apart to establish God’s kingdom on earth, despite their rebellion.
8. The Hebrew disobedience and disbelief cost them dearly. All those that knew what God
had done to them all the way from Egypt and in the desert missed the chance of entering
the Promised Land including Moses and Aaron.

DEUTRONOMY (RENEWAL/REVIVAL) – INSTRUCTION OF THE

HEBREW NATION

The book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Pentateuch. Deuteronomy is derived from the
two Greek words “deuteros” which means, second and “nomos” which means, law. Deuteronomy
then means “second law” or “repetition of the law”. The book of Deuteronomy is the climax of the
Pentateuch in that Moses was about to die and therefore he was giving final words to the new
generation of Israelites at the plains of Moab. This is after the Israelites had wandered in the desert
of Sinai for forty years due to their persistent rebellion and disobedience against God. The book
of Deuteronomy calls for revival and rededication to the covenant of the Lord in order to benefit
from his blessed promise to enter into the Promised Land. The book therefore outlines the practical
deliberate efforts to restore their relationship with God and abide by the covenant.

THEME:

Deuteronomy is concerned with the aspect of sanctification that is how the people are to live before
God in a covenant relationship and always demonstrate loyalty towards God and his covenant. The
word “covenant” occurs over 27 times in the book.

MESSAGE SUMMARY

The book of Deuteronomy outlines God’s directives and instructions to the Israelites pertaining to
their relationship to him and his covenant stipulations. There are four major covenant references
that make up the centrality of the message of Deuteronomy;

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1) The God of the Covenant – God takes centre stage in the book of Deuteronomy. There are
several references made to describe the characteristics or the attributes of God as follows:
i) He is one and only
ii) He is a unique God
iii) He is just and righteous God
iv) He is a sovereign ruler
v) He is a jealous God who cannot tolerate rivals
vi) He is a gracious loving God
vii) He is a generous God
viii) He is a father to Israel
These references were specifically meant to instill into the Israelite the reality that God was the
author of the covenant and that Moses was a mere mediator.

2) The Obligation of the Covenant

Moses reminded Israelites that they had to carry out the demands of the covenant to
demonstrate their loyalty to its stipulations. The following are some of these obligations:

i) They must be in a relationship with God.

ii) They must acknowledge his sovereignty.
iii) They must observe holiness and shun away evil.
iv) They must have complete trust in God and never turn to idols.
v) They must remember and cherish what God has done in the past and what he is capable
of doing in future.
vi) They must educate their children on the statutes of the Lord, so that they do not turn
away from God.
All those demands, as you can see, were all mandatory because God never requests but commands
because he is sovereign and he had given the Israelites what it takes to carry out the commands.

3) Benefits of Keeping the Covenant (Chapter 27-30)

After describing who God is and the obligations of the Israelites to the covenant, Moses lays bare
before the Israelites what awaited them if they decided to abide by the covenant demands or reject
them. The following are the benefits that resulted from keeping the covenant:

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 i) They would enjoy prosperity in the Promised Land.
ii) They would defeat their enemies and subdue them. They will be head and not the tail
(Deut. 28:7, 13).
iii) Their land would prosper. They will have plentiful harvests, their livestock will be
healthy and productive; they will also have lots of healthy children.
iv) Each individual Israelite will prosper and enjoy good health and long life.

4) Results of Breaking the Covenant (Chapter 27-30):

i) There will be disaster for the nation. They will be defeated by their enemies
ii) There will be disaster for the land – terrible droughts will occur, killing animals and
crops as well.
iii) There will be disaster for the people – dreadful epidemics will occur, families would
break up etc.
Discuss: How does the above consequences of disobedience/deviation from God’s covenant relate
to the human suffering experience today?

STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. Describe the theme of each of the books of Pentateuch.

2. Identify the contents of each of the books of the Pentateuch in the terms of the themes,
events, and the practical lessons that can be deduced.
3. Justify reasons for mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.

HISTORICAL BOOKS OF THE OT

Introduction

The historical books (12 books) cover the historicity of the Hebrew people when they conquered
and entered into the land of promise to the time they were taken as captives by the Assyrians in
722 B.C. (Northern Kingdom) and 586 B.C (Southern Kingdom). It was during this historical era
when the Hebrew loyalty to the covenant of the law was put to the acid test due to the influences
of the surrounding communities. This period witnessed the rejection of the theocratic rule and the

17
introduction of the monarchial rule. The various kings that rose to rule the United Kingdom of
Israel and later on the divided kingdom of Israel displayed both their strengths and various
weaknesses that prompted God to raise his spokesmen (the prophets). The prophets were sent to
address on the socio-political, economic and religious decadence within the Hebrew community.
Majority of the historical books depict the Hebrew life while in the Promised Land and a few
others record the history of the Hebrews in captivity and after captivity.

Historical books can be outlined according to the periods of time that they cover. The following
division is based upon relationship to the era of the kings in Israel:

The essential story recorded in the historical books concerning the Hebrew/Israel monarchy is
the story of its rise and fall.

Authorship

A word concerning authorship needs to be noted here: except for Ezra and Nehemiah, the
historical books are anonymous. This means that there is no named author within them. We
must, therefore, say that the identity of their authors in most cases will be “traditional.” This
means that the person believed to be the author is identified through tradition rather than by
having been named in the Scriptures themselves. Most of these traditions have been handed
down through a Jewish book known as the Talmud.

Relationship of the Historical Books to the Pentateuch and Prophetical Books

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The Map of OT World

The Map of the Old Testament World will show you the relative location of the land of Israel to
the other ancient world powers who played a role in the development of the history. Israel’s
central location to world powers explains why the armies of the ancient world traveled through
Israel. This area has been called “the land bridge of the continents “because it is near the
connecting point where three great continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe) come together.

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JOSHUA: THE CONQUEST, DIVISION AND POSSESSION OF THE PROMISED LAND
BY THE HEBREW NATION

Background

Joshua is the first book of historical books. Joshua is believed to have been written by Joshua
himself between 1405-1200 B.C. the name Joshua means “Yahweh saves”. Joshua was the son of
Nun who worked in the service of the Lord very closely with Moses. When Moses died, Yahweh
picked on Joshua to lead Israelites to the Promised Land. The book of Joshua is one of the Biblical
books which set a role model for mentoring and preparation of leaders who take over leadership.
It is a book that stands out as one of the Old Testament books that displays the faithfulness of God
in keeping his promises regardless of time.

Theme:

The central theme of Joshua deals with the conquest and subdivision of the land after the death of
Moses, under the leadership of Joshua. It details the historical account of the fulfillment of the
Lord’s promise to the patriarchs to give Israel the land of Canaan.

Outline

A. The land entered ..............................................................1–5

B. The land subdued .............................................................6–12
C. The land divided ................................................................13–22
D. Joshua’s farewell ............................................................. 23–24
MESSAGE SUMMARY:

1) Joshua describes the way power was transmitted from Moses to Joshua through divine
arrangement Chapters 1 – 4. Before Moses died he had already commissioned Joshua as his
successor.
2) The book of Joshua outlines the conquest and division of the land of Canaan among the 12
tribes of Israel leaving aside the tribe of Levi which was consecrated for the priestly ministry.
Remember the two sons of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) were allotted land.

20
3) Joshua elaborates on the faithfulness of God in keeping his promises (Genesis 15:18; Joshua
1:2 – 6, 21:43– 45). He shows that the conquest of Canaan did not happen because of Israel’s
military prowess but because of the faithfulness of God.
4) In his leadership, Joshua proved himself as a successful leader, and it is believed that his
success was pegged on the following;
i) he was mentored and prepared by Moses
ii) he was anointed by God to lead the people
iii) he knew the people very well
iv) he made use of the Israelites leadership structures
v) he had blessings from God
vi) he was courageous and always depended on God
vii) He knew the land of Canaan after spying on it earlier on.
The book of Joshua covers a period of about 50 years. Joshua gives a farewell address (23-24)
shows that there were already some tendencies among the people to disregard/disobey the
covenant: But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day
whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond Euphrates, or the gods of
the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the
Lord- Joshua 24:15.

JUDGES: THE APOSTATE STATE OF ISRAEL AND HER OPPRESSION

BY FOREIGNERS

BACKGROUND:

The author of the book of judges is anonymous, although the Jewish tradition the Talmud maintains
that Samuel wrote it. It was written between 1040 and 1020 B.C. The book gives a practical
application of the Old Testament covenantal theology pointing out on the demands of the covenant
relationship with God as well as the immediate consequences of failure to abide by the covenant.
God’s character is vividly featured as a gracious loving God, and also retributive wrathful God.

THEME:

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The book of Judges characterizes the life of Israel in the promised land of Canaan from the death
of Joshua to the rise of the monarchy. The theme revolves around rebellion, retribution, repentance
and restoration.

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

1. Judges depicts the life of the Israelites after the death of Joshua. From the display of the
Israelite life, it is evident that Joshua did not have a suitable heir to his throne and if there was
any, then it seems the people rebellion overshadowed him. The book of Judges gives an
account of frequent apostasy provoking divine judgment. The statement “in those days Israel
had no king everyone did as he saw fit” (Judg. 17:6;18:1; 19:3) best describes the state of Israel
during the era of judges. The common sins that characterized Israel life during this time are
listed below.
2. The prevalent wickedness during the days of Judges:
i) Lawlessness.
ii) Human sacrifice – A Canaanite religious practice which the Israelites borrowed a leaf
from.
iii) Immorality – Fornication, adultery, incest, homosexuality, bestiality, etc.
iv) Temple prostitution – A number of prostitutes were kept in the temple of the goddess
of fertility for religious purposes.
v) Idolatry.
vi) Intermarriages with foreign women – This enhanced idolatry because these wives
brought with them their gods and goddesses and altars were erected for them.
vii) Rebellion against the covenant.
viii) Rebellion against leadership.
ix) Rejection of theocratic rule.
x) Syncretistic practices – compromised the worship of God and idols.
These evils denied the Hebrews God’s blessing and ushered in his divine judgment.

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 THE LIFE CIRCLE OF THE HEBREWS DURING THE TIME OF JUDGES

Rebellion

JUDGES:

Othniel

Ehud
Restoration
Shamgar

Deborah

Gideon

Abimelech Retribution

Tola

Jephthah

Samson

Repentance

Read Judges 2:6-23 to understand the how the cycle worked.

Alternative Acronym (S) for the cycle: Sin, Servitude, Sorrow, Salvation.

3. Judges describes how the Hebrew encounter with foreign nations influenced their

socio-political, economic, and religion lives.

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 In spite of this frequent apostasy, the Hebrew people occasionally cried to God; and God
responded by raising up judges for them “Then the Lord raised up Judges who delivered them
from the hands of those who plundered them” (Judges 2:16). The judges stood in the gap
between God and his people. Examples of these judges were: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon,
Jephthah and Samson. God raised these judges in intervals and every time he did so, Israel was
able to conquer her oppressors and restore peace and spiritual sanity in the land. The time of
Judges was characterized by extreme moral decay that did not even spare the Judges
themselves as depicted in the life of Samson.

Three functions of the judges in Israel:

a. Judicial decisions.
b. Rule and govern (civil).
c. National (military) leadership
Discussion question:

What are the common sins in our contemporary society that replicate the ones of the time of
Judges?

How can we avoid the cycle of Apostasy as seen in the book of Judges from happening today?

RUTH (THE INCLUSION OF A FOREIGNER INTO THE WAGON OF

REDEMPTION STORY)

BACKGROUND

The author of the book is unknown. However, the Jewish tradition points to Samuel but it is
unlikely that he is the author because of the mention of King David (Ruth 4:17-22), this implies a
later date. On this same line the literary Hebrew style used in Ruth suggests that it was written
during the period of the monarchy. The book of Ruth strikingly exemplifies the truth that
participation in the coming kingdom of God is decided not by the blood and birth, but by the
conformity of one life to the will of God through the obedience that comes through faith. Ruth’s
place in the ancestry of David signifies that all nations will be represented in the kingdom of
David’s greater son Jesus Christ.

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THEME:

The central theme of the book revolves around God’s concern for his people at all times in any
place.

Outline

I. Ruth comes to Bethlehem (Chapter 1)

II. Ruth meets Boaz (Ch.2)
III. Ruth appeals to Boaz (Ch. 3)
IV. Ruth marries Boaz (Ch.4)

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

1. The book of Ruth highlights the story of a family, which experienced series of tragedies
inspite of their strong belief in the true living God. This was the family of Elimelech from
Bethlehem, married to Naomi and father to two sons; Mahlon and Kilion. They migrated to
Moab where the three men died leaving behind three helpless widows; Orpah, Ruth and their
mother-in-law Naomi.
2. The book displays how God through his concern and gracious providence met the needs of
his people.
3. God entrenched Ruth into the wagon of redemption story because of her profound declaration
“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and
your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried” (Ruth 1:16-17) hence
proclaiming the universalistic scope of Christ’s redemption story.
4. God ordained intercultural marriage relationship through marriage between Boaz (kinsman’s
– redeemer) and Ruth the Moabitees.
5. From the story of Ruth God demonstrates that God is not a respecter of people based on races
or classes. He demonstrates this by picking a foreign woman from a lowly background and
engrafted into the messianic royal circle.

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The claim of Ruth to be married by Boaz in chapter 3 was according to levirate law that provided
for the marriage of a widow to her brother-in-law (Deuteronomy 25:5– 10). Notice in Ruth 4 that
in case a man died childless, his widow was not to marry a stranger. She was to marry the
brother of her deceased husband. They were to raise up sons in the name of her deceased
husband so that the family name might continue. Relate this to Ruth 1:8–13.

Concept of the Kinsman-Redeemer

The Hebrew word for kinsman-redeemer is go’el; it is a technical term derived from a word
meaning “to make a claim.” When a man died, his next of kin could make a claim on behalf of
the deceased, who could no longer act for himself. This is why the term “kinsman-redeemer” (a
relative who brings back or restores) is used to translate go’el into English.

Responsibilities of the Go’el

1. To redeem property (Leviticus 25:25) -Land was to be kept within the family estate. It was the
duty of the go’el to look after it and to maintain it in the family.

2. To redeem a person (Leviticus 25:47–49). Sometimes, in case of poverty, a man would sell
himself as a slave in order to pay a debt, and he was redeemed by the go’el, who paid that debt
for him. This function of the go’el symbolizes Christ identifying himself with the human race so
that He could buy it back through His own blood from the “slave market” of sin. (See Galatians
4:4–5.)

3. To avenge blood (Genesis 9:5–6). The law of the ancient Middle East called for the avenging
of the blood of a murdered kinsman. The go’el felt duty-bound to seek out the slayer and avenge
the death of the deceased kinsman.

4. To procreate children on behalf of the deceased who had no children to perpetuate his name
(Deuteronomy 25:5–6). Note: See our explanation of this type of situation in the section titled
“The Levirate Law.”

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Discussion question:

Which two of the above four responsibilities of the go’el were performed in the story of Ruth?

In what sense can we say that Jesus Christ is our Kinsman-redeemer?

I & II SAMUEL: (THE REJECTION OF THEOCRATIC RULE AND THE RISE OF

THE MONARCHY)

BACKGROUND

The book of Samuel was written by Samuel himself, but also includes the writing of Prophet
Nathan and Gad. It was written probably around 930 BC. Originally, I & II Samuel was one book.
The first volume narrates the lives and activities of mainly Samuel, Saul and David, while the
second volume pays attention mainly to the story of King David. The book of Samuel lays the
foundation for Israel monarchial system which finds fulfillment in the kinship of Jesus Christ who
is “the king of kings and Lord of Lord’s”. The book also shows Israel’s rejection of the theocratic
rule (God ruling through appointed Judges) and introduction of monarchial system of government.
The book of Samuel outlines the transition from theocratic rule to kingship.

THEME:

The central theme of the book centers on the choice of Samuel as Israel’s last judge and first
prophet, under the reigns of king Saul and king David.

Outline of 1 Samuel

I. Concerning Samuel (Ch.1-7)

II. Concerning Saul (Ch. 8-15)

III. Concerning David (Ch. 16-31)

Outline of 2 Samuel

I. David’s Rise (Ch.1–10)

II. David’s Fall and Restoration (Ch. 11–20)
III. David’s Later Years (Ch. 21–24)

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MESSAGE SUMMARY

The book of Samuel is a book of great beginnings but also a book of tragic endings as exemplified
in the lives of the following people:

1. Eli- He was a high priest during the time of judges, but he allowed his sons Hophni and
Phinehas to sin against the Lord and this led to tragedy in his family. They corrupted
the sacrificial system and took what was meant for God.
2. Samuel – His mother dedicated him to the Lord and he became the last Judge and the
first Israel greatest prophet, but his sons Joel and Abijah turned away from God taking
bribes and perverting justice. The people therefore rejected the leadership of priests and
judges and clamored for a king like other nations (1 Sam. 8:4 – 5). In spite of Samuel’s
warnings to them of what the king they were asking for would do to them and their
children they prevailed upon Samuel to anoint a King for them. God instructed Samuel
to grant them their demand “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they
say to you for they have not rejected you but they have rejected me from being King
over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).
3. Saul – He started well as a handsome and humble man who was God’s choice as
Israel’s first king. However, he disobeyed God and became a jealous king leading to
his downfall. He disobeyed the covenant and because of his jealousy and hate
consistently planned to kill David. God rejected him and anointed David to take over
from him.
4. David – He started off well as a man after God’s own heart (I Sam. 13:14), but later on
gave in to sin. He murdered his army officer Uriah and took his wife Bathsheba for
himself. However, David’s strength, unlike many, is that he readily repented of his sins.
David’s repentance earned him honour from God. in addition, God entered into a
covenant relationship with him which has come to be known as the Davidic covenant
(2 Sam. 7:11-14). Moreover, God established a royal dynasty within his lineage which
was to climax in the Messiah Jesus Christ. David had intentions to build a temple for
God, but God instructed him that his succeeding son (Solomon) would do it.
Discussion question:

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What lessons can modern day Spiritual and Political leaders learn from the lives of the above
characters?

Davidic Covenant (2 Sam 7:4-16): The key words of the covenant is summed up in v.16.

a. House: A dynasty or family of rulers

b. Kingdom: Extent of rulership with reference to space
c. Throne : High, kingly authority connected with rulership
d. Forever: Extent of rulership with reference to time- emphasized three times
At this point, let us briefly look back and take note of the sequence of Bible references to the
coming Redeemer as redemptive history progresses from Genesis to the Davidic Covenant:

1. “Her seed will crush your head” (Genesis 3:15). Here God indicated to Satan that the
human race would have a part in bringing forth the Redeemer; Edenic covenant.
2. “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem” (Genesis 9:26). The indication here is that from
among the sons of Noah (from whom, after the flood, the entire human race descended);
Noahic covenant.
3. In “all people on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Here God indicated
that the nation descending from Abraham had been chosen from among other Semitic
nations (Shem) as the one from which the Redeemer would come; Abrahamic Covenant.
4. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah . . . until Shiloh come” (Genesis 49:10). In this
passage one tribe was singled out from among the tribes of the nation descended from
Abraham (Israel) as the tribe from which the Redeemer (Shiloh) would come.
5. “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Now one family,
David’s, was identified as the one from among the families of Judah from which the
Redeemer would come. In each of the messianic promises in these passages, the referent
is Jesus Christ, who will fulfill them through His rulership of Israel and the entire world.
The first verse of the New Testament reads, “Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham”
(Matthew 1:1) links Christ with the two great covenants that His comings fulfill. END

I & II KINGS: (ISRAEL UNDER MONARCHIAL RULE AND THE DIVISION OF THE
KINGDOM

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BACKGROUND

The ancient Jewish traditions identify Jeremiah as the author of the two books. Initially the two
were one manuscript and was written around 550 BC. These books were so named because they
record and interpret the reigns of all the kings of Israel and Judah except Saul. The book of kings
demonstrates how the human kings displayed their strengths and weaknesses in their relationships.
God had to raise prophets to prophecy on God’s will and intentions upon his people. The book
also highlights the rise, the division and the fall of the kingdom of Israel.

Scope of Kings

The scope in time of 2 Kings is longer than that of 1 Kings. Approximately 400 years elapsed
during the events of both books of Kings; the period was from about 1000 B.C. to 600 B.C.

David is a symbol of righteousness in the books of Kings. When the author wished to emphasize
a king’s righteousness or success he would liken him to David (1 Kings 15:11). Jeroboam
becomes the standard rod for failure and wickedness.

THEME

Narration of the lives of those who live for God and those who refuse to do so through the history
of the kings of Israel and Judah, also to demonstrate the fate that awaits all who refuse to make
God their true leader.

MESSAGE SUMMARY

The content of the Kings is about the rule of kings, righteous or wicked and God’s appointment of
prophets to address on the socio-political, economic and religious evils.

Outline of 1 Kings

Reign of Solomon: Golden Age (Ch. 1-11)

Divided Kingdom After Solomon: Deterioration (Ch. 12-22)

Outline of 2 Kings

Divided Kingdom to Fall of Israel: Partial Captivity (Ch. 1-17)

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 Southern Kingdom to Fall of Judah: Complete Captivity (Ch. 18-25)

I: THE REIGN OF SOLOMON

Solomon was the son of David with Bathsheba who succeeded his father. David blessed Solomon
to take over leadership from him. Solomon prayed to God for wisdom as he took over leadership
from his father and God granted it to him alongside wealth and splendor (1 Kings 3:1-14). The
wisdom that God endowed Solomon was exemplified in his ruling over two prostitutes who
contested over the ownership of a child (1 Kings 3:16-28).

Solomon’s Kingdom was characterized by majesty wealth and splendor to an extend that it
attracted neighboring nations as sort of a tourism destination as evidenced in the visit by the Queen
of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13). The Kingdom of Israel was very much blessed under Solomon’s reign.
He was able to build the Temple of God in the City of Jerusalem. However, power and wealth
puffed up Solomon hence oppressed and overtaxed his people beyond their capabilities. By the
end of his reign the Hebrews longed for relief from Solomon’s oppressive regime. Solomon, in
spite of his unmatched wisdom, drifted from the Lord because of his pagan wives who wrongly
influenced him and turned his heart away from the worship of God in the temple.

II: THE REIGN OF REHOBOAM

From the reign of Saul to Solomon Israel was a united kingdom. After Solomon died, his son
Rehoboam took over the leadership of the united kingdom of Israel. He failed to listen to the elder’s
advice and embraced the advice of his peers. The ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom in response
to this appointed Jeroboam their king and delivered themselves from the house of David. The
kingdom was therefore dived into two kingdoms. This act by Rehoboam brought about many
social, political and religious problems to the two kingdoms, e.g. idolatry, over taxation, marriage
to foreign women, alliances with foreign nations, disunity among the Hebrews people, civil wars
among the Jews among others.

- The book assumes that the disasters of 722BC (Israel) and 586 BC (Judah) respectively
were due to the nation’s failure to maintain the covenant that God established at Mt. Sinai.
- The reign of Rehoboam crippled God’s divine purpose through the Davidic dynasty for
sometime.

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SUMMARY OF THE KINGS OF ANCIENT ISRAEL AND JUDAH TIMELINE

KINGS OF UNITED KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

DATE KING YEARS RELATIONSHIP WITH

(B.C) GOD

1050-1010 Saul 40 No heart for God

1010-970 David 40 Full heart for God

970-930 Solomon 40 Half heart for God

KINGS OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM

KINGS OF JUDAH-SOUTHERN KINGDOM

DATE KING YEARS/MONT RELATIONSHIP

(B.C) HS REIGNED WITH GOD

930-913 Rehoboam 17 Mostly evil

913-910 Abijah 3 Mostly evil

910-869 Asa 41 Godly

872-848 Jehoshaphat 25 Godly

841 Ahaziah 1 Evil

841-835 Athaliah (Queen) 7 Devilish

835-796 Joash 40 Mostly Godly

796-767 Amaziah 29 Mostly Godly

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792-740 Azariah (Uzziah) (overlap 52 Godly
with Amaziah)

750-732 Jotham 16 Godly

735-715 Ahaz (overlap with Jotham 16 Wicked

715-686 Hezekiah 29 Very Godly

696-642 Manasseh 55 Wicked

642-640 Amon 2 Wicked

640-609 Josiah 31 Godly

609 Johoahaz 3 months Evil

609-598 Jehoiakim 11 Wicked

598-597 Jehoiachin 3 months Evil

597 Jerusalem fell to Babylonian

king Nebuchadnezzar during
Jehoiachin’s rule.
3 months Evil
Jehoiachin himself was one of
those captured and taken to
Babylon alongside other
Hebrews.

597-586 Zedekiah 3 months Evil

586 Jerusalem city and its temple

were both destroyed by

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 Nebuchadnezzar. The two
tribes of Judah and Benjamin
3 months Evil
were taken as exiles.

THE KINGS OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM (ISRAEL)

DATE KING YEARS/MONT RELATIONSHIP

(B.C) HS REIGNED WITH GOD

930-909 Jeroboam 22 Evil

909-908 Nadab 2 Evil

908-886 Baasha 24 Evil

886-885 Elah 24 Evil

885 Zimri 7 days Evil

885-874 Omri 12 Wicked

874-853 Ahab 22 Terribly wicked

853-852 Ahazariah 2 Evil

852-841 Joram 12 Mostly evil

841-814 Jehu 28 Mostly evil

814-798 Jehoahaz 17 Evil

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 798-782 Jehoash 16 Evil

793-753 Jeroboam II 41 Evil

753 Zachariah 6 months Evil

752 Shallum 1 month Evil

752-742 Menaham 10 Evil

752-732 Pekah 20 Evil

742-740 Pekahiah 2 Evil

732-723 Hoshea 9 Evil

722 Samaria under the leadership

of Hoshea fell into the hands
of the Assyrian king
Shalmaneser V. The Ten
Tribes of Israel or the
Northern Kingdom were
taken to Assyria as exiles.

Assyria: Rise, Development, and Fall

The Assyrians were God’s instrument in His punishment of the Northern Kingdom. This world
power had weakened during the time of King David and Solomon but soon it continually
regained power and control in the east. It lasted for approximately 300 years, from about 900 to
600 B.C. God raised up Assyria at this time to bring about the punishment and exile of the
Northern Kingdom.

The Assyrians were cruel warriors. They would skin their prisoners alive or impale (pierce) them
on sharp poles. Sometimes they would pile up mounds of human skeletons to inspire terror. They

35
practiced a policy of transporting leading citizens from the lands they conquered and relocating
them among other conquered peoples in the Tigris-Euphrates valley.

Now let us list several Assyrian kings who had to do with Israel and Judah:

1. Tiglath-pileser III (745–727 B.C.). He is called “Pul” in the Bible: “And Pul the king of
Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that
his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand” (2 Kings 15:19). Often
Assyrian kings had two names. It is believed that Pul was his Babylonian name and
Tiglath-pileser was his Assyrian name. The incident in 2 Kings 15:19 took place about
743 B.C. He invaded Israel again in 734 B.C. and achieved what is called the “Galilean
Captivity” (2 Kings 15:29).
2. Shalmaneser V (727–722 B.C.) He besieged Samaria and died before the operation was
completed. It is likely that Samaria fell to him (2 Kings 17:6), but its final capture is claimed by
Sargon, his successor.

3. Sargon II (722–705 B.C.) He completed the destruction of Samaria about 722 B.C. and carried
out Israel’s captivity.

4. Sennacherib (705–681 B.C.) He was the most famous of the Assyrian kings. He was defeated
by the angel of the Lord outside the walls of Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:35). He burned Babylon.

A review of the passages of Scripture that we cited from 2 Kings 15 and 17 in our list of the
Assyrian kings will emphasize the three steps by which Assyria took control over Israel.

1. Israel placed under tribute (2 Kings 15:19).

2. Partial conquest: the Galilean captivity (2 Kings 15:29).
3. Complete conquest: final captivity of Israel (2 Kings 17:6).
Israel’s iniquity and the justification of God’s punishment (2 Kings 17)

1. Israel feared other gods (v. 7).

2. They walked in the statutes of the heathen (v. 8).
3. In idolatry, Israel built and worshiped at high places (vv. 9–12).
4. Israel rejected God’s warnings to keep His commandments (vv. 13–15).

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 5. In idolatry, Israel served Baal (v. 16).
6. Israel sold herself to do evil (v. 17).
The Northern Kingdom lasted slightly more than 200 years. All of its nineteen kings are said to
have walked in the sins of Jeroboam, its founder.

The kingdom of Judah lasted approximately 135 years beyond that of Israel. Its history was
brighter than Israel’s. In Judah, the line of David was preserved as God demonstrated His power
and covenant mercy in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7).

Babylon

This is the world power that came after Assyrian rule; and it is the power that God used to
chastise the kingdom of Judah. Babylonians rose to power (625–539 B.C.) through the battle of
Carchemish, and its period of dominance over the world, corresponded in time to the period of
Judah’s captivity; Habakkuk 1:6-7. The center of power in the Babylonian Empire was the city
of Babylon itself.

The following is a list of Babylon’s most famous kings of this period:

1. Nabopolassar (625–605 B.C.) He threw off Assyrian control and destroyed Nineveh
(Assyrians) in 612 B.C. He was the father of Nebuchadnezzar II.

2. Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 B.C.) It was he who dealt with Judah. He first deported people
from Judah in 605 B.C. (Daniel 1:1–6), and again in 597 B.C. (Ezekiel was almost certainly
taken captive in this deportation.) A third deportation took place in 586 B.C., when he destroyed
the city of Jerusalem. He not only destroyed Jerusalem but also Tyre, Moab, Ammon, Edom,
Lebanon, and Egypt. He was one of the most autocratic rulers of the ancient world, and one of
the most haughty. (See Daniel 4:28–30.)

3. Evil-Merodach (562–560 B.C.) His name means “The man is Marduk.” He was the son of
Nebuchadnezzar II and was slain by his brother-inlaw,Nergal-Sharezer.

4. Nabonidus (556–539 B.C.) He was a noble who usurped the throne and was the last of the
Babylonian kings. He was king when the events of Daniel 5 took place. His eldest son,
Belshazzar, ruled with him and was in the city of Babylon when it fell to the Medes and Persians

37
on that memorable night when the mysterious handwriting appeared on the palace wall,
announcing the doom of the kingdom of Babylon (Daniel5:5, 25–28).

Nebuchadnezzar deported the people of Judah. According to Habakkuk, God has raised up the
Babylonian empire to punish Judah.

THE RAISING OF PROPHETS

The book of Kings highlights on the prophetic ministry. The prophets prophesied of God’s
impending judgments and this came to pass and so did other prophetic pronouncements. Most of
the writing and oral prophets were raised during the pre-exilic era that is before the Hebrews of
the Northern Kingdom (Israel) were taken to Assyrian exile in 722 BC and those of the Southern
(Judah) Kingdom were taken to Babylonian exile in 586 BC. Other prophets were later raised
during the exilic and post exilic periods. The prophets generally addressed the socio-political,
economic and religious evils.

I & II CHRONICLES (CRUCIALITY OF HISTORICAL FOUNDATION)

The author of chronicles is not very much known. The Jewish tradition ascribes the authorship of
the book to Ezra while recent scholarship terms it as anonymous. It was written around 500 BC. It
was done as one long manuscript before compilation. The book of Chronicles shows how historical
references could be used to revive lost hope and inspire people to move on by reviving their
relationship with God and claim his promise. The book of Chronicles begins with the outline of
the Hebrew history from Adam through the death of King Saul. The rest of the book is about the
reign of King David. This book was written with the sole purpose to remind the Hebrew remnants
that they came from Davidic lineage and that they were God’s chosen people.

To a large extent the book of Chronicles is covered in the books of Samuel and the Kings. But not
confined to repetition of previously recorded history.

THEME

The predominant theme of Chronicles is the historical importance of King David and Solomon as
God’s chosen covenant kings whose story revives hope and encouragement to the Jewish
remnants.

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MESSAGE SUMMARY:

There are five important teachings contained in the book of Chronicles whose focus is to impress
upon the Jewish remnants the importance of David and Solomon the kings of Israel as well as the
importance of the covenant and the God of the covenant. These teachings are as follows:

1) The importance of monotheism as a trade mark of God’s chosen people

2) The centrality of election in Israel’s history – Abraham was selected by God and
through his descendants God channeled his salvation story.
3) The crucially of the mosaic covenant – this is the very covenant that bound the
Hebrews in a covenant relationship with God.
4) The retributive nature of God – God punishes wrong doing but still loves the sinner
or wrong doer and calls them to repentance.
5) The messianic promise – the messianic promise was made right from the time of
Abraham’s election and perpetuated through the Abrahamic lineage until it is
climaxed in the person of Jesus Christ.
In summary, answer these questions concerning the theme of Chronicles.

a. What is the central theme? .......................................................................

b. Why is the focus on Judah only? .............................................................
c. Why was David the central character? ....................................................
d. What particular activity concerning the temple is emphasized in connection with the
purpose of writing Chronicles? ...............................
Answer

a. The temple
b. Because it was the temple kingdom.
c. Because his master passion was the temple.
d. The rebuilding of the temple

EZRA: THE CRUCIALITY OF THE WORD OF GOD AND THE CENTRALITY

OF THE TEMPLE

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BACKGROUD

The name Ezra means “Yahweh helps”, it was written by Ezra the priest after the Babylonian
captivity in 440 BC. The book Ezra demonstrates the seriousness of God’s word in a believer’s
life and ministry.

MESSAGE SUMMARY/THEME:

1. The book of Ezra was written to show how the Israelite remnants returned from Babylonian
captivity under the leadership of Ezra, Nehemiah and Zerubbabel the governor.
2. The aim of Ezra in his writing was to rekindle the people’s interest in the word of God
bringing them to a place of repentance confession of sin, and restitution so that the worship
of God could be restored. Ezra 7:10 depicts Ezra’s seriousness in the study of God’s word
“for Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the Lord and to
teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”
3. Ezra just like Nehemiah stressed on the restoration of Jerusalem temple and enhances
Israel’s relationship with God.
4. Ezra showed the importance of the temple and its worship to the life of the nation as God’s
chosen people hence he motivated the people to rebuild the temple.

NEHEMIAH: (RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CITY OF JERUSALEM)

BACKGROUD

The book was written by Nehemiah in around 430 BC. Nehemiah means Yahweh has comforted.
Nehemiah led the third group of the Jewish remnants into the land of Judah. The book of Nehemiah
impresses upon the believer the importance of prayer and dedication to God’s service in spite of
hardships. He describes how God is always faithful to his promises.

MESSAGE SUMMARY

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 1. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to king Artaxerxes and a man of prayer and great faith. He
gave up his position as a cupbearer to become a governor in Jerusalem leading the people
in the reconstruction of the walls of the city of Jerusalem.
2. He led the Jewish remnants in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem despite frequent
opposition from the enemies of the Jews.
3. The book also highlights on the importance of patriotism. Nehemiah instilled in the Jewish
people the importance of patriotism to their God and their promised land.
4. Nehemiah practically demonstrated dedication to God’s service and led the remnants in
serving the Lord with commitment and dedication.
5. Nehemiah emphasized on the importance of perseverance in God’s ministry even when
faced with hostility and frustration.
ESTHER: (GOD’S PROTECTION OF HIS PEOPLE)

BACKGROUND

The book’s author is anonymous. It was written in around 331 BC. It is believed to have been
written at least by a Jew or a person who knew the Jewish people very well. Esther means “star”.
She was reared by her uncle Mordecai who was an official in the king’s palace. King Xerxes chose
Esther to be the new queen of Persia after he had divorced his wife.

MESSAGE SUMMARY/THEME

1. The book of Esther reveals a woman of very commendable character; among her traits are
genuine piety, faith, courage, patriotism, compassion and maturity.
2. The book also describes God’s providence to his people and his protection even at the verge
of death. God used Esther to save her people from extinction, which was hatched by one of the
senior palace officials – Haman. Through the challenge of her uncle Mordecai Esther 4:14
“For if you remain silent at this time relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another
place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have attained
royalty for such a time as this?” Esther rose to the occasion and saved her people from the
jaws of death.
3. The book demonstrates the ownership that God has for his chosen people. He accords them
special placement in his divine plan and program.

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STUDY GUIDELINE:

1. Study carefully each of the Historical books and be able to capture the background
information and their message contents as well as their predominant themes.
2. Be sure to be able to make applications of the message conveyed in the historical books to
the contemporary socio-political, economic, and religious challenges.

POETIC AND WISSDOM LITERATURE BOOKS

JOB: (BLESSINGS THROUGH SUFFERING)

BACKGROUND

The author of the book of Job is anonymous; and the date of writing is uncertain. The name Job in
Hebrew means “the hated one” or “one who repents”. Both descriptions befit the personality and
the life of Job. The book of Job gives a deeper meaning to the concept of theodicy (study of
suffering) and retribution.

MESSAGE SUMMARY

1. The book of Job has been written to show that afflictions cannot even skip a righteous and
upright character. However, a righteous man or woman would always hold steadfastly to
the fear of God and personal integrity. God may even permit suffering as a means of
purifying and strengthening the soul in godliness. God’s thoughts and ways are moved by
considerations too vast for a mortal mind to comprehend.
2. Job’s suffering is God’s deliberate attempt to display his sovereignty amidst the apparent
mysterious of life. The concept of theodicy is so evident in the book of Job. Job’s suffering
often times leave the reader with the following questions;
i) How can a good loving God allow the suffering of his innocent people?

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 ii) How can a good loving God allow the devil to cause affliction and yet he is able to
stop him.
3. The aspect of retribution is put to question by Job’s friends namely; Eliphaz, Bildad and
Zophar and even his own wife. However, Job did not go through affliction because he
sinned against God, but because God wanted to demonstrate his faithfulness to his suffering
servant.
On Theodicy (the question of suffering): (Why do people experience suffering yet God is all-
knowing, powerful and loving?) Fallenness of humanity, the reality of a fallen world, Satan and
demons, testing of faith. In all, God is able to turn suffering/pain/evil to work for your own good-
see example of Joseph in Genesis 50:20, and Romans 8:28.

PSALMS: (PRAISE THROUGH PRAYER)

BACKGROUND

The book of psalms was composed by a number of inspired writers over a long period of time. The
book is often associated with David, the sweet singer/psalmist of Israel. The following is the
distribution of the authors of the various psalms:

i) David – 73 psalms – Songs of worship, petition, praise

ii) Asaph – 12 Psalms – Hymns of petition
iii) Sons of Korah – 10 psalms
iv) Solomon – 2 psalms
v) Ethan – 1 psalm
vi) Heman – 1 Psalm
vii) Moses – 1 psalm
viii) Anonymous – 50 psalms – praise and worship
The book of prayer and praise- It speaks to God in prayer and speaks of God in praise also in
professions of faith and trust. Psalms also portrays God as sovereign Lord and king overall and
to whom all things are subject.

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

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The book of Psalms can be broken down to four categories/genre/sets with different subjects;

1. Psalms of praise and thanksgiving (Ps. 18,100)

i) Praise God for who he is

ii) Praise God for what he has done
iii) Praise God for what he is capable of doing
2. Psalms in times of trouble/lament (Ps. 11, 16, 23, 27, 54, 70)

i) When enemies are plotting evil against God’s people

ii) Times of trouble due to sin hence cry to God for forgiveness
iii) Times of trouble, which are occasioned by God himself to show God’s enemies that he
has power to fight and rescue his people.
3. Psalms about good living (Ps. 1, 45, 73, 119)
i) Live according to the statutes of the Lord
ii) Live a life of integrity and in the fear of the Lord.
iii) Avoid what is evil to avert the wrath of God and usher in his blessings.
4. Psalms depicting trust in God (Ps. 11, 16, 23, 27, 62, 91, 121, 125, 131) for:
i. His love and protection
ii. Provision
iii. Salvation e.t.c
5. Psalms of remembrance (Ps. 78, 105, 106, 135, 136)
Thanksgiving psalms recount the prayers that have been answered in the past. But Psalms of
Remembrance recounts God’s great redemptive acts in the past to build confidence in the
present.

PROVERBS: (WISDOM IN PRACTICAL LIFE)

BACKGROUND

Internal evidence presents Solomon as the author of proverbs (1:1, 10:1, 25:1). Biblical tradition
also credits Solomon with writing of the book. It is believed to have been written in 950 BC. The

44
book of Proverbs is a practical book that is geared toward character formation and transformation.
It emphasizes the acquisition of wisdom and knowledge in order to avoid the pitfalls of folly and
succeed in life. It bases wisdom solidly on the fear of the Lord (1:7). The word “Wisdom” occurs
more than 110 times.

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

The book of proverbs is a collection of teachings whose purpose is to teach people how to attain
wisdom, discipline and prudent life and how to do what is right, just and fair. In summary the book
inculcates into the believers the importance of applying divine wisdom to daily life and to provide
moral instruction. This is clearly demonstrated in the verse 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge.” The following are some of principle teachings from the book of proverbs
that should be exemplified in day to day life to demonstrate the degree or level of wisdom in an
individual.

1) Wisdom and folly – (Prov. 1:7-20, 3:-13-15, 8:1-3) – Proverbs is specifically written to stress
on the importance of wisdom as opposed to foolishness on one’s day to day undertaking in
all spheres of human endeavor e.g. wealth, justice, family, social life, leadership among
others. The book bases wisdom solidly on the word of God. Wisdom shapes one’s character
values which grant them favors with God and fellowmen. Wisdom ushers in God’s blessings
and prosperity.
2) Work and sluggishness (Prov. 6:6-11) – Proverbs strongly encourages diligence and hard
work and condemns the sluggard for laziness (Prov. 6:6). A lazy person is viewed as a
disgrace (Prov. 10:5). The sluggard is not a friend to God, himself, and the community at
large. Laziness is a recipe to evil.
3) Use of the tongue (Prov.8:6-11, 10:19, 12: 18) –The wise use of the tongue is emphasized.
Gossip is viewed as a source of great trouble (Prov.11:13, 18:8, 26:22). Proper use of the
tongue is a desired understanding because it gives praise and glory to God and therapeutic to
human relations – brings peace and reconciliation.
4) Friendship (Prov. 17:17, 18:24, 27:6, 10) – Proverbs cherishes genuine friendship and detests
bad company, because a bad company corrupts good morals.

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 5) Godly leadership (Prov. 14:34) - “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any
people.”
Discussion question:

How are these principle lessons relevant in one’s character formation?

ECCLESIASTES: (A SEARCH FOR PURPOSE IN LIFE)

BACKGROUND

The Jewish tradition ascribes its authorship to Solomon who wrote it in 935 BC. Ecclesiastes come
from the Greek word “ekklesia”; but the Hebrew word “qoheleth” means “the teacher/preacher”.
The author of Ecclesiastes investigates life and tells what kind of life is worth living. It is a quest
of a soul who sees only vanity all around him until his eyes are opened to the hope offered by God.
The book has been described as a confession of failure and pessimism when God is excluded. The
book of Ecclesiastes vividly describes the vanity of life without involving God. Ecclesiastes 1:2
reads: “vanity of vanities” says the preacher. “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Life in God has
meaning and worth because God is the author and the source of joy and contentment (Eccl. 12:13-
14)

MESSAGE SUMMARY / THEME

The basic theme is the futility of life apart from God. In the development of this theme, four key
purposes emerge:

1. In seeking to demonstrate that life without God has no meaning, Solomon is seeking to
demolish confidence in man-based achievements and wisdom. He shows that all of man’s

46
 goals or the “way that seems right to man must of necessity lead to dissatisfaction and
emptiness.” Solomon recorded the futility and emptiness of his own experiences to make
his readers desperate for God. He sought to show that their quest for happiness and pleasure
cannot be fulfilled by man himself in the pursuit of his life. He himself was endowed with
wisdom, power and wealth but any of these without God is like a chase after the wind.
2. Solomon affirms the fact that much in life cannot be fully understood, which means we
must live by faith, not by sight. Life is full of unexplained enigmas, unresolved anomalies
and uncorrected injustices. There is much in life that man cannot comprehend nor control,
but by faith, we can rest in the sovereign wisdom and work of God. Much like the book of
Job and Ecclesiastes not only affirm that man is finite, but that he must learn to live with
mystery. Life down here on earth “Life under the sun,” cannot provide the key to life itself
for our world is fallen, bankrupt in view of this, man must have more than horizontal
outlook. He must have the vertical look to God, fearing and trusting him. Enigmas and
injustices must be left in his hands to resolve.
3. Ecclesiastes presents a realistic view of life that counterbalances the optimism of Proverbs.
It shows there are expectations to the laws and promises of Proverbs, at least from the
standpoint of this life. Proverbs 10:6 affirms that justice is meted to the righteous and the
wicked but Ecclesiastes 8:14 observes that this life is not always the case, at least not in
this life. Are these contradictions? No, because Proverbs is noting the general laws of God
without noting the exceptions that occur because we live in a fallen sin-ridden world.
Ecclesiastes points out that while a righteous order exists, as affirmed in Proverbs, it is not
always evident to man as he views life “under the sun” from his finite perspective.
4. Solomon shows that man left to his own strategies will always find life empty, frustrating
and mysterious. Meaningful life is when a man acknowledges God and gladly accepts what
he gives. However, the book does not mean that life has no answers, or that life is totally
useless or meaningless. Meaning and significance can be found, as the preacher explains,
in fearing God. In this case, frustrations can be replaced with contentment through
fellowship with God. It is only God’s work that endures and only he can impart abiding
value to the life and activities of man.

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 THE SONG OF SONGS/SOLOMON:

(THE LOVE AND SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP)

BACKGROUND

The writing of the songs has been accredited to Solomon who might have written in it 950 BC or
930 BC. The book of Song of Songs has often times been questioned within the Christian circles
because of its eroticist nature (tendency to stimulate sexual desire) and the absence of a religious
sentence or the name of God in it. The book of Song of Songs is one of the most rare books that
practically demonstrate love and passion that should be evident in marriage relationship; reflecting
the “marriage” relationship between God and his people.

MESSAGE SUMMARY/THEME

1. The primary purpose of the Song of Songs is to extol the love between a bridegroom and
a bride to affirm the sanctity of marriage life.
2. It is also written to picture God’s love for his people. The intimate love God’s love for his
people.

STUDY GUIDELINES

1. Study each of the poetic books and identify the principle lessons propagated in each one of
them.
2. See how these principles lessons could be applied to address issues facing the
contemporary society in the version spheres of life, politically, economically, socially and
religiously.
Hermeneutics of the Song of Songs

 Allegorical Interpretation
 Literal Interpretation
(Additional content shall be availed)

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 THE PROPHETIC ERA

Introduction:

The biblical description of a prophet1 is someone called by God to receive God’s message and to
deliver it in accordance with God’s instruction. The Hebrew title for prophet is “Nabi”, other titles
given to a prophet in the Bible includes, “man of God”, “A Seer”, “A servant of Jehovah”, all
suggesting a prophet’s intimate relationship with God and his total loyalty to him. The prophets
came as spokesmen from God with a message for their generation.

There are two types of prophets in the Bible namely:

1. Oral prophets

1
“The prophet was an individual who said No to his society, condemning its habits and assumptions, its
complacency, waywardness, and syncretism. He was often compelled to proclaim the very opposite of what his heart
expected. His fundamental objective was to reconcile man and God. Why do the two need reconciliation? Perhaps
due to man’s false sense of sovereignty, to his abuse of freedom, to his aggressive, sprawling pride, resenting God’s
involvement in history”- Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets.

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 These are prophets who made prophecies but did not write any books. These include prophets
like; Ahijah, Iddo, Jehu, Elijah, Elisha, Obed, Shamaiah, Azriah, Hanani, Jahaziel, Huldah,
Micaiah, Nathan and Eliezer.

2. The writing prophets

These were prophets who prophesied as well as writing prophetic books. These include the
major and minor prophets. They wrote a total of 17 books. These prophets prophesied during
specific periods of Israel’s history.

Classification of the oral prophets

 Major prophets-Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Lamentations.

 Minor Prophets, Micah, Nahum, Obadiah, Hosea, Malachi, Joel, Amos, Jonah,
Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Zechariah, Haggai

The recipients of the prophetic messages:

Both the major and minor prophets directed their prophetic messages to:

i) The Israelites (The Northern Kingdom)

ii) The people of Judah (Southern Kingdom)
iii) Both the Northern (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah)
iv) A few prophesied against foreign nations.

The Role of the Prophets in the Old Testament

Forthtelling- They spoke for God against the evils of society, calling for repentance. A prophet
was God’s mouthpiece bringing the world into divine focus. They brought God’s message to the
people.

Foretelling- Prophets also predicted the future; giving out knowledge of the future to enable
people understand that God controls events, time, and all things. Most of the prophetic messages
were fulfilled; other were eschatological (referring to the end times).

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The eras or periods of the prophetic ministry/messages

- Pre-exilic
- Exilic
- Postexilic
A. THE PRE-EXILIC PERIOD
This was the period before the Israelites and the people of Judah went to Assyrian and Babylonian
captivity respectively. God because of gracious love raised two prophets to prophesy during this
period. These ones include; Isaiah, Jeremiah (Major Prophets), Hosea, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk
and Zephaniah (Minor Prophets).

THE PRE-EXILIC PROPHETS (11 PROPHETS)

DATE
(B.C)
PROPHET MESSAGE RECIPIEN REIGN
TS OF:

740-680 Isaiah The salvation of Yahweh for Jews in Uzziah,

his people through the Judea Jotham,
(major prophet)
redemption of the messiah. (Southern Ahaz,
The Hebrews are required to Kingdom) Hezekiah
abide by the covenant and be
optimistic of Gods comfort and
deliverance.

627-585 Jeremiah Warning of God’s impending Jews in Josiah,

judgment because of the Judea and Jehoahaz,
(major prophet)
rampant sins among the Babylonian Jehoiakim,
Hebrew people without captivity Jehoiachin,
repentance God will subject (Southern Zedekiah.
them to captivity in Babylon. Kingdom)
God however will restore them

51
 back to himself under a new
covenant.

586 or Jeremiah Laments and mourning over

585 (Lamentations) what befell Judah in 586 BC.
The Babylonians destroyed the
holy city of Jerusalem and the
temple of God. Many of the
Jews were then taken to
Babylon as exiles.

755-715 Hosea The steadfast unfailing love of Israel Uzziah,

God for Israel inspite of her (Northern Jothan,
continued rebellion against Kingdom) Ahaz,
him. They have adulterated Hezekiah.
their faith and defiled
themselves with idolatry

835-796 Joel Warning against Judah for the Judah Not certain
coming judgment in the day of (Southern
the Lord. He calls on Judah to Kingdom)
repent for God to restore his
relationship with them and
bless them.

765-750 Amos God’s impeding judgment Israel Uzziah,

against Judah for her socio- (Northern Jeroboam II
political, economic, and Kingdom)
religious evils. He also has a
message of hope to the faithful
remnants.

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840 Obadiah Pronounced the judgment of Judah Rehoboam,
Edom because of her pride and (Southern Jehoram,
rejoicing over the misfortunes Kingdom) Jehoash,
that befell Jerusalem. Amaziah

850-780 Jonah God’s impending judgment Ninevites Jeroboam II

over Nineveh; and God’s (Assyrians) of Israel
willingness to forgive them if ministered
they repent of their after the
wickedness. time of
Elisha
before
Amos and
Hosea.

740-690 Micah Shows how the people failed to Mainly to Jotham,

abide by the stipulation of the Judah and Ahaz and
covenant. Obedience meant partly to the Hezekiah
blessing and disobedience Northern
would lead to curses which Kingdom
will lead them being cast from
the promised land.

630-612 Nahum The prediction of the fall of The Josiah. He

Nineveh as God’s retribution Ninevites was a
against the wicked Assyrians (Assyrians) contemporar
of Nineveh. They were proud, y of
cruel and planning evil against Zephaniah
God’s people. and
Jeremiah.

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 606-604 Habakkuk Conveys Habakkuk’s Josiah
perplexity about God’s delay
to punish Judah as well as his
astonishment that God could
use a wicked nation like
Babylon to punish his people.
However he is revealed with
appropriate answers to his
perplexing questions.

625 Zephaniah Zephaniah speaks to the people Josiah

of Judah whose moral and
spiritual life had been dulled
by the evil influence of the
reigns of Manasseh and Amon.
He warns them of God’s
impending judgment on the
day of the Lord due to their
disobedience.

THE MESSAGE OF THE PRE-EXILIC PROPHETS

The pre-exilic prophets delivered messages touching on various socio-political, economic and
religious evils committed by the Israelites, the people of Judah, and even the surrounding nations.
The following is a summary of their messages:

1. Judgment

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 A number of pre-exilic prophets warned the Hebrew people of God’s impending judgment
if they were not going to repent and turn away from their evils. Both the Major and Minor
prophets were entrusted by God to deliver this message to the Hebrews. God also raised
some prophets to direct their judgment messages to some of the surrounding nations. These
prophets included; Jonah, Nahum and Obadiah. Their prophetic messages revolved around
God’s wrath against them because of their general wickedness and their mistreatment of
the Hebrew people.

2. Warning against Political Abuses

The prophets took cognizance of the rampant political abuses that were exemplified during
the reigns of some of the ungodly kings that ruled both in the Northern and Southern
Kingdoms. Isaiah and Micah prophesied against the social injustices witnessed in both
Israel and Judah. The less fortunate in the society like the widows, orphans and aliens were
oppressed and treated unjustly. Amos and Micah on this same vein addressed both Israel
and Judah warning them of God’s impending judgment due to their oppression of the poor,
corruption of the judicial system, extravagance of the ruling class and the exploitation of
the business community who went to the extent of using deceptive scales in their business.

Discuss: How are political leaders abusing their powers today?

3. Moral Decadence
The pre-exilic prophets spoke strongly against moral decadence among the Hebrews. This
behavior did not only have a bearing in social disorder but also spiritually. The widespread
immorality which ranged from fornication, adultery, incest, bestiality and homosexuality
were enhanced due to the Hebrew indiscriminative mingling with the pagan nations.
Prophet Jeremiah and Hosea warned the Hebrews against their high level of immorality
which signified their drastic fall from the stipulation of the covenant. Hosea in particular
conveys how God detested the Israelites spiritual prostitution. Amos highlights how
immorality was so rampant among the Hebrews to the extent that a son and his father could
even share the same woman (incest).

Discuss: How is our present day society characterized by moral decay?

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4. Rebellion against the Covenant
Many of the pre-exilic prophets prophesied against the Hebrews deliberate rebellion form
the stipulations of the covenant and asked them to repent and abide by it. Isaiah on the
other hand appealed to the Hebrews of both the Northern and Southern kingdom to restore
their relationship with God and abide by the covenant of the law, which if they don’t they
will face the wrath of God.

5. Warning against False Prophets

During the pre-exilic era when wickedness was so rampant among the Hebrew people, they
were convinced that God’s wrath was about to be revealed and dreaded. However, this
dread was wished away by emerging false prophets who gave soothing messages to the
people assuring them of prosperity and abundant blessings to come and not touching on
the people’s sins. God raised prophets like Jeremiah to condemn these prophets and warn
the people against relying on their deceptive messages lest they would face God’s
judgment.

6. The day of the Lord

Some of the pre-exilic prophets were given messages of judgment which did not only focus
on imminent judgment but also futuristic. Prophets like Joel and Zephaniah prophesied
God’s judgment and restoration which will be fully manifested during the end time or on
‘the day of the Lord’ (Second coming of the Messiah).

7. Idolatry
Most of the pre-exilic prophets warned the Hebrews against turning to idolatry. Jeremiah,
Hosea, Amos and Micah prophesied against the Hebrews turning away from worshipping
their only God as stipulated in the covenant and turned to idol gods and goddesses. These
prophets warned that such practice would lead to God’s wrathful judgment.

Discuss- State some idols that are being worshipped in our contemporary society.

8. Description of the suffering they will go through

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 Some of the prophets like Jeremiah vividly described the nature of suffering the Hebrews
would undergo during the exile. This kind of prophecy earned Jeremiah the nickname “The
prophet of doom.”

9. Syncretism
This was one of the most common sins committed by the Israelites. This is the mixture of
religious beliefs. The Hebrews tried their level best to maintain their covenant relationship
with God but at the same time practice pagan religious beliefs. This act was detestable to
God and most of the prophets highlighted on this.

10. The Messianic Promise/Restoration

A midst the tough prophetic messages they delivered, a good number of the pre-exilic
prophets had a message of hope and restoration. Isaiah who has been nicknamed the
“Messianic” prophet is known for his comprehensive message of restoration of the Hebrew
people through the messiah. He prophesied of the birth, and the mission of the messiah
which included: his presence with his people (Immanuel), he will heal his people from their
diseases, free them from iniquity suffer to save his people from sin, establish an eternal
peaceful kingdom and bring down and destroy the power of the evil one. Jeremiah on the
other hand prophesied of the new covenant inaugurated by the Messiah which will be
written not on stone tablets but on people’s hearts.

Discussion Question:

What are some of the socio-political, economic and religious evils the pre-exilic prophets could
address if they were prophesying in our contemporary society?

B. EXILIC ERA
This was the period when the people of Judah were in Babylonian captivity and the
Israelites in Assyrian captivity. God raised two prophets Ezekiel and Daniel to prophesy to
the Babylonian exiles.

EXILIC PROPHETS (2 PROPHETS)

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 DATE PROPHE MESSAGE RECIPIENT REIGN OF:
(B.C) T S

592-570 Ezekiel Ezekiel’s focus is on Jews captives Zedekiah (King

(Major condemnation for Israel’s in Babylon of Judah)
Prophets) sin as well as consolation Nebuchadnezza
and promise of r (king of
restoration of God’s Babylon)
people in future.

605-536 Daniel God sovereign power as Jewish Jehoiakim,

the one true God. Who captives in Jehoiachin,
judges and rebellious Babylon and Zedekiah
world powers. Message gentile kings. (Kings of
of promise to God’s Judah)
people of their God’s Nebuchadnezza
plan to triumph over their r (King of
enemies and restore them Babylon)
back to their homeland.
They should not
compromise their faith
but remain steadfast and
God will soon usher in
messianic kingdom and
subject their enemies to
his rule.

THE MESSAGES OF THE EXILIC PROPHETS

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1) Highlights of God’s condemnation of the Hebrews back at home;
The exilic prophets although ministering to the exiles were also updating them of what
was happening back in their homeland. Ezekiel prophesied about the fall of Jerusalem
due to the abomination practiced in God’s temple of Jerusalem led by the priests and
the nobles. This led to the inevitable departure of God’s glory from the temple and the
city resulting in destruction.

2) God’s Sovereignty, amidst the powers of evil

The exilic prophets encouraged the exiles that their God was sovereign and powerful
over all the gods. Daniel particularly demonstrates how their God manifested his power
and justice through him and his friends. He showed the pagan kings that he is God
alone and there is no other like him. God through his miraculous acts proved to the
pagans that he was the sovereign Lord maker of the heavens and the earth and that he
will always protect and preserve his people from any harm.

3) Obedience to their God despite the challenge of polytheism

In spite of the unpleasant experience in captivity, the Hebrew exiles were always
reminded not to bow to any idol god or goddess but to worship and exalt their God.

4) Assurance of God’s Judgment of his People’s Enemies

Ezekiel and Daniel pointed out to the Hebrew remnants how their God would punish
those that mistreated them or even mocked them.

5) Messianic Promise/Restoration
Both Ezekiel and Daniel prophesied of the restoration of the Hebrew remnants back to
their cradle land. The exiles were consoled that inspire of the affliction and suffering
they were undergoing under the leadership of successive unkind pagan kings, a time
will come when God’s Messiah will destroy the enemies of his peoples and restore
them and establish his eternal rule.

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Discuss: How useful are the exilic prophetic messages to the Christians today?

C). POST – EXILIC ERA

God raised 3 prophets to prophesy to the Hebrew remnants after the Babylonian exile. These
prophets were; Zachariah, Haggai and Malachi.

POST – EXILIC PROPHETS (3 PROPHETS)

DATE PROPHE MESSAGE RECIPIEN REIGN OF:

(B.C) T TS

520 Haggai Encouraged and exhorted the Hebrew The Hebrew Reign of
remnants to rebuild the temple in remnants Cyrus the
Jerusalem. God would bless them if from great of Persia
they were going to faithfully serve Babylonian where Israel
God with their resources, without captivity. was part of his
getting weary. colonial
provinces.

520-518 Zechariah Encouraged the Hebrew remnants to

complete their work in rebuilding the
temple. He showed that God was at
work in the world restoring Israel to
their spiritual inheritance. The climax
of his restoration will be realized in
the coming of the Messiah.

450 - Malachi Warned the priests and the people

400BC against their fading love of God which
culminated in them offering defective
sacrifices to God. He challenged them
to give their tithes and offerings

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 faithfully to avert God’s curses and
usher in his abundant blessings.

THE MESSAGES OF THE POST – EXILIC PROPHETS

The post-exilic prophetic messages revolved around, the rebuilding of the temple, the walls of
Jerusalem, generous giving to the Lord’s ministry and the futuristic establishment of God’s
kingdom.

1. The Rebuilding of the Temple

Haggai’s prophecy centered on rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple. He warned the Jewish
remnants of concentrating in building their own houses while the house of God lay in ruins.
Haggai prophesied of God’s displeasure in their attitudes towards contributing to building the
house of God. He stated categorically that God will not bless them if they neglected giving to
the building of the temple. Zachariah also encouraged the people to finish up the rebuilding of
the temple.

2. Giving towards the Lord’s Ministry

The work of rebuilding the temple and the general service of the Lord required generous giving
of material possession. Malachi and Haggai both challenged the Hebrew remnants to give
generously towards the ministry of the Lord. Malachi in particular prophesied against the
people’s fading love of God which led to them offering detective sacrifices to God. He
prophesied against the people’s deliberate move of withholding tithes and offering. He
declared to them of God’s curse over those who turned away from him and refuse to offer their
sacrifices and tithes to God. He prophesied abundant blessings to those that obeyed God even
their generous giving of tithes and offerings.

3. Turn to God in worship

Malachi rebuked the people for their neglect of the true worship of the Lord and called them
to repentance (Malachi 1:6, 3:7).

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4. The Futuristic Establishment of God’s Kingdom
Prophet Zachariah is the only post-exilic prophet who highlights on the messianic promise. He
prophesied of the unfolding events which will lead to the glorious age in future, when the
Messiah will come for the second time as Lord and King and establish his eternal rule.

Discussion Question:

If Malachi was serving in one of the modern-day Kenyan churches would he be content with the
way Christians are offering to God’s Ministry?

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BIBLE SURVEY-NT

Introduction
Why NT survey? If someone tells you “There is a book I feel you must read” the first question
you ask is “What is it about?”, The Bible is a must-read book for all people, those who have read
it carefully can testify that it addresses very pertinent issues of life. Someone said, “The Bible is
a disturbing book and if it does not disturb you then you have not read it” sometimes will read a
portion of the Scripture and it does not quite make sense to us. It is only by reading the larger
context like the whole book we are able to appreciate the relevance of the Bible message to us.
Bible survey is different from expositions of individual books where detailed analysis of
scripture is necessary; however, the purpose of survey is to discuss the background in which
the teaching first came and the highlights of NT teaching. Essentially it is to answer correctly
this question, WHAT IS THE NT ABOUT?
Bible survey is fundamental to effective Bible study. If a Bible student is to understand any part
or teaching of the scriptures, he/she must have an understanding of what the scriptures teach as a
whole. Though the Bible is a compilation of books/writing by different authors over a long
period in history, yet a survey of the Bible will reveal a unity in teaching. “Each book is a part of
the whole, and can be fully understood only when it is seen in relation to the entire stream of
divine revelation that begins with Genesis and ends with revelation.”
The Name “New Testament” refers to second part of the English Bible. It is Latin Novum
Testamentum, a translation from Greek He Kaine Diatheke, which was used to generally mean “a
last will or testament”. The word “Testament” meant an arrangement made by one party that
could be received or rejected by another party, but that he could not change. When accepted,
both parties were bound by its term to fulfill their obligations. The New Testament is the record
of the character and a foundation of a new dealing of God with human through Christ. The NT is
a revelation of the holiness of God through his perfect Son, who empowers those who receive the
revelation (through the Holy Spirit) to become sons of God by making them righteous (John
1:12)

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THE WORLD OF NEW TESTAMENT

Introduction

To understand the NT message it is imperative to comprehend the world it first came. The
literary, political, social, economic, and religious backgrounds of the first Century are the context
for the revelation of God in Christ.
Why is it important to understand the background of the NT?
The terms or means of communication which the writers of the NT used came from common life
of their day. They were clearly understood by the average man in the streets of Ephesus,
Jerusalem, Corinth or Rome. Hence, our knowledge of the world of the NT will make the NT
message more understandable to us.
James S Jeffers in Greco-Roman World of the NT- has said
“Most Christians and others interested in the NT would love to read it and understand
what it means without having to read other books. Of course, one can always read some
kind of meaning into a verse of scripture. But those who understand that the books of NT
were written to specific people, in specific places, nearly 2000yrs ago, know that this is
not a good idea. If the NT texts were written to make sense to people in the first century,
then we must try to put ourselves into their places in order to determine what the writers
of the NT intended their readers to understand by what they wrote.”
If we try to make sense of the Bible with no knowledge of the people who wrote it, those who
read it and the society in which they lived, we will be inclined to read into the scriptures our own
society’s values and ideas. This would be a major mistake since our culture is very different from
that of the ancient Romans”

Overview of developments between the OT and NT (hand written notes)

SOCIAL-ECONOMIC WORLD
The social-economic situation of NT testament world is similar in many aspects to that of our
21st Century. As it is today, there were the elite (aristocracy) the middle class and the poor.
However, one thing that distinguishes the condition then and now, “…upward mobility was

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frowned upon…with very few exceptions, your status at birth determined the course of your
future life”2
Jewish Society
The upper class in the Jewish society consisted “chiefly of the families of the priesthood and of
the leading rabbis”. Slavery was not widely practiced in Judaism. Hence, social divisions among
the Jews were quite restrained by the common obligation that the law imposed on its followers.
The law taught that all were equally responsible to God for Obedience to it, hence, morally equal
in his sight. Compared to the pagan society, the Jewish society was far less oppressive.
Pagan Society
Aristocracy, middle class, poor people and slaves were the main social classes in Roman society.
Social strata were very sharp in the 1st Century pagan world. In the Roman Empire
“Class indicates the group of a person into which one is born and, with few
exceptions, that to which one will belong until death. Romans used the term order
(ordo) to describe the classed in their society, but they used the term somewhat
differently from the way we use the term class today. Membership in a given order
gave one greater honor and privileges than those possessed by members of a lower
order”3
Aristocracy
This class represented about 1 % of the population and held the leadership of almost every aspect
of public life “…a Roman aristocrat might have held simultaneously positions as business
leader, priest, judge, military officer and politicians.” The aristocrat comprised of the rich land
owners- they controlled public lands by their influences and bought cheaply the private lands of
those whose families were impoverished by war or by the inability to make a living from a small
farm.

The Middle Class

Military expansion of the empire brought about rise in slavery. Military captives were major
supply of the slave labor. Many of the slaves were well skilled and could provide not only

2
James S. Jeffers, The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era: Exploring the Background of Early Christianity
[Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1999], 181
3
ibid

65
manual labor but also skilled labor and at a very low cost hence offering stiff competition to
middle class. This coupled with the reduction of the middle class population killed in war; the
middle class was reduced almost to non existence in the Empire.
The economic competition from slave labor economically pushed out the middle class out of
their small farms and estates. Slowly this added to the homeless and hungry mobs that filled the
great cities, especially Rome. “The hungry, idle, crowds, who would vote for any candidate
whose promises sounded better than those of his competitor were dangerous and unpredictable
factor in the social life of the empire”4
The Poor
The poor included tenant famers, urban day laborers, destitute-orphans, widows, the ill etc. The
poor people (The plebs) were numerous and pitiful in the Roman Empire. These lacked steady
employment and were worse off than slaves. At least a slave was assured of food and clothing.
Therefore, for food and little pleasure this mass was an easy prey for any kind of negative
influence.
Slaves
Slavery was a Mediterranean culture for many centuries even before the NT era. Slaves were
persons captured in military invasions or their descendants, those sold into slavery to pay debts,
infants abandoned by their parents and raised as slaves by those who took them or people
kidnapped by slave traders. By the time of NT war, debt and birth increased the slave population
at a high rate.
Not all slaves were ignorant, some were well trained and had special skills. For example, many
slaves were physicians, accountants, teachers and skilled artisans. Also, freed slaves
(manumitted) slaves provided trained workers where there was none before.

Unlike the Jewish society there were no inherent standards in pagan society to check the
downward moral drift.

POLITICAL SITUATION
Introduction

4
Merrill C. Tenney, The New Testament Survey [Inter-Varsity Press, Grand Rapids,,1985], 49

66
The entire civilized world at the time of NT, was under Roman Empire with exception of the
little known kingdoms from Far East.

Rome was the capital city in Italy.

How did Rome govern its Empire? The Roman authorities did not govern the empire primarily
for the welfare of the people but to promote the interest of the leaders in Rome-Hence, the need
to collect as much tax as possible and protecting the Empire from threats to its stability from
within or without.

Province-was the basic unit of administration. Romans governed through the cities of the
Empire. The governors were the chief administrators of the province. A governor had autonomy
of governing as long as they collected taxes and put down any insurrection. He had police
powers, with command of the legions (Roman military personnel). He heard law cases and had
power to pronounce capital sentences. Governors served a one year term.

The Roman Province of Judea

Roman established in Judea a new kind of province in AD 6. The governor had command over
small number of non-Roman auxiliary troop-Judea was considered a hotspot province in the
Roman Empire. The administrative centre of the province was Caesarea, but troops were
stationed in Jerusalem’s fortress of Antonia next to the temple. Why Jerusalem and next to the
temple? The was an important place where Jews could easily stir national sentiments that could
lead to an uprising against the Roman domination.

The NT mentions by name only three of the fourteen Roman governors who served between AD
6 and 66. Pontius Pilatus (Pilate) is the most famous, he executed Jesus. Marcus Antonius Felix
and Pocus Festus are mentioned in Acts 23-27, in Luke’s account of Paul’s arrest and
imprisonment in Caesarea.

At the time of NT the Palestine was a under Herod a client King of Rome. The Herod dynasty
began with the Herod the Great in 37 BC

RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE PAGAN WORLD

Greco-Roman gods/pantheon: Worship of multiple gods

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Household gods in the early days of the Roman Empire were worshipped in the primitive
religions of Rome. Merrill C. Tenney notes, “Each small farmer worshipped the gods of his own
farm and fireside, which personified for him the forces with which he had to deal in living his
daily life. Gods of the forest and field, gods of the sky and stream, gods of sowing and of the
harvest- all received his worship in their proper places and at their proper seasons”

As the Roman Empire grew, new deities were introduced. The Greek gods became prominent in
the Empire and the influence of Greek civilization increased. However, by the time of NT, the
worship of Greek gods began to decline. “The philosophic cults had no place for gods in their
scheme of things and openly made fun of them…(the) numbers (of devout worshippers of the
gods)” was dwindling as the NT era set in. But public observance of religious rites went beyond
the first century (Acts 19:27,35)

Emperor worship

One of Christianity’s greatest trials came early and in connection with its worship. Rome decreed
a universal religion for the Empire: The cult of the emperor. It was a Roman policy to draw
people to the center of power. Emperor worship was one means of drawing people together in
the vast empire. Christians would not approve of, leave alone, and participate in, worship of a
human being.

Mystery religion

Because emperor worship could not satisfy individual religious quest, people started to look for
more personal objects of their faith and any sort of experience that would “address” their
situation in times of stress and trouble. There three types of cults which gain popularity at this
time

 The cult of Cybele, the Great Mother-originated from Asia

 Isis and Osiris or Serapis from Egypt
 And Mithraism from Persia

These cults had two main characteristics

 A belief in a god who died and resuscitated

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  A ritual formula…symbols and secret dramatic representations of the experience of the-
god-the initiate was to be introduced into that experience hence attaining immortality.
The goal for this mystery religion was to meet the desire for personal immortality and
social equality. This form of religion was probably referred to by Paul in Colossians
2:18-19

Occult

Occult was very similar to mystery religion. It was based on the “superstitious observances and
regard of the masses for the powers of the universe, which they could not understand but could
vaguely feel.” The spirits and demons inhabiting the world could be manipulated for one’s
advantage, if one knew the right rite or formula to apply.

Jews were often more interested in magic than were the Gentiles (Acts 8:9-24; 13:6-11).
Believers in the NT regarded occult as an outright opposition to Christianity (Acts 19:19). Both
the OT and NT are consistently opposed, even hostile to occult worship.

The philosophies

Definition-Philosophy is an attempt to correlate all existing knowledge about the universe into a
systematic form and to integrate human experience with it.

One outstanding characteristic of philosophy is that “It has always assumed the potential
adequacy of humans to understand their world and decide their fate”5

Philosophies in NT Time

Platonism- The world consists of an infinite number of particular things, each of which is a
more or less imperfect copy of a real idea. Platonism asserts that, ideas are real, while the
material is only a shadow.

Gnosticism- It promised salvation through knowledge. God is too great and holy to be the
creator of the material which is inferior and corrupt. So certain “aeons” (emanations) came from

5
Merrill C. Tenney

69
the deity, in a successive manner, “one a little inferior to the one from which it sprang. The last
aeons were the created world which was evil.

Salvation comes by renouncing the material world and seeking the invisible. There were two
extreme treatment of the material/body in Gnosticism.

i. Asceticism- strict control of the body

ii. Abandoning the body to full gratification of its desires since the spirit is real but the body
unreal Colossians 2:8; 2:21

Neo-Platonism- The spirit is inevitably good and the body inevitably evil. Salvation can be
obtained by eliminating all bodily desires completely and gradually retreating to the life of the
spirit. A life ultimately achieved by at death.

Epicureanism- The world began through collisions of atoms which resulted to the present
universe. Since cynical

JUDAISM

The temple

SOLOMON TEMPLE
• completed in 960 BC
• Destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (Babylonian Army) in 586 BC

SECOND TEMPLE
(Temple of Zerubbabel)
-Completed in 516BC
-Had a series of damages during repeated
foreign invasions

HEROD'S TEMPLE
-began in 19 BC and the main temple became
functional by 21BC
-was fully completed in 64 AD
-was destroyed by Romans under Titus in AD 70

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The temple was the central place of worship in Jerusalem and the main symbolic feature of
Judaism and Jewish cultural heritage: as source of national pride.

Apart from Judaism there were other expressions of religious affiliations in the Roman Empire.

“Because the Romans accepted the existence of many gods, they were usually tolerant of other
religions, even when they considered them distasteful. But they became intolerant, even
repressive, when they feared that a religion threatened their way of life. Jews and
Christians…generally benefited from this tolerance although they also suffered Roman
repression” Jeffers (89-90)

The synagogue

Means “a place of assembly”

Synagogue probably grew out of the situation of Jews in exile in Babylon and the emphasis of
Ezra (after the exile) on the law at the time of restoration.

During the time approaching the NT era Jews of Diaspora founded synagogues in cities of the
Empire where enough of them (Jews) to maintain one.

While the temple, strictly speaking was, was the place of worship in Judaism, the synagogue
became the educational institution, providing a place to study the law.

Synagogues were more than religious institutions. Among the Jews dispersed around the Empire,
the synagogue generally served as the civic center of the Jewish community, especially providing
the schools for the teaching of the young.

Sanhedrin

Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem functioned as a kind of senate of the province. The members were
from leading families in the province. It was chaired by high priest. The high priest was not just a
religious figure; he was the second most important political person after the governor. Roman
allowed Jews to take charge of their religious affairs e.g. Jews all over the empire were allowed
to send annual Temple tax to Jerusalem. They were also exempted from Emperor Worship.

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In the earlier post-exilic period the Sanhedrin consisted of the senior priests and representatives
from the aristocracy; later, Pharisees gained representation in it and increased their influence.

The scribes

In the NT Greek grammateus was one who could write numbers and the letters of the alphabet,
hence, a secretary or clerk. As such he could be a high official e.g. the “town clerk” of Ephesus
(Acts 19:35).

At the time of Jesus the scribes exerted a powerful religious influence as teachers, and because of
their ability to make judicial decisions based on scriptural interpretation, occupied important
positions in the Sanhedrin (Mt 16:21). The most famous scribes were the great teachers, such as
Hillel, Shammai (not mentioned in the NT) and Gamaliel (Acts 5:34, 22:3)

However, being a scribe was not necessarily a remunerative occupation; it seems that many of
the scribes were quite poor and had to support themselves by working at a trade. Scribe was
qualification, . E.g. Professor or Dr

The sects of Judaism

Pharisees

The term Pharisees is believed to be derived from the Hebrew verb Parash “to divide or
separate.” Hence, the Pharisees were the “separated ones”. How the sect arose is uncertain. The
sect was the largest and the most influential one in NT. The theology of the Pharisees was
founded on the entire OT scripture. Many influential Pharisees were members of the Sanhedrin.

Pharisaism took the legal regulations of the OT and made them relevant and applicable to every
Jew. The Pharisees did this by their system of oral tradition and interpretation. By so doing they
brought the law within the reach of every person-as expounded and interpreted by the scribes.

Why did Jesus denounce the Pharisees?

 Hypocrisy
Partly because of hypocrisy of some of its representatives who preached what they did
not do. (Matthew 23:3)

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  Legalism leading to spiritual pride
And partly because while laying external burdens upon themselves and their followers,
they had actually made acts of righteousness an easier way, a goal that was attainable by
keeping certain rituals and requirements, so that the Pharisee had performed these acts,
he felt that he had done all that was required of him, hence, tendency to pride and neglect
of other subtle requirements of the law like showing mercy.

Sadducees

Refers to the priestly aristocratic party in the latter part of the second temple period. They were
in many ways opposed to the Pharisees. The main point of division was the understanding of the
law. Both parties acknowledged the supremacy of Torah, but the Sadducees held only to the
written law while the Pharisees put the long development of traditions alongside the written law.
The Sadducees did not believe in the in the existence of angels and other spirits, the resurrection
of the dead or any future judgment. The Pharisees believed in all these.

Essenes

For Judaism in the Roman period there were two alternatives to the issue of devout religious
commitment:

 Joining the “party” life of the Pharisees

 Or joining the “sect” life of the Essenes.

According to this description, a party consists of people who have a common vision and they
join forces in their effort to reform the society. The purpose of the Pharisaic party was to restore
sound life to Israel by being a good influence, and it accomplished its goals by careful
organization, education and discipline.

On the other hand, a sect concludes that society is beyond reform and sectarian withdrawal in
order to prepare for the judgment of God which is inevitable for the wicked. To join the sect, one
had to go through rites of initiation, after which one had adhere to acute discipline.

The Essenes clearly regarded themselves as the true Israel constituting a remnant within apostate
Israel.

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Zealots

Is the name generally used for devoted Jewish patriots of the 1st Century AD. To many of them,
violence was justified as long as it accomplished a good end- deliverance from foreign
oppressors. Therefore, Zealots were not a religious sect in the same class with the Pharisees or
Essenes. “Their creed was pointed: God is the only Lord; thus no tribute us to be paid to the
Roman emperor”6

THE CONTENT OF NT
Consists 27 sets of writings by 9 different authors. The documents were written from AD 45 to
AD 100
Characteristics of the content
Literary form-Historical narratives, Doctrinal (1&2 Cor, Gal, Eph, Phil, Col, 1&2 Thes, Heb,
James, 1&2 Pet, 1Jn, Jude, Prophetic/Apocalyptic (because of its highly symbolic style,
involving visions and supernatural disclosure)
Authors-Can be grouped according to the authors
Period-How the books are related to the time that they describe and in which they are written
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OT AND NT
The reference to the first 39 books of the bible as the OT and the 27 books of the bible as the NT
developed during the 2nd Century AD.
The term “Old” Testament (covenant) focuses primarily on the Mosaic Covenant which God
made with Israel at Mt. Sinai after the Exodus and before they entered the Promised Land. It
included the law and all its regulations, rituals and sacrifices. Israel broke that covenant and led
to her fall to Assyria in 722 BC and Judah’s fall to Babylon in 586BC. The OT is more than
“law” and records the history of God’s covenant people in the relationship to his plan of
redemption, not just of the Jews but also of the Gentiles.

The term “New” Testament (Covenant) focuses on the references by Christ in the gospel (Luke
22: 14-20; and also Hebrew 9:15; and 2Corinthians 3:3-9). But even the New Covenant is not
really “new” but relates to :

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Merril C. Tenney, The New Testament Survey [Inter-Varsity Press, Grand Rapids,,1985], 111

74
  The promise of spiritual blessings to all nations in the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis
12:3; Galatians 3: 6-17) on which the salvation of all believers rests (Romans 4: 1-25)
 The New Covenant promised to Israel in Jeremiah 31: 31-37 and Ezekiel 36: 22-28 the
spiritual-salvation blessing, of which benefit all those who believe in God.
In Christ the righteous demands of the Old Covenant were all fulfilled and God replaced the old
covenant of the law with the new covenant of promise (Colossian 2:13-14, Ephesians 2:15-16;
Romans 8:3-4)
The contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant
Old Covenant New Covenant
Law is external Law internal

Relationship to God only through priest Close personal relationship to God

Knowledge of God was through those who Knowledge of God through indwelling Spirit
taught and Word

Temporary provision for sin Permanent provision for sins

No enablement Divine enablement (Motivation and ability)

Designed to show God’s holiness and man’s Designed to save; Shows God’s holiness in
sinfulness Christ

Obedience demonstrates faith Faith demonstrated by obedience

Collective Individual

Ended with Christ’s death Began with Christ’s death

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General Characteristics of God’s covenants
 Between parties of unequal bargaining power
 Unilateral (initiated and made by God alone)
 Unconditional as to promises (may be conditional as to blessings)
 Irrevocable- cannot be changed or altered but only accepted or rejected
 Acceptance creates relationship

It is useful to understand the following truths about the relationship of the OT and the NT
OT NT
Begins God’s revelation Completes God’s revelation
Predicts Christ as Messiah Presents Christ as Messiah
Requires faith for salvation Requires faith for salvation
Requires living faith Requires living faith
Predicts God’s prophetic plan Presents God’s prophetic plan
Gives understanding of God Explains and amplifies understanding of God
and His ways
Records God’s principles and truths Restates and reinforces God’s principles and
truths
NT concealed in the OT OT revealed in the NT
OT not complete without the NT NT not understandable without the OT
Asserts truth about God, man, sin, salvation Affirms truth about God, man, sin, salvation
etc etc.

The NT does not contradict the OT but completes, confirms and complements the OT
THEOLOGY OF THE NT

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The NT completes God’s progressive revelation of Himself to man and provides as with a clear
picture of what God is really like (see Hebrew 1:1-3, John 1:14, 18, 14:8-11) In Christ we also
see a clear picture of man as God intended man to be.
All of the attributes of God the Father are seen in the NT, especially a personified in Christ.
Therefore, the theology of the NT is the same as the OT, but now more complete.
The theology of God’s kingdom on earth is very prominent in the NT as is the unfolding of
God’s purpose and plan for the now and in eternity.
Salvation is the most prominent theological theme in NT. We see how God in Christ completes
His promised redemption. We see the faithfulness of God to fulfill His OT promises related to
Messiah in particular and prophesy general. Incarnation of Christ and the implications of his
bodily resurrection is also given prominence.
THEME
The coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah as a man to and complete God’s plan of redemption on
the cross; His rejection by people; His death and resurrection; His provision for continued
ministry through the church, and the anticipation of His second coming.
Major emphasis include
o the faithfulness of God to fulfill OT prophecy
o the incarnation of Christ
o the virgin birth of Christ
o the substitutionary death of Christ
o the bodily resurrection of Christ
o the rejection of Jesus by Israel
o the appointment of the church during Church Age
o Salvation by grace through faith alone
o the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit
o walking by faith not by sight
o godly living in the power of the Holy Spirit
o bearing witness to Christ through preaching the Gospel
o Great tribulation period
o The second coming of Christ
o Millennial Kingdom followed by final judgment

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 o The end of human history and the eternal state-new heaven/earth
CLASSIFICATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS
The NT has 27 books which can be divided into four main groups as follows:
i. History: The four Gospels and Acts
ii. Thirteen letters from Paul (Pauline Epistles): From Romans to Philemon
iii. Eight letters to all (General Epistles): Hebrews to Jude
iv. Prophecy: Revelation

The NT books are important because they teach us about the doctrine and the practice of the New
Testament Church.
SUMMARY OF THEMES
1 History: The Gospels and Acts
i. Matthew shows Jesus Christ as the King of the Jews. This book gives the
fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the
Messiah. The teachings of Christ form the most important part of the book.
ii. Mark pictures Jesus as “the Servant of the Lord,” busy doing His Father’s
work, especially the work of redemption. Mark emphasizes Christ’s work,
especially the work of redemption.
iii. Luke emphasizes Jesus as “the Son of Man,” the perfect example of man. Jesus
gave His life “to seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). The love and
compassion of Christ are important thoughts in this Gospel.
iv. John presents Christ as “the Son of God.” Jesus is the eternal Word who came
to reveal God to man. This Gospel shows the relationship of Christ to those
around Him. It tells about the people He met and the way He changed their
lives. People received eternal life when they realized He was really the Son of
God.

The chart below shows some of the distinction between the four Gospels

Gospel Emphasis Portrait of Christ Audience Key Word

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Matthew Teachings Kingship (Lion) Jewish “fulfilled”
(Teacher) Promised
Messiah/King to
the Jews
Mark Miracles Redeemer (Ox) Romans “immediately”
(Preacher) Suffering
Servant of the
Lord
Luke Parables Humanity Greek/Gentiles “Son of Man”
(Historian) (Man)
Sinless Son of
Man
John Doctrine Deity (Eagle) Christian/universal “believe”
(Theologian) Perfect Son of
God

 The Book of Acts continues Luke’s Gospel. It shows the risen Christ working through His
apostles, who have new power by the Holy Spirit. Acts describes the beginning of the
Church and its growth “to the ends of the earth.” It is the first Church history textbook.

2 Pauline Epistles
The NT epistles tell us the meaning of Christ’s person and work. They show believers how
to apply His teachings to their lives. The apostle Paul wrote thirteen epistles. We can divide
Pauline epistles into four groups:
i. Letters about salvation (Salvation Epistles): Romans, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians.
ii. Letters from Prison (Prison Epistles): Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and
Philemon.
iii. Letters about the future (Eschatological epistles): 1 and 2 Thessalonians
iv. Letters for pastors (Pastoral Epistles): 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus.

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 3 General Epistles
 The rest of the epistles in the NT were written by various people. We can divide them
into two groups:
a. Letters for those who are suffering: Hebrews, James and 1 Peter.

Letters about false teachers: 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude

 The two problems of suffering and false teachers became worse as time passed.
Persecution of Christians came first from the non-Christian Jews. After A.D. 64, the
Roman government also started persecuting believers. Jesus had warned his followers
that false Christs and false prophets would arise (Matthew 24:24). Paul also warned the
elders of the Ephesians’ church about this threat (Acts 20:29-30). Later, the Gnostics
created great problems in the Church. Gnostics were false teachers who claimed to have
special spiritual knowledge. John’s letters were written to correct their false teachings.

4 Prophecy: Revelation
i. Revelation is a well-known book of the NT. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. This book
is much like the prophecy of Daniel in the OT.
ii. Revelation is mainly about the judgments of God in the last days. The book of Revelations
shows the completion of redemption. Earlier, Paul had written that God’s purpose was to
“bring all things … together under one head, even Christ” (Eph.1:10b). John understood
this as he recorded the words he heard during his vision of heaven: “The kingdom of the
world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for ever
and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

EACH BOOK OF NT HAS ITS UNIQUE THEME, BUT WE ALSO SEE CHRIST IN CHRIST
IN EVERY BOOK

5 Christ in Every Book of the New Testament

The entire bible is one book with one theme: Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

6 The Gospel and Acts

 In Matthew we Jesus as “THE KING OF THE JEWS” (the Messiah) (27:37; see also
2:1).

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  In Mark He is the Servant of God (entire book).
 In Luke He is the Son of Man (6:5).
 In John He is the Son of God (3:16-17)
 In Acts He is:
o The ascending Lord (1:9),
o The One standing at the Father’s right hand (7:56).

7 The Thirteen Pauline Epistles

 In Romans Jesus is the source of our righteousness (3:22).
 In 1 Corinthians He is the One made sin for us (5:21).
 In Galatians He is the end of the Law (the purpose and fulfillment of the law) (3:10, 13).
 In Ephesians Jesus is the Head over all powers and authorities for the Church (1:20-23).
 In Philippians He is the one through whom God supplies all our needs (4:19).
 In Colossians He is:
o The image of the invisible God (1:15; 2:9);
o The Creator (1:16);
o The Head of the body, the Church (1:18);
o The source of all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:4);
o Our life (3:3)
 In 1 Thessalonians He is our returning Lord (4:15-18)
 In 2 Thessalonians He is the world’s returning judge (1:6-10).
 In 1 Timothy Jesus is
o The mediator between God and man (2:5),
o The one who
“appeared in the body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached
among the nations, was believed in the world, was taken up in glory” (3:16).
 In 2 Timothy He is the God and Savior (2:13).
 In Philemon He is our Lord and Master (entire book).

8 Eight General Epistles

 In Hebrews Christ is:

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 o God’s chosen heir of all things (1:2);
o The radiance of God’s glory (1:3);

The one who represents God perfectly (1:3);

o The Creator and the upholder of all things (1:2-3);

o The One who is greater than the prophets, the angels, Moses, Joshua, Melchizedek,
and all earthly high priests (Heb. 1-10).
o Our great High priest who offered His own blood (4:14; 9:11-14);
o The mediator of the new covenant (9:15);
o The author and the perfecter of our faith (12:2);
o The same yesterday, today and forever (13:8).
 In James Jesus is the healer of the sick (5:15).
 In 1 Peter He is
o The theme of the OT prophets (1:10-11);
o The cornerstone of our faith (2:4-6).
o The Shepherd of our souls who was led as a lamb to the slaughter (2:22-25).
o The Lord we should always sanctify (honor, set apart) in our hearts (3:15).
 In 2 Peter He is the patient Lord who will return to judge the earth (2:8-10).
 In 1 John He is the word of life who came by water and blood (1:1; 5:6).
 In 2 John He is the union of truth and love (1:3)
 In 3 John He is the one who changed the son of thunders into the apostle of love (entire
book).
 In Jude He is
o The judge of all false teachers (3-16)
o The Lord coming with thousands upon thousands of His saints (14)
o The one who is able to keep us from falling and to present us before God without
fault (24).

9 Revelation
 In Revelation, the final book, we see Jesus Christ revealed as:
o The faithful witness (1:5)

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 o The firstborn from the dead (1:5)
o The ruler of the kings of the earth (1:5)
o The one coming with clouds whom all nations will see (1:7)
o The Alpha and Omega , who was, who is and who is to come, the Almighty (1:8).
o The Living One walking among the lampstands, who was dead but is alive for ever
and ever (1: 13; 18)
o The One who holds the keys of death and hades (1:18)
o He who holds God’s messengers in his right hand (1:20; 3:1)
o The one who hates the sins of the Nicolaitans (2:6)
o The First and the Last, who died and came to life again (2:8)
o The one with a sharp two-edged sword (2:12)
o The Son of God with eyes like blazing fire and feet like polished bronze (2:18)
o The ruler of God’s creation (3:14)
o The lamb who takes the scroll from the Father’s right hand (5:6-7)
o Israel’s son who will rule the nations with an iron rod (12:5)
o The Bridegroom who will come for his bride (19:7)
o The “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (19:16)
o The Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End
(22:13)

THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

Introduction

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 The first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are called Synoptic Gospels. Synoptic
means “seeing together”. All the three gospels tell similar stories about the life of Christ. The
synoptic gospels share some similarities although each one of them bears its own unique features.

10 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

11 The Author
 The gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew. He was one of the twelve disciples of Christ.
At first Matthew was called Levi. He worked as a publican collecting taxes for Rome until
Jesus called him (Mt. 9:9; Mk 2:14).

12 Purpose
Matthew wrote the gospel mainly to the Jewish readers. He showed Jesus to be the Messiah, the
King of the Jews. We see this in many instances:
1. The list of families/genealogy (1:1-17)
2. The visit of the Magi (2:1-12)
3. Christ’s entry into Jerusalem (21:5)
4. The judgment of the nations (25:31-46)
5. The title over the Cross (27:37)
 The first gospel contains much about “the kingdom of heaven”. Matthew was the only gospel
writer who used these words.
 The gospel of Matthew is like a bridge between the OT and the NT. It joins together the
prophecies of the coming Messiah with Christ’s fulfillment of these prophecies. Matthew often
used quotations from the OT prophets. He connected their words with the life and ministry of
Jesus. It is as though Matthew first gave us the OT message: “He is coming”. Then he added
his own message: “He is here!

13 The Sermons of Christ

 We can easily see the importance of our Lord’s sermons in the gospel. Matthew’s plan was to
first tell something about Christ, then follow with a sermon. There are five sermons in the
book:
1. The sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7)
2. The commission to the twelve (10)

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 3. The parables of the kingdom (13)
4. The meaning of greatness and forgiveness (18)
5. The sermon on the mount of Olives (24-25)
 Each of the sermons tells of what the king expects of those in his kingdom.

14 Outline
 The main purpose of Matthew’s Gospel is to show Christ as King. The following outline
reveals this purpose:
1. The introduction of the King (1:1-4:11)
2. The demands of the King (4:12-7:29)
3. The works of the King (8:1-11:1)
4. The plan of the King (11:2-13:53)
5. The purpose of the King (13:54-19:2)
6. The problems of the King (19:3-26:2)
7. The death and resurrection of the King (26:3-28:15)
8. The final commission by the King (28:16-20)

15 THE GOSPEL OF MARK

16 Author
 Mark is the author of the gospel of Mark. He was not one of the twelve apostles. However, he
lived in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12) and was Simon Peter’s friend (1 Peter 5:13). He was a cousin
of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10). In addition, Mark worked with Paul and with the other apostles
who live in Jerusalem. Thus he was very close to all of the apostles. He knew much about the
life of Christ and the activities of the early church.

17 Purpose
 Mark wrote his gospel to Roman readers. His purpose was to show Jesus at work as “the
Servant of the Lord.” Forty-two times in this gospel we Christ doing things “immediately.”
This shows us the Servant was busy doing His Father’s work.
 Mark used almost a half of the gospel to tell of the death and resurrection of Christ (Mk 11:1-
16:18). He showed that Jesus served us most by being the Savior who died and rose for us.

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 18 Outline
 The main theme of the book of Mark is the action of Christ. Therefore the outline presents His
life as a list of journeys as He ministered to people. In this we see how busy the “Servant of
the Lord” was.
 The outline includes:
1. An introduction (1:1)
2. The preparation events (1:2-13).
3. The first journey in Galilee: miracles and parables (1:14-4:34).
4. The journey in Decapolis (4:35-5:43).
5. The second journey in Galilee (6:1-29)
6. Rest in the desert (6:30-52)
7. The third journey in Galilee (6:53-7:23)
8. The journey in the north country (7:24-9:29): first announcement of His death (8:31)
9. The fourth journey in Galilee (9:30-50): second announcement of His death (9:31)
10. The journey in Perea and Judea (10:1-52): third announcement of His death (10:33-34)
11. Ministry in Jerusalem (11:1-13:37)
12. His death and resurrection (14:1-16:20)

19 THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

20 Author
1. According to the NT, Luke was a doctor (Colossians 4:14) and a companion of Paul (Philemon
24).
2. He wrote two books of history.
† One was the history of the life of Christ: the gospel of Luke.
† The other was the history of the early church: the book of Acts.
2. Luke, just like Mark, was not one of the twelve disciples of Christ.

21 Purpose
1. Luke wrote his gospel mainly to the Greek readers. His purpose was to show Jesus as the
“son of man,” the perfect human being.

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 2. For a long time the Greeks had looked for the “perfect man.” Luke wrote this book to fulfill
their search. Some of the most important verses in Luke are:

 The story of the birth of Christ (1:26-38; 2:8-20).

 The testimony of God to His Son at baptism (3:21-22)
 The announcement of Jesus as the anointed one (4:16-24)
 The purpose of the Son of Man to seek and to save the lost (19:10)
 Luke tends to emphasize the following:
1. The prayers of Jesus (11:1-13; 22:39-44);
2. His parables (especially 10:30-37; 15:1-32; 18:9-14)
3. The people in his life (10:38-42; 19:1-10; 24:13-35);
4. The Holy Spirit in the life of Christ (1:35; 3:22; 4:1-19; 10:21);
5. The gospel, God’s good news, is meant for all people (2:10-14, 31-32; 3:6; 10:33; 17:16;
19:10; 24:47).

22 Outline
 The outline emphasizes Christ as “the Son of Man.” Luke shows Him as having full ministry
in Palestine, with some outreach in other places.
 The Outline includes:
1. An introduction: Luke’s purpose stated (1:1-4)
2. The preparation of the Son of Man (1:5-4:13)
3. The ministry of the Son of Man in Galilee (1:14-9:50)
4. The ministry of the Son of Man in Perea (9:51-18:30)
5. The ministry of the Son of Man in Jerusalem (18:31-21:38)
6. The ministry of the Son of Man in His death (22:1-23:56)
7. The ministry of the Son of Man in His resurrection (24:1-53)

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE THREE GOSPELS

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23 Events in All Three Gospels
Each of the gospels is different in its main thoughts. However, many great events are told
in all three of them. This is why we know these events and teachings better than others.

The events recorded in all the three gospels are:

1. The announcement of the Savior by John the Baptist (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3);
2. The baptism of the Savior (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)
3. The temptation of the Savior (Matthew 4; Mark 1; Luke 4)
4. The transfiguration of the Savior (Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9)
5. The trial, death, and burial of the Savior (Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23)
6. The resurrection of the Savior (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24)

24 Christ’s Unusual Birth

The birth of Christ was unusual and very important to the Christian faith.

1. OT prophets foretold about it.

2. Angels announced it to Joseph and Mary.
3. And the Holy Spirit made it happen (Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2). Thus the Savior was born
of a virgin.

25 Parables of Christ
1. The teachings and miracles of Christ take up the most space in the Gospels. One important
aspect of Christ’s teachings was the way He used parables.
***A parable is a short story or event in life that illustrates or teaches a spiritual truth.

2. John recorded none of the Lord’s parables. But the synoptic gospels contain at least thirty
parables.
3. Among the best known are the parables of the kingdom (Mt 13) and of the lost things (Lk
15).
4. The synoptic gospels also record many other short statements that are similar to parables.

26 The Kingdom
1. One of the most important areas of our Lord’s teaching was the Kingdom.

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2. Two statements occur many times: “the kingdom of heaven” and “the kingdom of God”.
These are different names for the same kingdom.
3. The term “the kingdom of heaven” is found only in Matthew. Since Matthew wrote mainly
to the Jews he substituted the word “heaven” for “God” because the Jews considered God’s
name to be too holy to be mentioned frequently.
4. God’s kingdom is really his rule over his creation. It is first of all a spiritual rule. “The
kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation … because the kingdom of
God is within you” (Lk 17:20b-21b). The kingdom of God is in the hearts of believers. It
is an invisible Kingdom at this time.
5. The Kingdom will one day become visible on earth. This will happen “when the Son of
Man comes in His glory, and … all the nations will be gathered before him” (Mt 25:31a,
32a). At that time, He will appear and rule the earth. The prophet often wrote about this
(see Isaiah 11:1-10; Zechariah 13:1-6; Malachi 4:1-3). Both John the Baptist (Mt 3:1-3)
and the Lord Jesus (Mk 1:14-15) announced that coming of this Kingdom. This was the
invisible spiritual kingdom. Yet we will see the full power of the visible kingdom in the
coming “day of the Lord” at the close of this age. Then God’s mission will be fulfilled. All
things will be summed up in Christ, and God will be all in all.

27 The Miracles
1. Jesus showed he was the Messiah through his teachings and his miracles. The miracles
allowed people to realize their great need for God’s help. Physical miracles proved that
Jesus had the power to meet people’s spiritual need.
2. Mark wrote more about miracles than did Matthew or Luke. He listed at least twenty
miracles. This is why Mark is often called “the gospel of the Busy Servant.”
3. The Lord began his public ministry by reading Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah (Lk
4:16-19). In doing this, Jesus implied He was God’s Anointed One or Messiah. He added,
“Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). Both His words and his works
revealed God to the people. This was the great purpose of the Son of Man.

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

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28 Author
4. The apostle John wrote the fourth Gospel. John was the son of Zebedee and the brother of
James.
5. He was one of the twelve disciples and was close to Jesus. Several times in the book we
see him described as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (13:23; 19:26-27).

29 Purpose
1. John clearly stated his purpose for writing this Gospel in 20:30-31: he wanted his readers
to believe in Jesus. He wanted to bring his readers face to face with this Person who
called himself God (1:1; 20:28). Christ died and rose again as the living Lord. He calls
His followers to be faithful and to continue His work (21:15-19).
2. This purpose is seen in his use of three important words: signs, believe and life. We need
to understand these three terms and how John used them.

30 Signs
1. John used the word signs to refer to the miracles of Jesus. John used this word to show
his readers the meaning of each miracle. Signs helped people know who Jesus really was.
They showed that he was “the Christ, the Son of God.”
2. Jesus performed many signs. John chose seven to show the nature of Christ. Each sign
has special message.
1. Changing water into wine shows Jesus’ power over material things (2:1-11).
2. Healing the officer’s son shows Jesus’ power over distance (4:43-54).
3. Healing the man at the pool shows Jesus’ power over time (5:1-15).
4. Feeding the five thousand shows Jesus’ power over available resources (6:1-15).
5. Walking on water shows Jesus’ power over natural law (6:16-21).
6. Healing the blind man shows Jesus’ power over physical handicaps (9:1-34).
7. Raising Lazarus from the dead shows Jesus’ power over death (11:1-44).
3. Five of these seven signs are only recorded in the gospel of John. Two of the seven are also
recorded elsewhere in the synoptic gospels: feeding the five thousand and walking on
water.

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31 Believe
1. John used the word believe at least ninety-eight times in the book. This is a word of action,
showing that something is happening. John taught what it means to believe in Jesus by
giving examples, not just by using words.
2. Believe is the word that shows the response of people to Jesus. If they believed on Him,
they became His followers. If they did not believe, the usually became his enemies. All
who met Him had to decide: believe or do not believe. They could not avoid making a
decision.
3. John used other words similar to believe to make his meaning clear. These include: receive
(1:12), drink (4:14), come (6:35), eat (6:51), and enter (10:9). All of these words are taken
from everyday life. They have a greater meaning when applied to the spiritual relationship
of men to Christ. Believing on Christ is like receiving a gift. It is like drinking refreshing
water, or entering by a door into the sheepfold. Believing in Christ satisfies person’s
spiritual thirst and hunger.

32 Life
1. Life results from believing in Christ. People receive life when they receive Christ. They
are born into the family of God. The Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, the Pharisee: “No one
can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (3:3). This life is eternal (3:15). It is
the opposite of perishing spiritually (3:16).
2. Changes take place in people’s lives when they receive this gift. The Holy Spirit gives
them new life. Those who “drink” the water of life become like a river of living water
(7:37-39). They can then give life to others around them, just as a stream refreshes dry
ground.

33 Outline
1. Introduction: The presentation of the Son of God (1:1-18).
2. The public ministry of the Son of God (1:19-12:50).
a. Meeting people (1:19-4:54)
b. Meeting the crowds (5:1-6:71)
c. Problems with the crowds (7:1-11:53)
d. The greatness of his public ministry (11:54-12:50).

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 3. The private ministry of the Son of God (13:1-17:26)
a. The last supper (13:1-30)
b. The last sermon (13:31-16:33)
c. The high priestly (17:1-26)
4. The ministry in death of the Son of God (18:1-20:31).
a. His betrayal and trials (18:1-19:16)
b. His crucifixion and burial (19:17-42)
c. His resurrection (20:1-31)
5. Conclusion: The final call of the Son of God (21:1-25).

34 The Teachings of Jesus

1. The Relationship Between the Signs and His Teachings
 The signs gave Jesus an opportunity to teach.
 Example #1: He healed the man beside the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (5:1-9). After
this sign, the Jews questioned His right to heal on the Sabbath (5:16). This allowed Jesus
to teach who He was. He taught that He was equal to God in nature (5:17-18), in power
(5:21), and in authority (5:26-27). Our Lord called on five witnesses to prove these
teachings.
 John the Baptist (5:33)
 His own words (5:36)
 The Father (5:37)
 The Scriptures (5:39)
 Moses (5:46)
 Example #2: In John 6, Jesus faced the problem of feeding more than five thousand
hungry people. Philip could not solve this problem. Then Andrew brought a boy to Jesus
who had lunch of five loaves of bread and two fishes (6:9). Jesus used these to feed the
people and to meet their physical needs (6:12). The Next day the large crowd returned.
They were probably looking for another free meal. The Lord told them to work not “for
food that spoils” (6:27). He taught them about their spiritual need. This was when He told
them, “I am the bread of life” (6:35).

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 A long sermon followed the sign of feeding the five thousand. In it, Jesus showed the
difference between “the flesh” and “the spirit” (6:63). He revealed the problems in the
people’s understanding of spiritual truths.

1. Wrong motives. He showed they had wrong motives (6:26). The people came to Him
only for physical bread. They had missed the true meaning of the sign.
2. Wrong actions. He showed they had wrong actions (6:27). They failed to do the works
of God.
3. Wrong beliefs. He showed they had wrong beliefs about their religious heritage (6:30-
31). They thought Christ was no greater than Moses.
4. Wrong motives. He showed they had wrong desires. They only asked for “this bread”
(6:34). Jesus explained what it meant to eat “living bread” (6:51). But the people
complained against Him for saying this. They argued with one another about what
Jesus meant (6:52). Finally, many of those who had been following Him turned away
(6:66).
Example #3: Jesus healed a blind man in John 9. This sign was a great example of His
claim to be “the light of the world” (8:12; 9:5). Jesus raised Lazarus (John 11) to illustrate
His claim to be “the resurrection and the life” (11:25).

 The Lord Jesus used the words, “I am” to show the people who He was. Here are some of the
claims of Jesus Christ:
“I am the bread of life” (6:35)

 “I am the light of the world” (8:12; 9:5)

35 “I am the gate” (10:7, 9)

 “I am the good shepherd” (10:11)
 “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25)
 “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6)
 “I am the true vine” (15:1)
 Jesus often taught that there is no one like Him. John showed that Jesus is:
 The only giver of life (6:35);
 The only light (8:12); if the anyone refuses Him they walk in darkness;

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  The only way to God: no one comes to God except by Him (14:6)
 The only “true vine”: He is the original, not a copy or imitation.
 Jesus also told the Jews, “I tell you the truth … before Abraham was born, I am” (8:58). He
thus gave himself the title of God—“I AM”—from the Old Testament Scriptures. I AM was
the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses (Ex. 3:14).
2. Special Conversations
 John used conversations with people to support his purpose in writing. Those people that
interacted with Jesus were never the same again. Either they believed and followed him or they
turned away in unbelief. Some of the most important conversations involved Andrew, Simon
Peter, and Nicodemus.
1) Andrew (1:35-42; 6:8-9; 12:20-22)
 Andrew is not known as much as Simon Peter. However, he was very important. He first
believed in Jesus himself. Then he became a spiritual worker, helping others to believe.
 We always see him bringing someone to Jesus. First, brought his brother Simon. Later, he
brought the boy with his lunch to Jesus just before the 5000 people were fed. Finally, he
brought to Jesus some Greek visitors from Jerusalem who wanted to meet him.
2) Simon Peter (1:42; 6:68-69; 13:36-38; 18:15-18, 25-27; 21:15-22)
 When Simon met Jesus, the Lord prophesied about his new name: Peter. This change also
meant a change in Simon’s character. As Simon, he was unstable and undependable. However,
he would become firm and dependable (Cephas: “a rock”). Peter was ready to confess his faith
in Jesus as “the Holy One of God.” He later denied his Lord. However, Jesus graciously
restored Peter. The Lord commissioned Peter to follow Him again, and to feed his sheep.
3) Nicodemus (3:1; also see 7:50-51 and 19:39-42)
 Nicodemus had been trained to know the Old Testament truths. Still, he had not experienced
the new birth. Nicodemus did not know Jesus was the Messiah. The Lord showed him how He
would fulfill the OT type of the serpent in the wilderness. Christ came to be the Savior of all
who would believe in Him. Later events show that Nicodemus likely became a believer.

3. Final Teachings and Instructions in the Upper Room

 Jesus gave an unusual sermon near the end of his life in John 13-16; it is usually called “Upper
Room Sermon”. The details of the sermon are found only in John.

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 Jesus had finished his public ministry at the end of John 12. He then met privately with his
disciples. Jesus told them about two important things that would happen.
 First, he told them he was leaving soon and that they could not go with him. (Jesus promised
that he would later return to take them to the Father).
 Second, Jesus told his disciples he would not leave them alone (14:18). He would send another
Counselor to be with them. Our Lord promised to send the Holy Spirit to take His place. The
Holy Spirit would live in them (14:17), teach them (14:26), and give them power to witness
(15:26-27). The Spirit would also guide them in all the truth.

36 The Introduction and Conclusion

 John’s introduction (1:1-18) and conclusion (21:1-25) are important. The introduction contains
the message of the entire gospel. In it, John introduced three main themes of his gospel.
1) Main person. John introduced the main person of the book: “the Word”. The Word is God,
the Creator, the Giver of life, and the One who came in flesh. Jesus is the one who reveals
the Father.
2) Main words. He introduced the main words of the book. These are life, light, darkness,
witness, believe, and truth.
3) Main action. John also introduced the main action of the book: conflict. John used clear,
simple terms to show great spiritual conflict:
a) Light versus darkness
b) Receiving him versus not receiving him
c) Physical birth versus spiritual birth
d) Law versus grace and truth
 These great conflicts continued throughout John until its final conflict: the Cross (death)
versus the Resurrection (life).
 The conclusion states the results of the gospel. It teaches the normal result of believing in Jesus.
If a person really believes, he will follow Jesus. This belief will then motivate the person to
become active in service (21:19). Peter learned that believing in Jesus was more than
confessing words. Belief in Jesus required Peter to give himself completely to Christ’s service.

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 THE BOOK OF ACTS

37 INTRODUCTION
 Acts is the second book of Luke’s history of Christianity after the gospel of Luke.
 We would not know many details about the life of the Early Church without the book of Acts.
We would know only the Church history recorded in the New Testament Epistles.
 Acts reveals that Luke was its author. Luke travelled with Paul and saw many of the events
about which he wrote. We know this because Luke used the words “we” in some verses. This
means he included himself in the story (16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16)
 Luke wrote about what he saw. He also talked to other people about what they experienced.
Paul told him much about his gentile ministry. Luke learned from the leaders of Jerusalem
about the Jerusalem Church. He was with Philip in Caesarea. Thus Luke was able to know
about Philip’s Samaritan ministry.

38 PURPOSES
 Acts was written for four basic purposes.
1) Luke wanted to give a history of the Church. Luke gave his readers the history of the first
60 to 65 years of Christianity. Each of the two books (Luke and Acts) covers a period of
about thirty years. The story of the good news of salvation begins in a manger in
Bethlehem. It continues to the centre of the Empire of Rome (see Php 4:22). Luke’s history
begins with the witness to the shepherds in the fields of Judea. It ends with the greetings
from Christians in Caesar’s house.
2) Luke’s second purpose for writing Acts was to provide teachings for the Church. The
main teachings in both books are about the Person and the work of the Holy Spirit in Acts
(see chapters 1-11; 13-16; 19-21; 28).
The last thing the Lord Jesus promised his disciples was, “You will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit was the motivating power in the
believers’ witness and work for Christ. The Holy Spirit freely gave believers spiritual gifts.
The Holy Spirit united four groups into one body: the Jews (Acts 2), the Samaritans (Acts
8), the Gentiles (Acts 10), and some disciples of John (Acts 19).

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3) Luke’s third purpose for writing Acts was to defend Christianity. He wanted to show that
Christianity was not an enemy of the government.
Luke showed us that the Roman Empire did not persecute Christians in those first years of
the Church. Only the Jews persecuted the saints then. It helps us to understand why Paul
would appeal to Caesar for a fair trial.

The Apostles sometimes met with the Roman government officials. They were either
accepted or ignored, but never persecuted. Luke gave us at least seven example of this:

a) The governor (proconsul) of Cyprus. This man, Sergius Paulus, believed when Paul
and Barnabas came before him (Acts 13:12).
b) The Roman jailer. This official was saved when Paul and Silas were in Philippi (Acts
16). They had been beaten and imprisoned because of false charges from the Jews. The
Magistrates of this Roman colony later asked for forgiveness for the unjust treatment
they had given to the missionaries.
c) Gallio, the governor of Achaia. This man said he refused to be Paul’s judge. This meant
that he had no interest in problems of Jewish law (Acts 18). Gallio was indifferent to
Christianity.
d) The leaders of Asia. These officials were friends of Paul when he was in Ephesus
(19:31). The town clerk restored order, and thus rescued Paul from possible harm.
e) Claudius Lysias. This Roman army captain guarder Paul when the Jews attacked the
Apostle in Jerusalem (Acts 21-22).
f) Governor Felix in Caesarea. He enjoyed listening to Paul talk to him about the gospel
(Acts 24).
g) Festus in Caesarea. Festus believed that Paul was innocent of charges brought by the
Jews (Acts 25).
 Persecution against the apostles and the church is recorded in Acts. Most of the time, this
persecution came from the Jews. It came either from the Sanhedrin or groups such as those
who followed Paul in his journeys (see Acts 4-8 and 16-18). Once, persecution came from
the silversmiths of Ephesus.
4) To tell about Paul and Peter. Luke’s final purpose of writing Acts was to tell about Peter
and Paul. Luke gave Peter and Paul the place of the greatest importance. He told mostly

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about their ministries. In Acts 1 to 12, Peter is the most important person. Paul is the most
important person in Acts 13 to 28.
Comparing Peter and Paul

 Both were leaders, one to the Jews, and one to the Gentiles (see Galatians 2:7-8)

 Peter labored largely in Jerusalem; Paul, in the Gentile world

 Each had at least one discourse reproduced in full, which gives a summary of his
preaching: Peter, on the day of Pentecost (2:14-40) and Paul at Antioch of Pisidia
(13:16-42)

 Both performed miracles: Peter healed a lame man (3:1-10), and so did Paul (14:8-
10)

 Peter brought swift judgment on Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11), and Paul smote
Elymas with blindness (13:6-11)

 Peter was freed from prison in Jerusalem (5:19-21; 12:1-11); Paul was released
from jail at Philippi by divine intervention (16: 19-30)

 Both stressed the work of the Holy Spirit (2:38; 19:2-6)

 Both made the resurrection a primary doctrine of their preaching (Peter: Acts
2:24-36; 3:15, 26; 4:2; 5:30; 10:40-41; Paul: 13:30-37; 17:3, 18, 31; 24:15, 21;
25:19; 26:8,23).

 As one was the champion of the early church in Jerusalem, so the other was the
founder of the first Gentile churches. There is, however, no intimation of
antagonism between the two (except for the time when Paul rebuked Peter for not
hanging around Gentiles when his Jewish friends were around – see Galatians 2:11-
13)

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  The work of neither was confined to one class of hearers – Peter brought the
gospel to the house of the Gentile Cornelius, and Paul spoke to the Jews on every
occasion that he could find.

39 Outline
1. Introduction: The commission given (1:1-11).
2. The Beginnings: The gospel in Jerusalem (1:12-8:3)
a. Peter’s ministry begun (1:12-5:42)
b. Stephen’s ministry (6:1-8:3)
3. Development: The gospel in Samaria and Judea (8:4-11:18)
a. Philip’s ministry (8:4-40)
b. Saul’s ministry (9:1-31)
c. Peter’s ministry continued (9:32-11:18)
4. Expansion: The gospel in the world (11:19-21:14)
a. Barnabas’ ministry (11:19-12:25)
b. Paul’s ministry (13:1-21:14)
1) The first missionary journey (13:1-14:28)
2) The Jerusalem Council (15:1-35)
3) The second missionary journey (15:36-18:22)
4) The third missionary journey (18:23-21:14)
5. Imprisonment: The gospel in Caesarea and Rome (21:15-28:29)
a. Paul taken prisoner in Jerusalem (21:15-23:10)
b. Paul as a prisoner in Caesarea (23:11-26:32)
c. Paul as a prisoner in Rome (27:1-28:29)
6. Conclusion: Paul’s commission fulfilled (28:30-31)

40 THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL

The spread of the gospel followed the pattern of Acts 1:8: it begun in Jerusalem, then to Judea
and Samaria and finally reached the “all the world”.

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41 In Jerusalem

Peter was the main leader in the church growth at Jerusalem. He became the leader
after the Lord returned to heaven. We see Peter leading in the following ways:
1. Peter led the disciples when electing Matthias to replace Judas.
2. He preached a sermon in the day of Pentecost that saw a total of 3,000 people saved.
3. He and John prayed and healed a lame man at the beautiful gate.
4. After the miracle, the two had to defend their ministry before the Jewish Sanhedrin.
5. Peter condemned Ananias and Sapphira.
6. He also led the church in choosing the seven men to serve in tables.

 The rapid spread of the gospel in Jerusalem ended after Stephen’s death (8:1).
 The death of Stephen had a great impact upon a young Jewish leader named Saul. Saul of
Tarsus was one of those who watched the stoning of Stephen (7:58). Saul persecuted Saul
met Jesus Christ and he was converted into the apostle Paul.

42 In Judea and Samaria

 Following the persecution of the Jerusalem church, Philip went to Samaria to
evangelize. Many people were converted as a result of Philip’s preaching. Beside mass
evangelism, Philip also witnessed to the Ethiopian.
 Peter preached in Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa. A lame man in Lydda was healed, and
Dorcas was raised from the dead. These miracles brought many people to the Lord.
Peter also witnessed to the household of Cornelius a Roman centurion.

43 Into All the World

 In the third and the longest part of Acts describes the growth of the Gentile ministry.
Paul led this ministry.

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 THE PAULINE EPISTLES

THE EPISTLES TO THE ROMANS

Author

The Epistle to the Romans was written by Paul probably from Corinth on his third missionary
journey. He intended to stop in Rome on his way to Spain to preach the gospel. He later got to
Rome after his after his arrest and appeal to Caesar (Acts 21-28).

Purpose
Most of Paul’s epistles were written to settle certain controversies in the church, they were
corrective in nature. But, Romans is mainly an instructive communication to the church-
teaching the truth. It was written as a substitute for immediate personal contact and as a
preparation for making the Roman church a missionary center comparable to Antioch,
Ephesus, Philippi, and the other cities where Paul had labored. Thus, the main purpose for
this letter is:-

 To present the main basic means for salvation

 To explain the relationship between Jews and Gentiles in the God’s plan of
redemption

+Content

The theme of Romans is the revelation righteousness of God to man and its application to his
spiritual need ( how lost man can obtain and live in the righteousness of God). Each major
division of Romans contributes to our understanding of the righteousness of God.

The theme of Romans is set forth in Romans 1:16-17. The focus is on the righteousness of God
which is revealed in the gospel and received by faith.

Outline

1. Introduction (1:1-15)

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 2. Theme (16-17)
3. The need for Divine righteousness (1:18-3:20)
a. Gentiles (1:18-32)
b. Jews (2:1-3:8)
c. Universal condemnation (3:9-20)
4. The manifestation of Divine righteousness (3:21-8:39)
a. Through Christ (3:21-26)
b. Received by faith (3:27-4:25)
c. The aspects of practical righteousness (5:1-21)
d. The results of righteousness: Life in the Spirit (8:1-39)
5. The relationship of righteousness to the Jews (9:1-11:36)
a. Election of Israel (9:1-33)
b. The salvation of Israel (10:1-21)
c. The failure of Israel (11:1-36)
6. The application of righteousness to Church (12:1-15:13)
a. In the Body-the Church (Chapter 12)
b. In the world (Chapter 13)
c. Among the weak and strong Christians (14:1-15:13)
7. Conclusion (15:14-33)
a. Personal plan (15:14-29)
b. Request for prayer (15:30-33)

Commendation and Greetings (Chapter 16)

Introduction to I and II Corinthians

First and second Corinthians are epistles which belong to the second group of Paul’s writings,
usually classified as soteriological because of their concern for the message of salvation.
Galatians and Romans also belong to this group of letters.

In the course of his missionary journeys in Europe Paul came to Corinth from Athens and began
to preach in the synagogue. He must have been assisted by Priscilla and Aquila. Later, Silas and
Timothy helped in the work (2 Corinthians 1:19). After Paul’s departure at the end of a ministry

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of 18 months, Apollo’s came and carried on for a time ( Acts 18:24,27-28; 1 Cor. 3:5). The
Corinthian church seems to have been predominantly Gentile, for the testimony in the synagogue
was soon terminated by the opposition of the Jews (Acts 18:6-7).

1 CORINTHIANS

Author

I Corinthians was written by Paul about 56 AD probably from Ephesus while on his third
missionary journey.

Purpose

The letter was written in response to reports of problems and questions which had arisen in
the church since Paul’s departure. According to his custom, Paul made contact with the church
after his departure. Knowledge of conditions among his converts reached him through the
household of Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), a letter was sent to him by the congregation (1
Corinthians 7:1), and the coming of the three men (1 Corinthians 16:17)

Content

Everything considered, the church at Corinth gave Paul more trouble than any other he
founded, as his letters to this congregation demonstrate. Despite the necessity for correction and
warning, Paul does not fail to mingle with these his assurances of love and concern. 1
Corinthians depicts graphically the kinds of doctrinal and practice problems and issues which
usually surface in a local church. It is as much a manual on what not to do as it is on correct
belief and behavior.

Outline of I Corinthians

Introduction, 1:1-9

I. Problems in the congregation, 1:10-6:20

A. Spirit of faction, 1:10-4:21

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 B. Disorder, 5:1-6:20

II. Questions Practical and Doctrinal, 7:1-15:58

A. Concerning marriage, 7:1-40

B. Concerning things sacrificed to idols, 8:1-11:1
C. Concerning conduct of women in the assembly and the Lord’s Supper,
11:2-34
D. Concerning spiritual gifts, 12:1-14:40
E. Concerning the resurrection 15:1-58

Conclusion, 16:1-24

2 CORINTHIANS

Author

The author of this book is Paul.

Purpose

Paul had visited Corinth after his first letter but soon learned that the problems had not
resolved. Titus went to Corinth at Paul’s request and delivered a “sorrowful letter” which has
been lost. After Paul met Titus in Macedonia and received a good report, he wrote 2
Corinthians. In this letter the apostle defends and expounds his ministry (2:14-7:4). He has
some unfinished business with the church including the raising of a fund for the poor saints
in Jerusalem

Content

Much of the letter is a personal defense of Paul’s apostolic credentials. However, in the process
of writing Paul reveals much about himself personally and describes the nature of the gospel
ministry

Outline of II Corinthians

I. Gratitude for God’s consolation, 1:1-2:13; 7:5-16

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 II. The glory and suffering of the Christian ministry, 2:14-7:4
III. Christian giving, 8:1-9:15
IV. Paul’s ministry contrasted with that of false Apostles, 10:1-13:14

GALATIANS

Author

Although it is a debatable issue, Galatians was most likely written at the end of Paul’s first
missionary journey, perhaps in Antioch before the Jerusalem Council in 49 AD. It may well be
Paul’s earliest letter and perhaps the first NT book to be written.

Purpose

The early Christian church was confused about the relationship of Judaism and the law to
Christians. Many were saying in effect-saved by faith but sanctified by works and keeping the
law! Paul basic message is this- Christians are saved by faith and live the Christian life by faith.

The weight of the of the letter is directed against Judaistic and legalistic opponents. Jews
outwardly espousing belief in Christ, to avoid persecution sought to promote the Mosaic law as a
standard of Christian living. In doing this, they undercut the authority of Paul and what he
taught. They insisted that a believer must also become a “son of Abraham” by being circumcised
and keeping the law. Only this could he obtain full standing and inherit the fullest blessing of
God in the Abrahamic covenant. So in this letter Paul seeks to refute this kind of teaching from
Judaizer and insists that justification and inheriting the blessing of God in Abrahamic covenant is
by faith alone.

Content

Galatians strikes at the heart of the Christian faith and has been called the “Magna Carta of
Christianity” and “Christianity’s Declaration of Freedom.” Galatians assumes and restates
salvation by faith alone but goes on to argue strongly that Christians must also live by faith.
Galatians teaches that works and law do not save or sanctify.

Therefore, Paul’s purpose then is not to prove primarily that justification is faith. His argument
assumes this is true; and building upon the fact that justification has granted them perfect

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standing with God and full inheritance with Abraham, he seeks to establish that sanctification is
in faith, apart from adherence to any part of Mosaic Law (2:19; 5:18).

Outline of Galatians

I. Salutation and Denunciation, 1:1-10

II. Personal: Authentication of the Apostle of freedom, 1:11-12

A. Proposition: Paul’s message is independent of men and directly from God (1:11-12)
B. Proof: History of Paul’s independence for the 12 apostles, 1:1-2:21
I. Independence verified: his authorship separate from the apostles, 1:13-24
II. Independence vindicated: his authority exercised with apostles, 2:1-21
i) Recognition at the council of Jerusalem, 2:1-10
ii) Refutation of Peter at Antioch, 2:11-21

III. Doctrinal: Justification of the doctrine of freedom, 3:1-:4: 31

A. Principle argued: Righteousness and inheritance come by faith alone, not by law in
any form, 3:1-4:7
B. Personal appeal, 4:8-20
C. Pertinent allegory, 4: 21-31

IV. Practical: Expression of the life of freedom

A. Life of liberty from the system of legalism, 5:1-12

B. Life of love in the Spirit of God, 5:13-6:10

V. Apostolic conclusion

A. Final warning, 6:11-16

B. Final appeal, 6:17

C. Final benediction, 6:18

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EPHESIANS

Author

Ephesians is one of the so-called Prison Epistles of Paul (along with Philippians, Colossians
and Philemon). These letters were apparently written while Paul was in Roman house
imprisonment mentioned in Acts 28. Paul was released for three or four years being again
imprisoned around 67 AD, which eventually led to his martyrdom. Ephesians must have been
written shortly after Colossians, using varying modification some of the terms and concepts
employed in the letter to Colosse.

Purpose

The church at Ephesus was much loved by Paul as he had spent three years there on his third
missionary journey. The letter doesn’t address any particular problem and was widely circulated
and read among the churches in Asia Minor as a sort of manual for the church. Therefore, among
the churches in the Roman Province of Asia, the Ephesian church was the leading congregation.

Content

Ephesians deals first with doctrine to insure that Christians know who they are in Jesus Christ
and then with behavior in every area of life that is consistent with that position of great spiritual
blessing. A key term in Ephesians is the word “mystery,” the first occurrence of which is found
in 1:9-10. Here Paul identifies the controlling theme of the epistle, namely, the design of God’s
overall plan. God purposes the ultimate union of all things in Christ, and the chief instrument
which He is using during the present age to accomplish this goal is the Church.

Outline

I. Salutation 1:1-2

II. Doxology. 1:-14

A. The choice of God the Father. 1: 3-6

B. The redemption worked by Christ the Son. 1:7-12

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 C. The sealing of God the Holy Spirit. 1:1-14

III. Thanksgiving and Prayer. 1:15-23

1V. Doctrinal Discussion. 2:1-3:21

A. The redemption of Gentiles 2:1-22

1. Viewed personally. 2:1-10

2. Viewed corporately. 2:11-22

B. The ministry to Gentiles. 3:1-21

1. Paul’s commission. 3:1-13

2. Paul’s prayer. 3:14-21

V. Practical Discussion. 4:1-6:20

A. Exhortation to unity. 4:1-16

B. Exhortation to consistent living. 4: 17-5:20

C. Exhortations to various household groups. 5:21-6:9

1. Wives and husbands. 5:21-33

2. Children and parent. 6:1-4

3. Slaves and masters. 6:5-9

D. Exhortation to prepare for spiritual warfare. 6:10-20

VI. Conclusion. 6:21-24

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PHILIPPIANS

Author

The church at Philippi was established on Paul’s second missionary journey. The letter to the
Philippians was one of Paul’s Prison Epistles written during his first Roman imprisonment

Purpose

Paul wrote this letter with the primary purpose of thanking the Philippians for gifts they had sent
him when they learnt of his detention at Rome. He nevertheless used this occasion to let the
Philippians know of his circumstances in order to encourage them to remain steadfast in their
faith in the midst of persecution and to rejoice irrespective of circumstances. He also warned
them against Judaizers and antinomians (libertines).

Content

While some see the central thrust of Philippians as “joy,” the letter seems to talk about joy as a
by-product of having the same attitude or mind-set as Jesus. Each of the four chapters focuses on
a different aspect of the mind of Christ. Joy is an internal attitude of gladness and gratitude
which comes from knowing and doing God’s will.

Outline

I. Christ the Believers’ Joy. 1:1-30

A. Identification and salutation. vv 1-2

B. Joy inspiring prayer for the Philippians. vv 12-18

C. Joy despite suffering and pretenders. vv 12-18

D. Joy despite the possibility of approaching death. vv 19-30

II. Christ the Believers’ Example. 2: 1-30

A. An appeal for unity. vv 1-4

B. An appeal for humility. vv 5-11

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 1. Christ’s humiliation. vv 5-8

2. Christ’s exaltation. vv 9-11

C. A call for positive Christian living. vv 12-18

D. Paul commends his co-workers to the church. vv 19-30

III. Christ the Believers’ Hope. 1-21

A. A warning against legalism. vv 1-3

B. Paul’s description of his life before and after conversion. vv 4-14

C. A personal example of proper attitude. vv 15-19

D. The true believer’s destiny. vv 20-21

IV. Christ the Believers’ Sufficiency. 4.1-23

A. A call to rejoicing. vv 1-4

B. An exhortation to commit the affairs of life to Christ. vv 5-7

C. A note of thanks to the Philippians. vv 10-20

E. Benediction and closing words. vv 21-23

COLOSSIANS

Author

The church of Colossians was probably founded by Epaphras who went there from Ephesus
during Paul’s third missionary journey. It is one of the Prison Epistles written during Paul’s first
Roman imprisonment.

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Purpose

Unlike Ephesians and to some extent Philippians, Colossians was written to address certain
problems and answer specific questions related to false teaching.

Content

Before dealing with the particulars of the false teaching, Paul presented his case for the priority
and pre-eminence of Christ. Colossians is the most Christological of all the Pauline letters.

False doctrine is best combated by first teaching correct doctrine especially about Christ. And
like most Paul’s letters, there is a doctrinal section (Chapter 1-2) followed by a practical,
application section (Chapter 3-4).

OUTLINE OF COLOSSIANS

I. Salutation 1:1-2
II. Christ Preeminent in Personal Relationships 1:3-2:7
i. In Personal Contacts 1:3-8
ii. In Personal Presentation 1:9-23
iii. In Personal Purpose 1:24- 2:7
III. Christ Preeminent in Doctrine 2:8-3:4
i. False Philosophy versus Christ 2:8-15
ii. False Worship versus Christ 2:16-19
iii. False Asceticism versus Christ 2:20-3:4
IV. Christ Preeminent in Ethics 3:5-4:6
i. Negatively: "Put off” 3:5-11
ii. Positively: "Put on” 3:12-17
iii. In Family Relationships General 3:18-4:1
iv. General 4:2-6
V. Concluding Personal Greetings 4:7-18

THE THESSALONIAN LETTERS

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These letters were written within a few months of each other while Paul was staying in Corinth
about the end of AD 53.

I THESSALONIANS

Author

Both external and internal evidence concur with Paul’s authorship of the letter. It is claimed that
the letter was written by Paul (in conjunction with Silvanus and Timothy. But all agree that these
could have had a little part in the composition of the letter).

Purpose

The report Timothy and Silvanus (Acts 18:5; 1Thessalonians 3:6) occasioned the writing of the
epistle. Paul wrote to encourage believers to remain faithful and live godly lives until the return
of Christ to rapture his church when the dead in Christ will be resurrected, those alive translated,
and God will finish his work of salvation and sanctification in them.

The first letter was written on the receipt of the report that Timothy brought back to Corinth, and
it included his name and that of Silas in its greeting. Its content is generally twofold: 1) praise for
the steadfastness of the Thessalonians under persecution by the Jews, and 2) the correction of
certain errors and misunderstandings that had grown up among them. The main doctrinal theme
concerned the return of Christ, a topic that is scarcely mentioned in Galatians unless it appears in
Paul's allusion to waiting for the hope of righteousness (Gal. 5:5). It was no novelty in apostolic
preaching, for Peter intimated that Jesus Christ had been received into the heavens until the time
of restoration of all things spoken by the prophets (Acts 3:21), and Paul himself in his speech in
Athens said that Christ would be the judge of the world (17:31). James, too, had spoken of the
coming of the Lord (James 5:7-8). The Thessalonian epistles, however, contain the earliest full
discussion of this truth in Christian literature.

Outline of 1 Thessalonians

I. Salutation – 1:1

II. The State of the Church 1:2-10

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  Character of the Church 1:2-10
 Election of the Church 1:3
 Reputation of the Church 1:4-7

III. Apostolic Relations with the Church 2:1-3:13

 Paul’s Conduct toward the church 2:1-12

 Paul’s Reception by the Thessalonians 2:13-16
 Paul's Concern for the Church 2:17-3:10
 Paul’s Prayer for the church 3:11-13

IV. The problems of the Church 4:1-5:11

 The Problem of Sexual Morality 4:1-8

 The Problem of Sexual Conduct 4:9-12

 The Problem of the State of the Dead 4:13-18

 The Problem of the Times and Season 5:1-11

V. Concluding Exhortations and Greeting 5:12-28

2 THESSALONIANS

Author

The author of this epistle is the apostle Paul

Purpose

Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians to correct false teachings and reports that Christ had already come
back and to encourage believers to continue in the faith and stay busy in the Lord’s work.

Content

The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written to remove the misapprehension that "the day
of the Lord is just at hand" (2 Thess. 2:2). Perhaps the vehemence with which Paul preached the

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doctrine had led to a misunderstanding of his preaching or of the allusions contained in his first
letter. It also seems that they had received some teaching from a spurious source, for he urged
them not to be "quickly shaken from your mind ... either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as
from us" (2:2, italics ours), which may mean that he was repudiating some teaching falsely
attributed to him by others. In any case, he undertook to provide them definite criteria by which
they might recognize the approach of "the day of the Lord."

Apparently three major events will presage the Lord's coming: 1) a sudden acceleration of
apostasy from godliness (2:3), 2) the removal of God’s restraining influence (2:6-7), and 3) the
complete unveiling of the antichrist who will be animated by Satan and who will oppose and
exalt himself above all that is called God (2:4, 9).

Outline of 2 Thessalonians

Salutation – 1:1-2

I. Praising Them for Standing in Persecution – 1:3-12

 Thanksgiving for Growth
 Explanation of Purpose
 Expectation of Outcome
 Prayer
II. Explanation of End-Time Events – 2:1-12
 Alarms Quieted
 Apostasy Predicted
 Antichrist Revealed
 Attitude of Faith Encouraged
III. Exhortations to Readiness – 2:13 – 3:15
 To Prayer
 To Industry
 To Discipline
IV. Benediction and Salutation – 3:16-18

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1 and 2 Timothy

Author

The name of Paul appears in the salutation of both epistles. Both early tradition and the
salutations of the pastoral letters themselves confirm Paul as their author.

1TIMOTHY

Purpose

Paul wrote Timothy to instruct him on how people should conduct themselves in the church with
regard to belief and behavior and to exhort him to refute false doctrine and faithfully teach
correct doctrine.

Content

Dealing with heresy: The first charge to Timothy rehearses the emergency for which Paul had
left Timothy at Ephesus. Fables, family genealogies, and the mosaic law were being used by
false teachers to bring division. A “heresy” is either wrong teaching on a fundamental doctrine,
or the over-emphasis on one doctrine such as to ignore others, and cause disputes and division.

Conduct when the church meets: The official commission introduced by the phrase "This
charge I commit unto thee ..." (1:18), deals with matters of organizational importance in the
church. Problems with worship, leadership, and doctrine are pointed out, and some policies
based on 30 years of good church practices are outlined. Paul is saying, “When you meet
together, this is how things should be done – see the theme verse in 3:15. By the way, “house of
God” is not a building, but means “household” or family. Prayer through Jesus our mediator is
first and foremost.

Leadership in the local church –In chapter 3, for the first time in the New Testament, Paul
discusses the two offices of the local church – elders and deacons – and gives the character
qualifications for each and their wives. In chapter 4, Paul says that false teachers listen to
demonically inspired ideas (like celibacy and being vegetarian, for instance), have seared

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consciences and become hypocritical, teaching one thing and living another. Paul adds in chapter
6 that false teachers also love disputes, jockeying for positions in the church, and suppose that
ministry is a means to financial gain (6:3-5),

Caring for people: Paul lastly discusses the relationship of church leaders to those in their
congregation, and to the sub-groups in the congregation, showing how to deal with each of
them.

Outline

I. Paul’s Charge Concerning Doctrine 1:1-20

 Past Charge to Timothy

 The Experience of Paul Christ’s Charge to Paul

 First Charge – Wage the Good Warfare

II. Paul’s Charge Concerning Worshipping Together 2:1-3:16

 Concerning Prayer
 Concerning Worship by Women
 Concerning the Office of Bishop (Overseer)

 Concerning the Office of Deacon

 Theme: How to Conduct Yourself in God’s Household

III. Paul’s Charge Concerning False Teachers 4:1-16

 Description of False Teachers

 Instructions for a true teacher

 Second Charge –Do not neglect your gift

IV. Paul’s Charge Concerning Church Order 5:1-25

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  Caring for All People

 Caring for Widows

 How To Treat Elders

 Third Charge – Observe These Things Without Prejudice

 Exhortation to Servants

 False Teachers

 Concerning Wealth

 Exhortation to the Rich

V. Paul’s Fourth Charge – Guard What Was Committed to You 6:20-21

2 TIMOTHY

Purpose

Paul wrote young pastor Timothy to exhort him to exercise in God’s power his spiritual gift of
teaching even in the face of intense opposition so that he could finish the course and course and
keep the faith God had entrusted to him.

Content

The content of this last epistle is an intermingling of personal sentiment and administrative
policy, of reminiscence and instruction, of sadness and confidence. Its main purpose was to
strengthen Timothy for the arduous task that Paul himself was about to relinquish. He laid down
the pastoral pattern by first reminding Timothy of his own personal experience, and by including
him in it: "who saved us, and called us with a holy calling ... according to his own purpose and
grace" (2 Tim. 1:9).

With this calling in mind, he urged Timothy to undertake his problems as a soldier goes to war
(2:3), trusting his general to plan the campaign, and serving wholeheartedly and uncomplainingly
in the ranks wherever he is needed. In personal life and in public relations with the church, he

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should always be the Lord's servant, not contentious, but ready to help all people to understand
the truth of God. Fighting and quarrelling are indications of walking in the flesh, of a bad
conscience, and of doctrinal error.

The picture of the last days found in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 is a piece of prophecy characterizing the
conditions that the church must expect as the years go by. The antidote that Paul prescribed for
the influx of evil was to stay faithful and to keep studying the Scriptures, "which are able to
make you wise for salvation" and because they are God-breathed, are profitable for teaching,
reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:15-17).

The final charge (4:1-6) is a classic, and should be studied carefully by everyone looking to go
into vocational ministry. Proclaim the Scripture and make application; people will not like it, but
would rather find pastors who will tell them sweeter things to hear, things that move from truth
to fable.

Outline

I. Thanksgiving for Timothy’s Faith 1:1-5

II. A Reminder of Timothy’s Responsibilities 1:6-18

III. The Character of a Faithful Servant 2:1-26

 A disciplined teacher

 A single-minded soldier

 An enduring farmer

 A diligent workman

 A sanctified vessel

 A gentle servant

IV. The Approaching Apostasy 3:1-17

 Symptoms of the end times

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  Apostate leaders

 Confronting apostasy and guarding self

 Staying faithful to the Word and the gospel

VI. Paul’s Situation and Readiness to Meet the Lord 4:6-18

V. Concluding Greetings 4:19-22

TITUS

Author

The author of epistle to Titus is Paul

Purpose

Paul wrote Titus to encourage him and instruct him on how to organize and operate the church
properly by teaching the truth and living out the truth by example and good deeds.

Content

The general content of Titus is like that of I Timothy, except for a stronger emphasis on godly
behavior. The list of character qualities of “elders” is the same as he gave to Timothy for
“overseers” but adds that he has been taught the Word and is able to exhort and convict those
who are in error. Both 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 focus on heart and character issues. Paul also
touches on some major doctrines lending support to their development in his earlier letters.

Note some of them contained in these passages:

 The personality of God (2:11; 3:6)

 The qualities of his love and grace (2:11; 3:4)

 God as our Saviour (2:10; 3:4)

 The essential deity of Christ (2:13) – good one for cults – “God and Saviour, Jesus
Christ”

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  The saviourhood of Christ (2:13; 3:6)

 The Holy Spirit (3:5)

 The substitutionary death of Christ (2:14)

 The universality of salvation (2:11)

 Salvation by grace, not by works (3:5)

 Justification by faith (3:7)

 Sanctification (purification) of his own people (2:14)

 Separation from evil (2:12)

 Inheritance of eternal life (3:7)

 The return of Christ (2:13)

Titus is a good summary of the doctrinal teaching of the church as it matured. Although it was
written to a pioneer missionary, he represented a church that had passed the pioneer era and that
had settled policies and faith. The word "sound" implies that a recognized standard of doctrine
had been acknowledged, to which correct life and teaching must conform.

Outline

1. Appoint Elders 1:1-16

 Greeting and comments on our salvation

 Ordain qualified elders

 Rebuke false teachers and sinning believers

2. Set Things In Order 2:1-3:15

 Teach them sound doctrine about how to behave

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  Maintain good works and obey authorities

 Conclusion

PHILEMON

Author

Paul wrote this brief letter probably at the same time as Colossians about 60 AD.

Purpose

Paul wrote Philemon to appeal to him to take back and forgive his runaway slave Onesimus, who
haad become a believer.

Content

Although this epistle is intensely personal rather than theological, it contains the finest picture of
the meaning of forgiveness that can be found in the New Testament. One can picture Philemon
as God, Onesimus as the runaway, disobedient sinner – condemned by law but saved by grace –
and Paul as the advocate, Jesus Christ, who offered to pay for any loss. Further, this letter is an
example of Paul's adeptness in dealing with a touchy social problem.

Outline

I. Salutation: The Family 1-3

II. The Fellowship 4- 7

III. The Favor 8-20

IV. The Farewells 21-25

HEBREWS

Author

The writer of this letter does not identify himself, but he was an obviously well known to the
original recipients.

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Purpose

The author of Hebrews wrote to remind believers of the superiority of the person, priesthood and
personal sacrifice of Christ and to encourage them to go on to maturity in Christ by living by
faith.

Content

The book of Hebrews is referred as the epistle of better things. The entire theme of the epistle is
built around the word "better," which is used in a series of comparisons to show how Christ is
superior in his person to the prophets, angels, and Moses. It also shows how Christ is superior in
his work to Aaron and the priests with their sacrifices. The quality and the validity of the law for
its own time is not denied; on the other hand, much of the argument of Hebrews is founded on
the Old Testament. But the writer argues that the new revelation in Christ has superseded the old;
the coming of the substance has made the shadow obsolete. The writer concludes that we also
have a superior walk of faith. The book also contains five warnings (exhortations) not to fall
away, draw back, become hard-hearted, or make little of their salvation, but to draw closer and
stick together.

Outline

I. The better messenger: the Son 1:1-2:18

 Qualifications 1:1-3
 Superiority of Angels 1:4-14
Parenthesis: The peril of neglect 2:1-4
 The incarnation 2:5-18

II. The Better Apostle 3:1-4:13

 Superiority to Moses 3:1-6

Parenthesis: The peril of unbelief 3:7-19
 Superiority of His Rest 4:1-10
Parenthesis: The peril of disobedience 4:11-13

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III. The Better Priest 4:14-7:28

 Comparison with Aaron 4:14-5:4

 The Order of Melchizedek 5:5-7:25
o Appointed 5:5-6
o Author of salvation 5:7-10

Parenthesis: The peril of immaturity 5:11-6:12

o Forerunner 6:13-20
o A living priest 7:1-17
o Constituted by oath 7:18-25
 Relation to sacrifice 7:26-28

IV. The Better Covenant 8:1-9:28

 The establishment of the covenant 8:1-13

 The content of the Old Covenant 9:1-10
 Christ and the New Covenant 9:11-28

V. The Better Sacrifice 10: 1-31

 Impotence of the law 10:1-4

 The offering of Christ 10:5-18
Parenthesis: The peril of rejection 10:19-31

VI. The Better Way: Faith 10:32-12:29

 The Need of Faith 10: 32-39

 The examples of Faith 11:1-40
 The exercise of Faith 12:1-17
 The objective of Faith 12:18-24

Parenthesis: The peril of refusal 12: 25-29

VII. Conclusion: The practice of Faith 13:1-25

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  In social relations 13:1-6
 In spiritual relations 13:7-17
 Personal salutations 13:18-25

JAMES

Author

The Epistle of James is ascribed traditionally to Iakobos, the Greek version of the Hebrew name
Jacob, which was 1500 years later Anglicized as “James.” James, the brother of the Lord,
seemed to be the moderator of the first church council in Jerusalem in AD 50.

Purpose

James wrote to instruct believers on the nature of genuine faith and the fruit which it produces in
the life of a true believer.

Content

Faith without works cannot be called faith. Faith without works is dead, and a dead faith is worse
than no faith at all. Faith must work; it must produce; it must be visible. Verbal faith is not
enough; mental faith is insufficient. Faith must be there, but it must be more. It must inspire
action. Throughout his epistle to Jewish believers, James integrates true faith and everyday
practical experience by stressing that true faith must manifest itself in works of faith.

Outline

The Epistle of James is difficult to outline because of the variety of topics discussed in it and
because these topics do not seem to follow any fixed pattern. There is, however, a basic structure
in James that accords generally with the following scheme.

I. Salutation 1:1

II. The Nature of True Religion 1:2-27

 Stability 1:2-11
 Endurance 1:12-18

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  Action 1:19-27

III. The Nature of True Faith 2:1-3:12

 Avoidance of Discrimination 2:1-13

 Avoidance of Inactive Profession 2:14-26 An Effective Testimony 5:19
 Avoidance of Boastful Officiousness 3:1-12

1V. The Nature of True Wisdom 3:13-5:18

 Wisdom Defined 3:13-18

 Wisdom in Spiritual Life 4:1-10
 Wisdom in Legal Relationships 4:11-12
 Wisdom in Commercial Plans 4:13-17
 Wisdom in Labour Problems 5:1-6
 Wisdom in Waiting for the Lord 5:7-11
 Wisdom in Language 5:12
 Wisdom in Affliction 5:13-18

V. Conclusion: The Purpose of Wisdom- -20

1 PETER

Author

Simon Peter is the author of the epistle. Like most of the disciples, Peter was a Galilean, a
fisherman by trade.

From where was 1 Peter written?

First Peter states that it was written from "Babylon" (5:13). There are three possible
interpretations of this location:

1. The historic Babylon in Mesopotamia, where there was a Jewish settlement until much later in
the Christian era, and where Peter could well have founded a church;

2. A town called Babylon in Egypt; and

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3. A code name for Rome, by which Christians applied to it all the evil connotations that had
been historically associated with the Babylon on the Euphrates, and by which they could vent
their feelings without being detected.

Purpose

Peter wrote to believers everywhere who were suffering unjustly for Christ’s sake to encourage
them to continue to be faithful and trust God and to remind them that this was God’s calling for
them just as it had been for Jesus.

Content

The personal experience of Peter with Christ is reflected in this epistle to his friends who were
imperilled by impending persecutions. He had known the feeling of helplessness when he
realized that Jesus was dead, but his hope had become living when Jesus rose (1:3). His reference
to love for Christ (1:8) recalls Jesus' challenge to him, "Do you love me more than these [fish]?"
(John 21:15ff.). Peter’s exhortation to church elders to "tend the flock of God" (I Pet. 5:2) is an
echo of Jesus' injunction to him to do the same thing (John 21:15-17). The command, "gird
yourselves with humility" (I Pet. 5:5), means "to put on a slave's apron," which recalls Jesus'
girding himself with a towel to wash the feet of the disciples (John 13:4). Five times he speaks of
the sufferings of Christ (I Pet. 2:23; 3:18; 4:1, 13, 5:1) – the scene of Gethsemane and the
crucifixion left an indelible impression on him.

One notable feature of the structure of the epistle is its use of imperatives or commands.
Beginning with 1:13, which follows the opening paragraph of thanksgiving, a continuous chain
of commands runs all the way to the end of the book.

Outline

I. Introduction 1: 1-2

II. The Character of Salvation: Hope and preservation 1:3-12

III. The Work of Salvation: Sanctification 1:13-2:12

 Be holy

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  Love one another

 Desire the milk of the Word

 Offer up spiritual sacrifices

 Abstain from fleshly lusts

IV. The Submission of Believers 2:12-3:12

 Toward government

 In business

 In marriage

 In all of life

V. The Confidence of Believers 3:13-4:11

 Conduct in suffering

 Christ’s example in suffering

 Commands while suffering

VI. Ministry of Elders During Suffering 5:1-9

VIII. Concluding Salutations 5:10-14

2 PETER

Author

According to NKJV study bible introductory notes on 2 Peter, the epistle is one of the NT books
that struggled the longest to gain acceptance in the NT canon. Early critics believed it was
written by a disciple of Peter in the second century who used Peter’s name. They based their
belief on differences of language and style between it and First Peter, as well as differences in
subject matter and approach. Furthermore they noted the similarities between Second Peter and

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Jude, asserting that the unknown writer of Second Peter borrowed from Jude, something the
apostle Peter would have never done

Nevertheless, by the fourth century AD the church councils had accepted Second Peter as one of
the Peter’s authentic letters. Modern studies have shown that the differences with First Peter are
not nearly so great as earlier critics contended, and the stylistic differences can be accounted for
by the use of different secretaries.

Purpose

Peter wrote Christians to stimulate them to wholesome thinking about the truth and to urge them
deal with false teachers who were destroying the church.

Content

The book of 1 Peter dealt with suffering – problems from the outside. The book of 2 Peter dealt
with heresy – problems from the inside. False teachers were peddling damaging doctrine on the
basis of their superior knowledge. Peter wanted the churches to see that sometimes “superior
knowledge” is false knowledge, and they must stand by true knowledge. The words “know” and
“knowledge” appear sixteen times, six of which refer to the knowledge of Christ. The recurring
theme unifies the epistle and lends progression to its thought.

Outline

The letter can be divided into three sections that simply follow the chapter divisions.

1. The Nature of True Knowledge – Chapter 1

 Growth in Christ
 Basis of belief

2. The Peril of Abandoning True Knowledge – Chapter 2

 Destruction
 Description

3. Hope for the Future That Comes From True Knowledge – Chapter 3

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  Mockery in that day
- Day of the Lord

I JOHN

Author

The author of this book is agreed to be John the beloved apostle. Though he does not identify
himself in this letter, the similarity of vocabulary and writing style between this book and the
Gospel of John proves that both were written by the same person.

Purpose

The Apostle John wrote Christian everywhere to remind them of the truth about Christ, to
reassure them of their salvation, and to exhort them to live in light and love, enjoying their
fellowship with God and each other.

Content

First Epistle of John focuses on truth blended with personal experience. It seeks to encourage
believers on in their faith and in intimate fellowship with the Father. Light, love, and life, three
peculiarly Johannine words, are prominent in this epistle. They are used as descriptive of God
and his work (1:5; 4:8, 5:11), and the development of these three themes comprises a major part
of the epistle.

God is Light-Therefore, we must walk in the light, confessing our sins, and where we fail, Christ
is our defence attorney before the Father. Those walking in light obey His commandments, love
one another, do not love the world, have the teaching work of the Spirit abiding within them, and
practice righteousness. False teachers are in darkness because they deny the Son, and they end up
leaving the church.

God is Love-Therefore, as His children who will become like Him at His return, we must show
our love for Him by not practicing sin (unbelievers can’t help but practice sin!), and by loving
one another in practical and material ways. When we do those things, we will be free from self-
condemnation and gain confidence that we are truly believers. The world system and false

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prophets hate believers and deny that Jesus became human. Believers test their ideas against
God’s Truth.

God is Life-Therefore, each person must believe in the Son, through whom God’s life comes,
because God’s anger toward our sins was satisfied only through the death of the Son. Belief in
the Son brings a new birth, new spiritual life, and we can have confidence about this.

John makes some categorical statements about who has life and who does not. He wants his
readers to see that the false teachers are not “so close” to the truth, but in fact are far from it. He
draws the reader in with the phrase "we know," which is used thirteen times (2:3, 5, 29; 3:14, 16,
19, 24; 4:13, 16; 5:15, 18, 19, 20) to signify the certainty that is achieved through God’s Truth
and by personal experience as the decades in the early church have gone by.

Outline

I. Introduction: Life's Historical Manifestation 1: 1-4

II. Certainty through Walking in the Light 1:5-2:29

 In Personal Spiritual Conduct

 In Social Relationships

 In Separation from the World

 In Adherence to the Truth

III. Certainty through Abiding in Love 3:1-4:21

 The Ethical Proof of Love

 The Social Proof of Love

 The Theological Proof of Love

 The Emotional Proof of Love

IV. Certainty through Exercise of Faith 5:1-12

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V. Conclusion: The Resultant Certainties of Life 5:13-21

2 JOHN

Author

The evidence is that the apostle John wrote the letter. Some argued that there were two Johns, the
apostle and a church leader known as John the Elder. But as with First John, evidence from the
early church fathers identifies this letter with the apostle. Other evidences favoring John the
apostle as the author of this letter are the similarity of the language and content of First and
Second John. John may have used the title Elder as an affectionate description of himself, since
his authority as an apostle would not be in question at this late date.

Purpose

John wrote 2 John to command a certain lady of her faithfulness to walk in truth and love and to
caution her against welcoming false teachers who denied the real humanity of Christ.

Content

The doctrinal content of 2 John differs little from that of the First. The same danger of ignoring
the humanity of Christ and the same necessity of abiding in the truth are pressed on the readers.

Outline

I. Salutation 1-3

II. Injunctions 4-11

To Love

To Obedience

To Vigilance
To Refusal of Error

III. Conclusion 12-13

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3 JOHN

Author

As with First and Second John, the author of this epistle is generally accepted to the apostle
John.

Purpose

John wrote 3 John to Gaius to commend him and urge him to continue to do good work for
fellow brothers in Christ, and to caution him to follow those who did what was good not what
was evil.

Content

Addressed primarily to Gaius, a pastor or leader in the church, 3 John is concerned less with
theological truth and more with administrative matters than the other two epistles. Again, it may
have been a cover letter for 1 John or even the gospel of John. It deals with the entertainment of
missionaries or itinerant preachers who should be encouraged as they visit the church en route to
other places, and with the unkind attitude of Diotrephes, who deserves a reprimand.

Outline

I. Introduction 1-4

II. Encouraging Workers for Truth 5-8

III. Reproving Opponents of Truth 9-11

IV. Commending the Witness of Truth 12

V. Conclusion 13-14

JUDE

Author

The author was doubtless the brother of James, one of the elders in the church of Jerusalem, and
the half-brother of Jesus who is mentioned in Mark 6:3 (Judas).

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Purpose

Jude wrote to believers to exhort them to defend the true faith according to scripture and to
denounce false teachers who were corrupt and wicked.

Content

Jude announced that his purpose was to urge his readers to "contend earnestly for the faith which
was once for all delivered unto the saints" (v. 3). The necessity for this emergency was the
infiltration into the Christian ranks of men who were "turning the grace of our God into
licentiousness (decadence), and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ" (v. 4).

Outline

I. Salutation 1-2

II. The Announcement of Emergency 3-4

III. The Appeal to Historic Precedents 5-7

IV. The Arrangement of Apostate Teachers 8-16

V. The Advice to Believers 17-23

VI. Concluding Benediction 24-25

REVELATION

Author

The author of Revelation refers to himself as John. The author writes with prophetic authority.
Allusions to OT and extrabiblical Jewish literature saturate Revelation, suggesting that the writer
was a Jew. The earliest witnesses in church history, such as Justin Martyr in the second century
AD agreed that the apostle authored Revelation.

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Purpose

John wrote Revelation on the command of God to set forth the revealing of Jesus Christ in His
second coming to judge sin, rule on earth for 1000 years and usher in the eternal state. It is the
unveiling of God’s eternal plan of the ages including redemption of man and the created order.

The unveiling of God’s eternal plan was to encourage the churches that were feeling growing
hostility toward Christians, and as a warning to the careless and negligent Christians who were
tempted to lapse into an easy conformity to the world. It was the last voice of a closing century

Content

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ" means both the revelation of his Person, and the revelation that
He gave. Obviously the book consists of a series of visions, each of which is a unit in itself.
While there are many small units introduced by the phrase "and I saw" (5:1, 6:1, etc.), some see
four main divisions, which are introduced by the phrase "in the Spirit" (1:10; 4:2; 17:1-3; 21:9-
10). These divisions are of varied content and unequal length, but they can give a unitary
organization to the book.

Outline

Revelation can be divided into three basic parts: the revelation of Jesus in his glorified state, the
message to the churches, and prophecies concerning the end times. Although the prophecy
section moves chronologically, it will be helpful for you to realize that there are five “interludes”
(highlighted) in which John gives a fuller description of things he has seen.

“The Things That You Have Seen”

 Introduction 1:1-8

 Vision of Jesus Christ 1:9-20

“The Things That Are”

 The Message To Ephesus 2:1-7

 The Message To Smyrna 2:8-11

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  The Message To Pergamum 2:12-17

 The Message To Thyatira 2:18-29

 The Message To To Sardis 3:1-6

 The Message To To Philadelphia 3:7-13

 The Message To To Laodicea 3:14-22

“The Things That Will Take Place After This”

 Interlude 1

o The Throne in Heaven 4:1-11

o The Sealed Book 5:1-14

 Seven Seal Judgments 6:1-8:5

1. The white horse 6:1-2

2. The red horse 6:3-4

3. The black horse 6:5-6

4. The pale horse 6:7-8

5. The souls of martyrs 6:9-11

6. The signs in heaven 6:12-17

 Interlude 2 7:1-8:5

o The sealing of the 144,000 7:1-17

o The silence in heaven 8:1-5

 Seven Trumpet Judgments 8:6-11:19

1. Hail, fire, and blood 8:7

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 2. Sea turned into blood 8:8-9

3. Star falling on waters 8:10-11

4. Sun, moon, and stars darkened 8:12-13

5. Opening of bottomless pit 9:1-12

6. Loosing of four angels 9:13-21

 Interlude 3: 10:1-11:14

o The little book 10:1-11

o Two witnesses 11:1-14

 Seventh Trumpet – Announcement of the End 11:15-19

 Interlude 4: 12:1-14:20

o The woman and the dragon 12:1-6

o The war in heaven 12:7-12

o The war on earth 12:13-17

o The Beast out of the sea 13:1-10

o The Beast out of the earth 13:11-18

o The 144,000 witnesses 14:1-5

o Three angels announcement 14:6-13

o The harvest judgment 14:14-20

 The Seven Bowl Judgments 15:1 – 19:6

o Preparation 15:1-8 o Boils on men 16:1-2

o Sea into blood 16:3

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 o Rivers and springs into blood 16:4-7

o Increased power of sun 16:8-9

o Darkness and pain 16:10-11

o Euphrates dries, unclean spirits 16:12-16

o Earthquakes and hail 16:17-21

Interlude 5: 17:1-19:10

o Harlot Babylon is described 17:1-6

o Harlot Babylon is destroyed 17:7-18:8

o Earth mourns the destruction 18:9-19

o Heaven rejoices in the destruction 18:20-19:6

o Marriage Supper of the Lamb 19:7-10

 The Second Coming of Christ-Armageddon 19:11-21

 The Millennial Reign of Christ 20:1-9

o Satan bound 20:1-3

o Saints reign 1,000 years 20:4-6

o Satan loosed; rebellion 20:7-9

 Great White Throne Judgment 20:10-15

 The New Heavens, New Earth-Eternal State 21:1-22:21

o New Jerusalem descends 21:1-8

o New Jerusalem described 21:9-22:5

o Challenge of Christ 22:6-21

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Prison Epistles

Pastoral Epistles


 Letters about salvation (Salvation Epistles)
 Romans
 Galatians
 1st and 2nd Corinthians
 Letters from Prison (Prison Epistles)
 Ephesians
 Philemon
 Colossians
 Philippians

 Letters about the future (Eschatological epistles)
 Letters for pastors (Pastoral Epistles)
 I timothy
 2 timothy

- Titus

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