Come, follow Jesus!
(the real Jesus)
ONLINE EDITION
The Gospel
in simple terms
for nonbelievers
and new believers
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Jesus said, "Come, follow me."
How can you follow Jesus?
"But I'm a sinful person, not fit to be a follower of Jesus!"
Your new life as a follower of Jesus
Find fellowship with other followers of Jesus
Your prayer life
Know your Bible
Your service to God
"Jezebel" in the churches
"If we deliberately keep on sinning . . ."
Why believe the Bible?
Who is Jesus?
What did Jesus teach?
What is life really all about
Angels and demons
Gray areas, mysteries and religious authorities
What Jesus revealed about life after death
'But my relatives won't like it if I follow Jesus!'
Watching for Christ's return
How I came to follow Jesus: the testimony of David A. Reed
Why this book?
Dedication, copyright, ISBN & Scripture references
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online edition of the book by David A. Reed The Gospel in simple terms for nonbelievers and new believers. How to become a follower of Jesus Christ, and live as Jesus commanded Home | Jesus said, "Come, follow me." | How can you follow Jesus? | "But I'm a sinful person, not fit to be a follower of Jesus!" | Your new life as a follower of Jesus | Find fellowship with other followers of Jesus | Your prayer life | Know your Bible | Your service to God | "Jezebel" in the churches | "If we deliberately keep on sinning . . ." | Why believe the Bible? | Who is Jesus? | What did Jesus teach? | What is life really all about | Angels and demons | Gray areas, mysteries and religious authorities | What Jesus revealed about life after death | 'But my relatives won't like it if I follow Jesus!' | Watching for Christ's return | How I came to follow Jesus: the testimony of David A. Reed | Why this book? | Dedication, copyright, ISBN & Scripture references < PREVIOUS — NEXT > If you wish to follow Jesus, the best way to learn how to do it is to prayerfully read the Bible. In his first letter to a young Christian leader named Timothy (a letter that became part of the Bible’s New Testament) the Apostle Paul encouraged him to “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” —1 Timothy 4:13 NIV And Paul’s second letter to Timothy added this explanation: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” —2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT Reading the Bible may seem like an overwhelming task. After all, it is a big thick book filled with strange-sounding names and places. But it is well worth the effort. Reading while taking my daily walk on a treadmill, it takes me a little longer than a year to read the whole Bible, cover to cover. Having done this for years, I can no longer count how many times I’ve read it. Each time, I notice things I had not noticed before, learn new things and grow stronger in faith. Each time I read through the Bible from cover to cover, I use a different translation. You may want to start out with a translation like the New Century Version (NCV) that renders the original Hebrew and Greek into simple English that is easy to understand. Can an ordinary person really read the Bible and understand it? Well, there are plenty of preachers who will tell you No—either directly or subtly telling you that you need professional help to understand the Bible. They will gladly encourage you to listen to them instead of reading the Bible on your own. In fact, there were times in European history when church leaders and clergymen actively prevented people from reading Scripture, and even made doing so punishable by death. Lovers of the Bible like William Tyndale and John Huss were burned at the stake in the early 1500’s for translating the Scriptures into their local language so that ordinary people could read the Bible. Corrupt church leaders at that time, eager to hold on to power and money, jealously guarded their position as the official interpreters of God’s written Word. Actually, one of the biggest lies told about the Bible is the claim that theologians and professional clergy are needed to explain and interpret it to the common man. That is a lie, because the Bible was written for the average man and woman to understand. It was written for dock workers and farm hands, housewives and laborers—not for intellectual professionals. As an author, I know it is easy to write a book that only educated intellectuals will understand; an author can accomplish this by using extremely complex sentence structure and technical jargon that the average person is unfamiliar with. But how can someone write a book that ordinary people can understand, while hiding its truths from well-educated intellectuals? That would be impossible for a human author. But God knows how to do this. In fact, that is what Jesus said to his heavenly Father in prayer concerning the Gospel message: “Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.’” —Matthew 11:25-26 NIV Simple, uneducated people can grasp the Gospel message when prayerfully reading the Bible, while highly-educated professionals often miss the point despite their scholarly study. The Apostle Paul expressed a similar thought when he wrote this about the sort of people who grasp and respond to the message about Christ: “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘I will cause the wise to lose their wisdom; I will make the wise unable to understand.’ [Isaiah 29:14] Where is the wise person? Where is the educated person? Where is the skilled talker of this world? . . . Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. . . . God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise . . .” —1 Corinthians 1:19-27 NCV So, don’t ever feel that you are unqualified to read the Bible on your own. Pray for understanding, and God will open up the meaning of the Scriptures to you as you read. If you are reading the Bible for the first time, you may find it helpful to begin with the New Testament, starting in the Gospel of Matthew—so that you will be introduced right away to Jesus and his teachings. Then afterwards follow up by reading the Old Testament which provides the background that will give you a deeper understanding of the Christian message. The first part of the Bible, the Old Testament, records the history of God’s dealings with mankind from the creation of the first humans until around 2500 years ago. It explains how the first humans became separated from God through their own disobedience—and how their offspring spread out over the surface of the earth, multiplied rapidly and developed societies, cultures and religions devoid of any knowledge of the true God. Eventually, God re-introduced himself to twelve tribes of slaves in The Old Testament also predicts a time when God would send his Messiah or Christ (meaning appointed leader) to bring people back to God—not just the Jews but people of all nations. At God’s appointed time, he stepped in by sending his Son to earth—born as a human child to a carpenter’s virgin wife in the town of The Bible’s New Testament begins with four accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings. These Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all tell how Jesus called the Jewish people back to God and assigned his followers the work of taking his message to all races and nations around the world. They also tell how Jesus gave his life sacrificially—through a horribly painful death on a Roman execution cross—to ransom the rest of us from sin and death. Yes, he died in our place, so that we might have the hope of eternal life. More than that, he rose from the dead on the third day, was seen by hundreds of eye witnesses, and now lives at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. He is the living Savior of all who turn to him in faith and obedience. The Acts of the Apostles follows the four Gospels in our Bibles. Written by a medical doctor named Luke, a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke, the book of Acts details the spread of Christianity into The rest of the New Testament consists mainly of letters written by Paul, the Apostles Peter and John, and early disciples James and Jude. These letters address issues that troubled the early churches, and they provide guidance for everyone who wants to follow Jesus. Our Bibles conclude with the book of Revelation, a prophetic vision the risen Christ gave to the Apostle John while John was in prison for preaching the Gospel. A collection of sixty-six books and letters by dozens of different writers, the Bible was written over a span of roughly 1600 years. The books and letters are arranged partly according to chronology, but are also grouped together according to whether they are histories, letters, prophetic writings or poetic, so they are not found in a strictly chronological order. Here is a more detailed introduction to the various books of the Bible: OLD TESTAMENT Genesis The first of the five Books of Moses, Genesis tells the history of mankind from the very beginning. It recounts how God created the first human pair and how they rebelled against God’s commands and thus brought sin into the world and passed on a sinful nature—an inborn tendency to sin—to their offspring. The world of Adam and Eve’s offspring eventually became so corrupt that God sent a flood to wipe mankind off the face of the earth, except for four married couples who were preserved in a huge floating box or ark. Genesis then goes on to record how the planet was repopulated from these four couples. After several generations their descendents forgot about God and became technologically advanced enough to build a city and begin working on a skyscraper, but God intervened by causing different family groups to speak different languages, so they could not understand each other any longer and had to abandon the project. Those family groups then separated and spread abroad on the earth. Genesis details how their offspring became the ancestors of the races and nations we know today. Mankind in general took up worshiping idols made of wood, stone or metal, but a few individuals remained faithful to the true God, the Creator. The Genesis account tells the history of one of these individuals, Abraham, who became the ancestor of the nations that eventually inhabited the areas now covered by Abraham’s grandson Jacob was renamed Exodus Although they had immigrated to It tells the life story of Moses, who is credited with writing the first five books of the Bible. These five books—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy—set out more than six hundred laws given by God to the Jewish people. These laws were part of a formal agreement or covenant between God and the people of As you read the laws promulgated in the books of Moses, keep in mind that they fall into different groups. Some were laws designed to keep the Jewish people separate and apart from their neighbors, so that they could preserve intact their identity as a separate people to serve a unique purpose down through the centuries, and not eventually blend in with the rest of mankind. (Regulations requiring the Jews to eat special food, and to dress and groom in peculiar ways, were among the laws given to keep them separate from their neighbors.) Others were ceremonial laws detailing how God wanted the Israelites to worship him—through rituals and animal sacrifices that symbolically foreshadowed the sacrificial death of the Messiah to come. These laws regarding worship also taught general principles that apply to all mankind in our relationship with God. And other laws taught the Jews how God wanted them to behave in all aspects of their lives. These laws, too, shed light on how God wants all of us to behave. For example, some regulated business dealings: “Don’t cheat hired servants who are poor and needy, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in one of your towns.” (Deut. 24:14 NCV) Other regulations required kindness to animals: “When an ox is working in the grain, do not cover its mouth to keep it from eating.” (Deut. 25:4 NCV) Others set standards for sanitation: “When you are camped in time of war . . . Choose a place outside the camp where people may go to relieve themselves. Carry a tent peg with you, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your dung.” (Deut. 23:9-13 NCV) Many laws required the Jews to treat people fairly and kindly: “If an escaped slave comes to you, do not hand over the slave to his master. Let the slave live with you anywhere he likes, in any town he chooses. Do not mistreat him.” (Deut. 23:15-16 NCV) Although these laws strictly applied only to those under their jurisdiction—the Jewish people—they give us insight into how God wants people to treat one another in matters involving property, business dealings, marriage, sexual morality, and daily life.. Leviticus This Bible book takes its name from Levi, one of Numbers This book of Moses takes its name from the fact that it begins with a census numbering “all the men in Deuteronomy The last of the five books of Moses, Deuteronomy summarizes and repeats some of the material of the other four, restating the Ten Commandments and various laws as well as retelling some of the history of the Israelites from shortly after their departure from A number of chapters in Deuteronomy are devoted to outlining the blessings that would come to the Jewish people if they kept God’s laws and the curses that would come upon them if they broke God’s laws. Ultimately, if they failed to keep their agreement with God, he would drive them out of the Promised Land. Moreover, he told them, “You will become a thing of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where the LORD will drive you. . . . the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other.” (Deut. 28:37, 64 NIV) This prophecy was fulfilled hundreds of years later, and its fulfillment continued even thousands of years later, into modern times. The worldwide “scorn and ridicule” against the Jews came to be called “anti-Semitism,” and the Jewish people were scattered among all the nations until the rebirth of the nation of Moses completed the writing of the first five books of the Bible before his death some time around 1500 years before the birth of Christ, and the books of Moses are referred to and quoted from in many of the later books of the Bible. Joshua Moses died at the edge of the Promised Land, leaving the people under the command of Joshua who had been his lieutenant. The book of Joshua documents the Israelites’ miraculous crossing of the Judges Instructed by God to annihilate the wicked inhabitants of Far from being saintly, perfect figures, the Bible reveals the humanity, frailty and sinfulness even of such heroic personages—this candid honesty serving as evidence of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures in an age when leaders of pagan nations were usually painted in glowing terms. Ruth During a time of famine a couple from More than just a sweet story of loyalty, the book of Ruth concludes by telling how this Moabite woman took her place in the family line that later gave birth to king David. And since Jesus’ mother Mary and foster father Joseph were both descendents of David, Ruth’s story also provides details of the ancestry of the Messiah. 1 & 2 Samuel Likely written between 1000 B.C. and 1100 B.C., or thereabouts, the books of First and Second Samuel tell how God called a young boy, Samuel, to serve as his prophet, and how the nation of Israel came to be ruled by a king—first Saul from the tribe of Benjamin and then David from the tribe of Judah. David was a mere shepherd boy, the youngest among several brothers, but demonstrated courage and trust in God when he battled the Philistine warrior Goliath one-on-one, and God chose David to replace unfaithful Saul. Yet even David is presented in these books with all his flaws and weaknesses, in contrast to the way histories of pagan nations of that time portrayed their kings as godlike heroes—again showing how the books of the Bible inspired by God differ from mere writings of men. Besides continuing to establish the royal lineage of the coming Messiah, these books also offer insight into God’s dealings with those who are chosen to serve him, both those who serve faithfully and those who deviate from God’s instructions. 1 & 2 Kings These books cover hundreds of years of history, from the final days of king David to the fall of God instructed David to have his son build a temple in Soon after Solomon’s death most of the tribes of Eventually the 1 & 2 Chronicles While the history in 1 & 2 Kings alternates back and forth between discussing events in the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, the account in 1 & 2 Chronicles covers roughly the same time span from the standpoint of Judah alone, for the most part. It begins with extensive genealogical records, tracing the descent of mankind from Noah, and then focusing on the genealogy of the twelve tribes of Ezra The Babylonian Empire that destroyed Nehemiah A descendent of Jews who had been taken captive decades earlier, Nehemiah was cupbearer to Artaxerxes, ruler of the Medo-Persian empire, when it came to his attention that the work of rebuilding Esther The book of Esther details an attempt by Haman, the Persian king’s prime minister, to exterminate the Jews throughout the Medo-Persian empire which, at that time, ruled most of the lands where Jews had been scattered during their captivity. It relates how a young Jewish woman named Esther worked with her uncle Mordecai to foil the plot. Through God’s providence, Esther became queen of the empire, Mordecai became prime minister, and the plot to kill all the Jews was turned into a triumph for them instead—an episode still commemorated today in the Jewish festival of Purim. (Modern readers of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther may draw parallels with the time when a Jew became prime minister of the British Empire, the occasion when a different British prime minister issued an official letter promising a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine, and the time when a European ruler again attempted to annihilate the Jewish people through the Holocaust.) Job The book of Job tells the story of a good and faithful individual named Job who was blessed by God, but whose faith was tested by sudden loss and adversity. The veil is pulled back to show us the assembly of angels in the presence of God. Satan enters the assembly and accuses Job of living right only for selfish reasons, to receive God’s material blessings. To prove Satan wrong, God allows him to take those blessings away, but Job still maintains his faithfulness. So, Satan demands the opportunity to afflict Job with sickness, which God again allows. Job suffers greatly, but remains faithful through it all. Much of the book is filled with the sayings of four friends of Job who come to comfort him, but who speak falsehood, accusing him of sin. In their view, Job’s sufferings must be due to sin on his part. Their false teachings are similar to the false ‘health and wealth gospel’ that is popular in some churches today—the false teaching that Christianity is a sure path to physical health and financial prosperity, and that sickness reflects sin in a Christian’s life. Although the authorship of the book of Job is uncertain, we know that it is quite ancient, because the prophet Ezekiel who was among the Jewish exiles in Psalms The book of Psalms is a collection of inspired songs and poetic prayers composed by a number of early writers, including king David, over a period of roughly five hundred years, from around 1000 B.C. to around 500 B.C. Psalm 117 is the shortest, just two verses, and Psalm 119 is the longest at 176 verses. (The chapter and verse numbers were added in more recent times, as is the case with all of the books in the Bible.) More than just poetry and songs of praise, the Psalms also contain inspired prophecies that were fulfilled centuries later. For example, Psalm 22 begins with the words Jesus spoke on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1; Matt. 27:46 NIV) and goes on to say, “they have pierced my hands and my feet.” (Ps.22:16 NIV) Proverbs The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, most of them attributed to king Solomon. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,” according to Proverbs 1:7 (KJV). Ecclesiastes Unusual in its style, the book of Ecclesiastes presents a debate between a speaker who sees life as meaningless and vain, and another speaker who sees life as meaningful due to our relationship with God—although the two speakers may represent an internal debate within the mind of the writer. In the end it is the viewpoint shaped by knowledge of God that wins: “This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.” (Eccl. 12:13-14) Song of Songs Also referred to as “Song of Solomon” this book of the Bible is a poetic story of love. The main speakers are a young shepherd girl and the young man she loves. Many readers see this as an allegorical representation of the relationship between God and the nation of “‘. . . the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.’ It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. . . . I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. . . . One of the seven angels . . . spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.’ . . . and showed me the holy city, Isaiah The prophet Isaiah served God during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Isaiah also prophesied concerning other nations in the “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” (Isa. 9:6-7 NIV) “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5 NIV) Jesus read publicly from the book of Isaiah when he visited the synagogue in Jeremiah Jeremiah, a priest at the temple in Besides foretelling events that occurred later during his own lifetime, Jeremiah also recorded God’s promise of the new covenant or agreement that we read about in the New Testament: “‘The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Lamentations Attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, the book of Lamentations is a series of mournful poems expressing grief over the destruction of “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!” (Lam. 1:1 NIV) “The punishment of my people is greater than that of Ezekiel The prophet Ezekiel was among prominent Jews taken into exile by God showed Ezekiel visions of heavenly things, and had him proclaim judgments against the Jews and against the surrounding nations. Toward the end of his book, the prophecies move ahead to the distant future to a time when the Jews would be once again “gathered from many nations to the mountains of Daniel Daniel was just a teenager when the Jewish royal family and nobility were taken into exile, and God gave him such wisdom that he was selected to serve in the court of the king of Daniel prophesied in detail concerning a long succession of kingdoms and governments, after which “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” (Dan. In the ninth chapter of Daniel a timetable is given for when the Messiah or Christ would come, and it points to the year when Jesus began his public ministry. Hosea The prophet Hosea served God during the final decades of the kingdoms of Joel The prophet Joel spoke to the people of “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I restore the fortunes of Amos Amos was not a prophet, but was a shepherd herding sheep and tending sycamore fig trees during the reigns of the second king Jereboam of Israel and king Uzziah of Judah. But then God called Amos to proclaim a message of judgment to the people of Although the Jews were living in security at that time, Amos delivered God’s message that he would destroy their nation and “sift the house of Obadiah The shortest book of the Hebrew scriptures, just twenty-one verses long, the book of Obadiah foretells disaster for the neighboring nation of Jonah Called by God to travel to the large foreign city However, Jonah’s rebellious personality continued to trouble him. When the people of The book of Jonah gives great insight into God’s mercy toward people like the pagans of Those who are inclined to dismiss the book of Jonah as a children’s story should note that Jesus referred to it as factual. He said, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Micah The prophet Micah foretold the destruction coming on the ancient kingdoms of Micah also foretold that the Messiah or Christ would come from “They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war any more.” (Micah 4:3) Nahum Although the city of “Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them. There is no healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you; for who hasn’t felt your endless cruelty?” (Nahum 3:18-19) Habakkuk The book of Habakkuk begins with a back and forth dialog between the prophet by that name and God concerning the sins of the Jewish nation and the destruction about to come at the hands of the Babylonian empire. Then it concludes with a prophetic prayer by the prophet. Zephaniah The prophecy of “Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Haggai During the second year of Medo-Persian emperor Darius, the prophet Haggai proclaimed God’s messages to the Jews who had returned from exile to rebuild Zechariah A contemporary of Haggai, Zechariah also presented visions from God to spur on the rebuilding of the temple in Zechariah also foretells a time when Malachi The last book of the Old Testament in our Bibles, Malachi appears to have been written after the Jews returned from exile in NEW TESTAMENT Matthew According to early Church writers the Apostle Matthew wrote his account of Jesus’ life and ministry first, before Mark, Luke and John, and wrote it in Hebrew, the language of the earliest disciples. The four Gospels each present the works and teachings of Jesus Christ from a slightly different perspective. (If you are interested in comparing them, side by side, you may wish to consult a book such as my Parallel Gospels in Harmony—with Study Guide or the free online version of that book at http://www.ParallelGospels.NET) Matthew’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ royal genealogy through his foster-father Joseph, a descendent of king David. Matthew also relates the details of Jesus’ birth from Joseph’s perspective. Matthew’s account emphasizes the fulfillment of prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures—prophecies that pointed to the promised Messiah, and that Jesus fulfilled. Mark The shortest of the four Gospels, Mark’s is a fast-moving account, traditionally based on what he remembered hearing about Jesus’ life and ministry at the Apostle Peter’s feet. It omits some of Jesus’ longer talks, such as the Sermon on the Mount and parables about the Kingdom recorded by Matthew and Luke, and Jesus’ final words to his followers recorded by John. But, for the most part, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke cover the same ground, each one occasionally supplying some details omitted by the others. Luke The physician Luke accompanied the Apostle Paul on his missionary travels among the Gentiles, and wrote his Gospel in Greek for a cosmopolitan Greek audience. The account begins with the birth of John the baptizer who would later introduce Jesus to the Jewish people, and then goes on to relate the story of Jesus’ birth from the perspective of his mother Mary, followed by Jesus’ royal genealogy through Mary who was, like her husband Joseph, a descendant of king David. Luke also wrote the book of Acts, which takes up where his Gospel account leaves off. John Church tradition tells us that the aged Apostle John wrote his account last, after the other three were already circulating among the churches. John’s Gospel stresses a close, personal relationship with Jesus. The other three are often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they refer to the same events and the same messages Jesus delivered, while John, although telling the same story, also supplies information on a number of events and messages not included in the other Gospels. For example, only John tells of the resurrection of Lazarus and Jesus’ final sermon to his closest disciples before his arrest. Acts The medical doctor Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles as a sequel to his Gospel account. He covers the growth and spread of the Christian congregation from the days immediately following Jesus’ resurrection, through the missionary tours of the Apostle Paul around the eastern Romans The Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in He also addressed issues the churches faced over how to deal with the laws of Moses, which some wanted to impose on the Gentile believers. These words from this letter encourage us when we feel that we are at a loss as to how to pray: “the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.” (Rom. 1 and 2 Corinthians Paul’s letters to the church in In his first letter Paul addressed a case of blatant sexual immorality that was allowed to go on unchecked among the membership. He instructed the leaders of the church to expel the guilty individual. Later, in his second letter, he encouraged them to readmit this individual who had since accepted correction and repented. Paul also encouraged all of us by writing this about the temptations we face in this world: “No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13) Have you been troubled by unanswered prayer? Paul suffered from a personal affliction, and prayed three times for it to go away, but the answer was No. He wrote, “there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.” (2 Cor. 12:7-9) Besides helping us understand that the answer to our own prayers may sometimes be No, this passage also refutes the false ‘health and wealth gospel’ that is taught in some churches today—the false teaching that Christianity is a sure path to physical health and financial prosperity, and that believers fall sick only when there is sin in their lives. Just as the church in Galatians The Apostle Paul’s letter “to the churches in The letter to the Galatians makes it clear that Christians are not under the jurisdiction of the laws given to the Jewish nation through Moses. “The law was our guardian leading us to Christ so that we could be made right with God through faith. Now the way of faith has come, and we no longer live under a guardian.” (Gal. 3:24-25 NCV) Instead, Paul tells Christians to “Live by following the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:16) Those led by God’s Holy Spirit produce the fruits of the Spirit, not the works of the flesh: “Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal. 5:19-23) Ephesians In his letter to the church at Much of this letter is devoted to reminding us how to live as followers of Jesus. Paul addresses advice to wives and husbands, to children and parents, to slaves and masters, and to all believers. We all have a struggle against invisible enemies, and Paul advises us how to prepare for that struggle as if putting on a suit of armor: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil’s evil tricks. Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. That is why you need to put on God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living on your chest. On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One. Accept God’s salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:11-17 NCV) Philippians When Paul wrote his letter to the church at He urged Christians, “Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be innocent and without any wrong. You will be God’s children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world. You offer the teaching that gives life.” (Phil. 2:14-16 NCV) “Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 NCV) Colossians In his letter to the Colossian congregation Paul addressed theological matters, declaring here that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things are held together. He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.” ( Paul also reminded the Colossian believers that they were not obligated to follow the ceremonial laws given through Moses, which prefigured or pointed forward to things that were fulfilled in Christ: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” ( We can see from his conclusion, that Paul intended his letters to be circulated among the churches: “After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from 1 and 2 Thessalonians Paul commended the believers in Thessalonica because, “when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” (1 Thess. He also reminded them that, “God wants you to be holy and to stay away from sexual sins. . . . Don’t use your body for sexual sin like the people who do not know God. Also, do not wrong or cheat another Christian in this way. The Lord will punish people who do those things as we have already told you and warned you. God called us to be holy and does not want us to live in sin. So, the person who refuses to obey this teaching is disobeying God, not simply a human teaching.” (1 Thess. 4:3-8 NCV) In both letters to the Thessalonians Paul spoke of the coming return of Christ: “According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thess. 4:15-17 NIV) “Then he will punish those who do not know God and who do not obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus Christ. Those people will be punished with a destruction that continues forever. They will be kept away from the Lord and from his great power.” (2 Thess. 1:8-9 NCV) 1 and 2 Timothy The Apostle Paul met a younger man named Timothy when he traveled to Derbe and Lystra in By the time he wrote his second letter to Timothy, Paul was nearing the time when he would be martyred for preaching the Gospel. Speaking of the Hebrew Old Testament, Paul reminded Timothy that “from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. Paul’s letters encouraged Timothy to remain strong in faith and to set an example for others in good conduct. He also gave Timothy guidelines for overseers and deacons in the churches. Titus A disciple the Apostle Paul had introduced to Christianity, Titus traveled with him on his missionary journeys. Paul left Titus “in Crete so you could finish doing the things that still needed to be done and so you could appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.” (Tit. 1:5 NCV) The letter includes guidelines for making those appointments, as well as instructions on the right way for believers to live their lives. Philemon The Apostle Paul addressed this brief letter to Philemon, a wealthy man Paul had converted to Christianity and whose run-away slave Onesimus was also converted by Paul when he encountered him on his travels. Paul urged Philemon to forgive Onesimus and to allow him to remain with Paul. Slavery was part of the social fabric of the Hebrews The author of this letter is not named, but church tradition attributes it to the Apostle Paul. It concludes with indications that the writer was in Written to Christian believers, the letter derives its title from the subject matter, which deals primarily with how God’s covenant with the Jewish people through Moses prefigured or foreshadowed the new covenant through Jesus. The writer quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 and many other passages from the Old Testament, explaining how they are fulfilled as prophetic pictures of the Christian arrangement. It also stresses the importance of faith, which it defines as “assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1) And it outlines how the major personages in the Old Testament exercised faith by trusting and obeying God. James Attributed to James the half-brother of Jesus who served as a leader of the church in James speaks of how faith and good works fit together in a Christian’s life, and how “faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.” (Jas. 2:17) Just believing that God exists, is nothing to brag about; “the demons believe that, too, and they tremble with fear,” James reminds us. (Jas. He also cautions readers on the dangers of pursuing riches, and the danger of not bridling our tongues and controlling our speech. 1 and 2 Peter The Apostle Peter’s letters encourage Christians to live right and to patiently endure suffering when persecuted for the faith or when living under difficult circumstances. He gives advice to believing women who are married to unbelieving men, and to slaves or servants working for difficult masters. He cites Jesus’ example: “People insulted Christ, but he did not insult them in return. Christ suffered, but he did not threaten.” (1 Pet. Peter also assures us that the Bible is truly the word of God, not men. Speaking of the Old Testament, he writes, “Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God.” (2 Pet. 1:20-21 NCV) In his second letter Peter also refers to portions of the New Testament that had already been written—the letters of the Apostle Paul—as inspired Scripture. Peter also devotes a large portion of his second letter to warning against false teachers in the churches, describing them as greedy and immoral. “Those false teachers only want your money, so they will use you by telling you lies.” (2 Pet. 2:3 NCV) But Peter encourages followers of Jesus to keep waiting patiently for God’s Judgment Day, which will come even though unbelievers ridicule the idea that Jesus promised to return. “It is important for you to understand what will happen in the last days. People will laugh at you. They will live doing the evil things they want to do. They will say, ‘Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made.’ But they do not want to remember what happened long ago” when God executed judgment on the world in Noah’s day. (2 Pet. 3:3-5 NCV) Peter concludes, “You therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware, lest being carried away with the error of the wicked, you fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Pet. 3:17-18) 1, 2 and 3 John Besides the Gospel bearing his name, the Apostle John wrote three letters that are included in the New Testament. The first letter encourages believers to love one another, and to turn away from sin. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.” (1 John 1:8-2:2) John’s second and third letters are very brief—each just over a dozen verses long. Both warn of enemies inside and outside the churches, a theme also found in the first letter. By the time John wrote his third letter, it appears that some churches were already being taken over by such enemies. He said, “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.” (3 John 9-10 NASB) Jude Like John’s second and third letters, Jude’s letter is also very brief, just two dozen verses. The disciple tells Christian readers, “I wanted very much to write you about the salvation we all share. But I felt the need to write you about something else: I want to encourage you to fight hard for the faith that was given the holy people of God once and for all time. Some people have secretly entered your group. . . . They are against God and have changed the grace of our God into a reason for sexual sin.” (Jude 3-4) This is a common thread found in many of the letters of the Apostles in the New Testament—that God’s grace and mercy must not be used as a pretext for persisting in sexual sin. Jude goes on to remind readers that “ Revelation (also called Apocalypse) Quite different from the other books of the New Testament, and somewhat reminiscent of the visions recorded by the Old Testament prophets, “This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John, who testified to God’s word, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw.” (Rev. 1:1-2) John is told, “What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to John then sees a vision of the risen Christ, who gives him specific messages to each of these seven prominent Christian churches in ancient Jesus calls five of the seven churches to “repent” for straying, in various ways, from following him. The remainder of the book of Revelation presents a long series of visions full of signs and symbols: “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven” (12:1 NIV), “Then another sign appeared in heaven” (12:3 NIV), “And I saw another sign in heaven” (15:1 KJV) The exact meanings of these signs and symbols have been the subject of debate for centuries, but the basic overall message is clear: God will intervene in human affairs to put an end to man’s governments and to establish the worldwide rule of the Kingdom of God. In the process, God sends one plague or disaster after another—diseases, scorching heat, pollution of the seas and rivers, destruction of “a third of the trees” (Rev. 8:7 NCV), and so on—to punish rebellious mankind and call people to repent. “The other people who were not killed by these terrible disasters still did not change their hearts . . . and turn away from murder or evil magic, from their sexual sins or stealing.” (Rev. 9:20-21 NCV) The Revelation goes on to show the world’s governments and armies suffering defeat at a “place that is called Armageddon in the Hebrew language” (Rev. 16:16 NCV), after which Christ rules for a thousand years. |