Bible Summaries - NIV

Matthew Luke
Theme: Christ the King Theme: Christ the Man

Author: Matthew Author: Luke

Verses: “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say Verse: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what
I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son was lost. (Luke 19:10)
of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15-16) Date: A.D. 63-68
Date: About A.D. 50 Luke was a physician who often accompanied the
Matthew presents Jesus Christ as the King of Israel. apostle Paul on his missionary journeys. Luke’s main
His Gospel begins with a genealogy of Jesus through purpose in his Gospel is to show Jesus Christ as a per-
His legal father, Joseph, which goes all the way back to fect man. It is from Luke that we get the most details
Abraham. This demonstrates His right to the throne of of Jesus’ birth and boyhood. He traces the genealogy
Israel through David. Matthew also shows how Christ of Christ back to Adam and continues through His life
fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies about the chronologically. Luke makes his purpose clear early on:
Messiah, including: Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated every-
thing from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write
• His virgin birth an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so
• His birth in Bethlehem that you may know the certainty of the things you have
been taught (Luke 1:3-4).Luke’s Gospel is actually Vol-
• His travel to Egypt ume 1 — his history continues in the book of Acts. The
• His miracles parables in this Gospel reflect the deep concern Christ
had for lost mankind as expressed in Luke 19:10: For the
• His arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. Luke
Matthew quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures repeat- also wanted his readers to understand that there was a
edly. The book was written to assure Jews who had solid historical basis for believing in Jesus Christ. The
believed in Jesus Christ that their faith was not in vain. well-known opening to the account of the birth of Jesus
He really is the Messiah, and someday He will return to Christ is just one example of how he ties his history to
set up the promised kingdom. events and people in the secular world. In those days
Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be
taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census
Mark that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
(Luke 2:1-2).
Theme: Jesus the Servant
Author: John Mark
John
Verse: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Theme: Christ the Son of God
(Mark 10:45)
Author: John
Date: A.D. 55-56
Verses: Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the pres-
Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels. The author ence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
focuses on Jesus Christ as a servant, with particular But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
emphasis on His ultimate service of dying on the cross. Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have
One third of the book deals with the events of the life in His name. (John 20:30-31)
week leading up to the crucifixion. Mark’s emphasis
can be seen in Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man did Date: A.D. 85-90
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as The apostle John gives a straightforward reason for
a ransom for many. Mark includes many miracles that writing his Gospel: But these are written that you may
show Jesus’ love for people. We read how Jesus healed believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
many who were deaf, dumb or blind, raised a little girl by believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31).
to life, fed a hungry crowd of 5,000, and welcomed little While the other three Gospels cover many of the same
children. Believers met in Mark’s mother’s house, and events (each with its own thematic emphasis), John
Peter visited there often. In fact, Peter was probably the describes different events to present Jesus as the
source of much of Mark’s information about the events Messiah, the Word made flesh, and the Son of God.
of Christ’s life. Believe is the key word.
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Seven key miracles are recorded: new gospel — that anyone, Jew or Gentile, could be saved
by grace alone through faith alone without the law. Side
• Turning water into wine (John 2:1-11) by side with the history of the Jews’ rejection of Christ as
• Healing the official’s son (4:43-54) their Messiah is the spread of Paul’s gospel through his
three missionary journeys around Asia and Europe.
• Healing the lame man by the pool of Bethesda (5:1-9)
• Feeding 5,000 people (6:1-13) The final chapters record Paul’s arrest and journey to
Rome as a prisoner.
• Walking on water (6:16-20)
• Healing the blind man (9:1-7)
• Raising Lazarus from the dead (11:1-44) Romans
Theme: Righteousness of God
John, in Chapters 13-16, gives us the Lord’s teaching
of His disciples about His death and the coming of the Author: Paul
Holy Spirit. The book closes with an account of Jesus
Christ’s prayer in the garden, arrest, trial, death, resur- Verse: But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
rection, and last instructions to His disciples. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Date: A.D. 58

Acts Romans was written during the apostle Paul’s third

visit to Corinth. It contains the most detailed explana-
Theme: The Early Church tion of the newly-revealed gospel of Christ. Although
he had not yet visited the church in Rome, the apostle
Author: Luke had heard of the believers’ great faith in Christ, and he
anticipated visiting them soon. Paul’s major concern
Verse: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
was to establish them firmly in the truth of his gospel.
comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem,
(Paul refers to it as his gospel because he was appoint-
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
ed by God to be the minister of this new message.) He
(Acts 1:8)
explains it in a logical, step-by-step method.
Date: About A.D. 60
• Humanity is sinful and separated from God. We are His
Acts was written by the physician, Luke, and is a con- enemies and deserve death.
tinuation of the Gospel of Luke. In it, he records the last • We are powerless and incapable of solving this problem,
acts of Christ on earth as He ascended to heaven to be and we cannot obtain salvation by observing the law.
with the Father.
• God stepped in and offered His solution — His Son,
The death and resurrection of the Messiah was proph- Jesus Christ.
esied in the Old Testament, but that didn’t excuse the
• We access this solution by faith — by simply believing
Jews of their guilt for killing Him. In the second chap-
that Christ’s death is sufficient to pay for our sinfulness.
ter, Peter exhorts the Jews to repent of their sin and
accept their Messiah. He offers them the kingdom they • When we do this, we are no longer slaves to sin. Christ is
were promised by the prophets. Some Jews believed in us and nothing can separate us from Him.
and were saved on the day of Pentecost, but most did • We still carry around our sin-corrupted bodies for now,
not. The leaders of Israel were strong in their opposition and we still sin.
and began persecuting the believers almost right away,
eventually stoning Stephen. • But it’s not about us anymore. Therefore, there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, be-
But God is a God of grace, and He gave the Jews every cause through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set
chance. Throughout the book of Acts, we see Jews in me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).
almost every region of the civilized world hearing the • But what about the Jews? God made them many
message of the risen Messiah and rejecting it. Even promises in the Old Testament. Those promises will
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, went to the Jew first. still be fulfilled. In Chapter 11, Paul makes the follow-
Finally, in Chapter 28, with the rejection of Christ by ing points: 1) A small number of Jews were still being
the Jews in Rome, God’s chosen people are cast aside. saved as members of the Body of Christ; 2) Israel’s
Paul declared: Therefore I want you to know that God’s rejection of Christ was not a surprise to God; 3) The
salvation has been sent to the Gentiles … (Acts 28:28). (Of Gentiles should realize that Israel’s current situation
course, God’s promises are unconditional and the Jews is part of God’s plan; 4) Israel has been cut off from
will once again receive the offer — and accept it — after the olive tree (Christ) but they will be grafted back
the rapture.) in (Romans 11:23-24); 5) All of God’s promises will be
God, in His foreknowledge, knew what choice the fulfilled in the future and Israel will resume its place
Jews would make. He didn’t wait until Acts 28 to act. as God’s chosen people.
In Chapter 9, shortly after the stoning of Stephen, He In the final five chapters of Romans, Paul explains how
appeared to Paul, the chief tormentor of the believing we should live in the light of all he’s just explained.
Jews, and saved him. Paul became God’s messenger of a

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1 Corinthians Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to defend his ministry and
authority as an apostle and to rejoice in those who
Theme: Christian Conduct had repented … I am happy, not because you were made
sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance …
Author: Paul (2 Corinthians 7:9). The apostle then switches topics
and encourages the Corinthians to keep their promise
Verse: Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing to give a large gift to the church in Jerusalem. But just
move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowl-
Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in edge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us — see
vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58) that you also excel in this grace of giving (2 Corinthians
Date: A.D. 55 8:7).Paul then finishes with a message for those still in
rebellion against him. Examine yourselves to see wheth-
The apostle Paul established the Corinthian church er you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize
during his second missionary journey. The people in the that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the
church were saved — Paul makes this very clear — but test? (2 Corinthians 13:5).
they weren’t living like it. Paul calls them carnal, which
means they were living in their old, sinful natures in-
stead of in their new, Holy Spirit-powered natures. Paul
corrects and instructs them on:
Galatians
• Divisions in the church caused by various members Theme: Christian Liberty
bragging about following different leaders Author: Paul
• Allowing a man living in open sin to be part of the
fellowship Verse: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand
firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a
• Taking other Christians before secular courts instead yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)
of resolving their differences themselves
Date: A.D. 55
• Marrying nonbelievers
• Eating meat offered to idols Galatians is Paul’s angriest letter. He wrote it to the
church in Galatia, which he’d founded on his second
• Abusing the Lord’s Supper missionary journey. The members of the church were
• Speaking in tongues which was causing confusion in being swayed from their faith by the Judaizers — men
the church from Jerusalem who were trying to force the Gentiles
to obey the Jewish law. In the letter, Paul corrects two
• Claiming there was no resurrection from the dead errors. He explains that: 1) Man’s salvation is not depen-
Paul ends on a positive note, encouraging the Corinthi- dent upon him keeping parts of the law, in addition to
ans to walk with the Lord. Near the end of this letter he faith in Christ. 2) The justified believer cannot become
writes: Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let noth- perfect by keeping the law. In this epistle, Paul wrote
ing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the most severe warnings against those who preach
the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is another gospel, and he made it clear that the law is not
not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). binding on Christians. The Christian life is not doing
things to be saved or to gain special favor from God. The
two systems, law and grace, cannot exist together. Paul
2 Corinthians ends the letter with a clear explanation of how we are
to live under grace.
Theme: Christian Righteousness
Author: Paul Ephesians
Verse: God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so
that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Theme: Christian Standing
(2 Corinthians 5:21) Author: Paul
Date: A.D. 56 Verses: For it is by grace you have been saved, through
Not long after Paul sent the letter known as 1 Corinthi- faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God —
ans, he received word, probably from Timothy, that the not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
church in Corinth was still having problems. Enemies, Date: A.D. 61
perhaps those who were encouraging the people to re-
turn to Judaism, had been opposing Paul and attacking Paul visited Ephesus during his second and third mis-
his credentials. In response, Paul sent Titus with a sec- sionary journeys. He wrote this letter to the believers
ond letter, which has not been preserved. Titus reported there, but he also wanted it to be passed around to other
back to Paul that most of the members of the Corinthi- churches in the area. This is the first of four Prison
an church had resumed their loyalty to Paul’s message Epistles, which he wrote while imprisoned in Rome.
of the gospel but that some were still in rebellion. The other Prison Epistles are Philippians, Colossians,
and Philemon. Ephesians contains the deepest truths
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about the Church and the believer’s wonderful position
in Christ. The first three chapters show the believer’s
Colossians
standing in Christ. This standing is unalterable, wheth- Theme: The Preeminence of Christ
er the believer is strong or weak. Paul explains that
believers are: Author: Paul
• Blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Verses: He is before all things, and in Him all things hold
(Ephesians 1:3). together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He
• Adopted as God’s sons (1:5). is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,
so that in everything He might have the supremacy.
• Forgiven of all sins (1:7). (Colossians 1:17-18)
• Sealed by the Holy Spirit (1:13). Date: Around A.D. 61
• Alive in Christ by grace (2:5).
Colossae was a small city not far from Ephesus. As far
• Members of the Body of Christ (3:6). as we know, Paul never visited — the church was likely
• Able to approach God with freedom and confidence founded by those, like Epaphras, who heard the apostle
(3:12). speak in the larger city. During his first imprisonment
in Rome, Paul received word that the church members
Because of this wonderful truth, the last three chapters were being attacked by those with … fine-sounding ar-
instruct the believer on how he should live the Christian guments (Colossians 2:4). Some Colossian believers had
life. Paul encourages the readers to … live a life worthy of been attracted to angel worship, while others had fall-
the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1). He then goes en back into legalism. Paul urges them to stay focused
into detail about what this looks like. Chapter 6 describes on Jesus Christ. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus
the believer’s conflict with the forces of darkness. as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in
Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes
Philippians you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
which depends on human tradition and the basic principles
Theme: Christian Joy of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the
Author: Paul fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have
been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every
Verse: Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, power and authority (Colossians 2:6-10).
having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
(Philippians 2:2) As he did in Ephesians, Paul encourages the Chris-
tians to live in a manner that reflects who they are in
Date: A.D. 61 Christ. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set
your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the
Paul visited Philippi on his second missionary journey. right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on
When he wrote this letter to the Philippians, he was earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2).
under house arrest in Rome. One of his reasons for
writing was to thank the believers for sending him a
gift. He also wanted to encourage believers who were
being persecuted. Paul wrote about his imprisonment
1 Thessalonians
and how he was still able to spread the gospel. Paul
Theme: Christ’s Return
stated that he did not know whether he would live on
for a while and continue his ministry or die and be with Author: Paul
the Lord. Whatever was to occur, he wasn’t worried.
His rejoicing wasn’t an act — He only wanted Christ to Verses: For the Lord Himself will come down from
be glorified. He told the Philippians to follow his ex- heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the
ample, to lay aside their worries, rejoice, pray and be archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead
content with God’s provision in all circumstances. Paul in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive
also urged his readers to be humble and show interest and are left will be caught up together with them in the
in other’s needs, not just their own. By doing so, they clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with
would follow the example of Christ, who humbled the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with
Himself and came to earth as a servant to die for our these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
sins. Paul was a man of status and achievement before
Date: A.D. 51
he was saved, but he made it clear that his past life was
worth nothing compared to knowing Christ. His goal Thessalonica was the capital city of the Roman prov-
was to know Christ more. ince of Macedonia (Greece). Paul visited and started
the church on his second missionary journey, but was
forced out of town by the Jewish leaders. Paul received
word that the members of the church were remaining
true to the faith and resisting all opposition. He wrote
from Corinth to say: … we were encouraged about you
because of your faith. For now we really live, since you
are standing firm in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 3:7-8).
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Paul also used the letter to explain God’s revelation to
him regarding the rapture of the Church before the
2 Timothy
tribulation and establishment of Christ’s millennial Theme: Endurance
kingdom and how it would affect those who had al-
ready died in Christ. Author: Paul
Verses: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
2 Thessalonians so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for
every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Theme: Stand Firm
Date: A.D. 67
Author: Paul
At the end of Paul’s life, when he knew he was about
Verse: So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teach- to die, he wrote this letter to Timothy. He was in Rome,
ings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or enduring a much harsher imprisonment than he’d
by letter. (2 Thessalonians 2:15) faced on earlier occasions. Christian persecution under
Date: A.D. 51 Emperor Nero was in full force. Most of Paul’s friends,
afraid for their own lives, had abandoned him. Paul told
Just a few months after Paul sent the first letter to the Timothy to stand firm and … But join with me in suffering
church in Thessalonica, he received the news that a mis- for the gospel, by the power of God (2 Timothy 1:8).
understanding had risen. Somebody had written a letter
in Paul’s name claiming that the day of the Lord (Christ’s Paul foresaw an increase in apostasy (rejection of faith)
second coming to earth, at the end of the tribulation) and wickedness (the result of apostasy) and warned
had already occurred. As a result, some members of the Timothy to watch out. The apostle filled the letter with
church had stopped working. The apostle explained to advice and encouragement for the young man who was
the Christians that they were mistaken. He assured them facing the challenges of pastoring the church in Ephe-
that the day of the Lord won’t happen until after the man sus, but he kept returning time and again to one theme
of lawlessness (the Antichrist) has come. — the importance of remaining true to Scripture.
• Paul received the truth directly from God and
communicated it to Timothy. Now Timothy was to
1 Timothy consider that truth something valuable that was
committed to his care and to guard it with the help
Theme: Leadership of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:13-14).
Author: Paul • Timothy needed to be diligent to labor to discover
the truth of the Word, and to have the courage of
Verse: Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the his convictions (2:15).
eternal life to which you were called when you made
your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. • Timothy was to study the Word because it would
(1 Timothy 6:12) teach him doctrine, point out and correct errors in
his life, straighten him out when he got off the path
Date: A.D. 63 and educate and discipline his character (3:16-17).
Paul’s first letter to his young friend and coworker, • Timothy was to preach the Word every chance he
Timothy, was a manual on effective leadership in the had, to correct those on the wrong path and to en-
churches in Ephesus and other Asian cities. He stresses courage those on the right path (4:2).
the importance of holding sound doctrine (Chapter 1); Near the end of the letter, Paul wrote about his own
instructs on proper worship (2-3); warns against false ministry in words that should be the pattern for every
teachers (4); teaches about church discipline (5); and believer: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
explains the duties of a pastor (6). Paul’s message can be race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).
summed up by 1 Timothy 4:11-16: Command and teach
these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because
you are young, but set an example for the believers in
speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity … devote Titus
yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching
and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift … Be diligent Theme: Encouragement
in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that Author: Paul
everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and
doctrine closely … Verses: For the grace of God that brings salvation has ap-
peared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness
and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright
and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the
blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God
and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13)
Date: A.D. 63

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Titus was a young Greek coworker whom Paul used as Now Paul was saying that Israel had been set aside for
proof that a Gentile could be saved without being cir- a time and that a new body of believers known as the
cumcised or following the Jewish law (Galatians 2:3). Church was being assembled. The promised kingdom
Some years later, Paul left Titus on the island of Crete hadn’t arrived and the believers in Jerusalem were in
to … straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint pretty bad shape. The Jews needed to understand how
elders in every town … (Titus 1:5).This letter was the apos- things had changed and to be encouraged to remain
tle’s instructions on how to carry out those tasks. Scat- faithful to Christ. The Holy Spirit inspired the writer
tered through the book, Paul includes statements that to explain the new circumstances. He systematically
explain the spiritual truth behind his practical teaching. demonstrates the superiority of Christ over the old
Jewish system. Here are just a few of the comparisons
(there are many others):
Philemon • Superior messenger — Under the law, God spoke
Theme: Forgiveness through the prophets. Now He has spoken through
His Son (Hebrews 1:1-20).
Author: Paul
• Superior priesthood — Under the law, priests had to
Verse: But I did not want to do anything without your offer sacrifices because they were men with sin na-
consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous tures just like everyone else. Now Jesus is our eternal
and not forced. (Philemon 1:14) priest (7:24-25).
Date: A.D. 61 • Superior altar — Under the law, the priests offered
sacrifices in the Holy of Holies. Now we have an al-
In his other letters, Paul lays out the doctrine given tar in Christ’s sacrifice apart from the Jewish taber-
to him by the Holy Spirit and explains how we should nacle (13:10, 12).
live in light of that doctrine. In Philemon, we see an • Superior blood — Under the law, the blood of goats
illustration of what that teaching and application looks and bulls was shed over and over to cover sins tem-
like in an actual, real-life situation. Philemon, to whom porarily. Now the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us
the letter is addressed, was a believer living in Colos- forever (9:14).
sae. He was a man of considerable wealth. Onesimus,
his runaway slave, had recently been led to the Lord The writer shows how this new message was part of
by Paul, who was imprisoned in Rome. With this letter, God’s eternal plan. It was hidden in the Old Testament,
Paul was sending Onesimus back to Colossae, and he but now that it has been revealed, we can look back
begged Philemon to receive his slave as a Christian at the events of the Old Testament and see how they
brother. “If Onesimus has done you any wrong or owes point to Christ. Hebrews 13:20-21 reveals the purpose
you anything,” Paul wrote, “you can hold me responsi- of the new covenant: so that … the God of peace, who
ble.” Paul’s love and concern for His friends and fellow through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back
believers is evident throughout the short letter. from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the
sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will,
and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through
Hebrews Jesus Christ …

Theme: Christ’s Sufficiency The book also includes many warnings to the Jews
not to shrink back, through unbelief or slothfulness,
Author: Unknown (though many believe it was the into their former beliefs and practices. Rather, through
apostle Paul) faith and confidence in the perfect sacrifice of Christ,
they were admonished to go forward into maturity
Verses: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who and usefulness.
has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God,
let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not
have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in James
every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. Let us Theme: Living Your Faith
then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in Author: James
our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Verse: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
Date: A.D. 64 yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)
Hebrews is addressed to the Jewish believers of the Date: A.D. 42
first century. They had been brought up in the Jewish
religion, based on the Old Testament, with its rituals Like Hebrews, the book of James was written to Jews.
and sacrifices and prophecies about the coming Messi- James, the half brother of Jesus Christ, was one of the
ah who would restore the nation to its land. Many of leaders of the Jewish assembly in Jerusalem. He was
them believed in God as revealed in the Old Testament writing to Jews who lived in other countries, many of
— some of them even believed that Jesus Christ was the them forced to leave because of persecution. The book
promised Messiah. They did what they were told to do. has a very Jewish feel, with references to Abraham,
They had faith in God and obeyed His commands. the synagogue and the law. James and his audience
believed in the risen Christ, of course, but there is no
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James was most likely the first New Testament book,
written long before the apostle Paul wrote any of his
2 Peter
letters explaining the gospel that was entrusted to him Theme: Faithfulness of Christ
for the Gentiles. When we read James, we need to
remember that it was written to the Jews (just as we do Author: Peter
when we read the requirements of the law in the Old
Testament). But there is a great deal of practical applica- Verse: The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some
tion in the book for the Jews and for us. For example: understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
• Find comfort in spiritual, not physical, things (2 Peter 3:9)
(James 1:9-11).
Date: A.D. 66
• Don’t favor the rich over the poor (2:1-4).
Not long after Peter wrote his first letter, he wrote
• Control your mouth and you’ll have a better chance a second one to the same audience with a different
of controlling your body (3:6). purpose. False teachers were corrupting the truth and
• Avoid the world and its temptations (4:4). influencing the believers. These men are springs without
• Remember that every day could be your last (4:13-17). water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is
reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words
and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human
nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those
who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they
1 Peter themselves are slaves of depravity — for a man is a slave to
whatever has mastered him (2 Peter 2:17-19).
Theme: Suffering and Glory
Peter encouraged his readers to:
Author: Peter
• Grow in their faith (2 Peter 1:5-8).
Verse: He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so
that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His • Pay attention to God’s Word (1:16-21).
wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24) • Be ready for the Lord’s return (3:9-10).
Date: A.D. 60 • Be on guard against false doctrine (3:17-18).
Peter sent his first letter to believing Jews who were
suffering persecution for their faith. He begins with
an explanation of why they experienced hard times. In 1 John
this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you
may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These Theme: Fellowship
have come so that your faith — of greater worth than Author: John
gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be
proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor Verse: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we
when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7). The rest of have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus,
the letter tells the believers how they should respond in His Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
the face of their suffering.
Date: A.D. 90
• Without fear, and with a clear conscience, be ready
The word love appears 52 times in some form in 1 John.
to explain why you believe what you believe
Love is one of the characteristics that define God: … God
(1 Peter 3:13-16).
is love … (1 John 4:16). God’s love is unconditional, untaint-
• If you suffer for your testimony of Christ, don’t be ed by impure motives and does not take into account our
ashamed but praise God for the privilege (4:12-16). worthiness to be loved. It’s also an active love because
• Stand firm against Satan’s attacks, assured that they God wants the best for those He loves. That’s why God
restore you to strength (5:6-10). sent His Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
On our own, we are incapable of loving God, but we can
love God … because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). God’s
love makes it possible for us to love and it provides
us with motivation to love God and others. We are so
secure in God’s love that we have no reason to fear. At
the same time, we must be careful not to love anything
more than we love God. If we do, it’s possible that we
don’t love God at all (1 John 2:15).
But don’t we all fail to love God frequently? Remember,
God’s love is unconditional. He doesn’t expect us to be
perfect, but He does expect us not to habitually choose
the things of the world over Him. And when we fail
… we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense —
Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 John 2:1).
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2 John These evil men were fellowshipping with the believers
and tempting them to fall into sin. Jude reminded the
Theme: Steadfastness believers that the apostles (Paul and Peter) had warned
them in advance that this would happen. He compares
Author: John the false teachers to Cain, Balaam and Korah, and, in
some of the most descriptive language in the Bible, calls
Verse: And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new them … clouds without rain, blown along by the wind;
command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted — twice dead.
that we love one another. (2 John 1:5) They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame;
Date: A.D. 90 wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been
reserved forever (Jude 1:12-13).
John’s second letter was written to a Christian woman
and her children. This woman often showed hospital- Jude also reminded the believers how God has dealt
ity in her house, probably offering food and lodging to with the wicked in the past: the Egyptians, the fallen
other Christians who were traveling in the area. John angels, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah.
commended her for walking in the truth, but warned He used a lot of strong words, but he ended his short
her that false teachers were also out and about. He book with strong words of praise in Jude 1:24 for … Him
wanted her to stand fast in her faith and not associate who is able to keep you from falling … even in the face of
with those who taught falsehood. He probably had in strong opposition.
mind the Gnostics, who denied that Christ was human
or even that He had a physical body.
Revelation
3 John Theme: Eternal Triumph

Theme: Walk in Truth Author: John

Author: John Verse: The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave
Him to show His servants what must soon take place. He
Verse: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children made it known by sending His angel to His servant John.
are walking in the truth. (3 John 1:4) (Revelation 1:1)
Date: A.D. 90 Date: Around A.D. 95
John wrote this letter to a man name Gaius, who Through an angel, the Lord revealed to John a picture of
also provided hospitality to traveling Christians. The events that would mark the end of the world as we know
apostle was very happy when he said to Gaius: I have it and the manifestation of the kingdom of God. These
heard … about your faithfulness to the truth and how events, while prophecies in their own right, give further
you continue to walk in the truth (3 John 1:3). But there details about other prophecies that appear throughout
was a man in the local church named Diotrephes who Scripture. As the end approaches, the world will become
was opposed to Gaius’ ministry. Evidently he wanted a place of unspeakable evil and misery. God will judge all
to be in charge and didn’t want any interference from sin and make things right. Satan will meet his final doom.
John or anybody else. John encourages Gaius to avoid Revelation depicts Jesus Christ in all His power and glo-
Diotrephes and his faction and, instead, to imitate ry. It tells how He will return to conquer evil and set up
Demetrius, a man who … is well spoken of by everyone — His rule on the new heaven and new earth.
and even by the truth itself… (3 John 1:12).
John opens with letters to seven churches. Each church
is commended for the good it has done, counseled to
Jude clean up those things it has done wrong, and given
promises for the future.
Theme: Keep the Faith
The book then describes the horrors of God’s judg-
Author: Jude ments on sinful man through the seven seals and the
seven bowls. These are followed with a description
Verse: Dear friends, although I was very eager to write of the Lord’s second coming to earth and the final
to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write judgments of Satan and unbelievers. There are a lot of
and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for very frightening scenes in Revelation — because God
all entrusted to the saints. (Jude 1:3) is a God of justice. But He’s also a God of grace and He
Date: A.D. 70-80 had John write: … Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and
whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of
We don’t know very much about Jude. He is life (Revelation 22:17).
described as the brother of James, which would make
him a half brother of Jesus Christ. He was writing to In Chapters 21 and 22, we see how humans will finally
a group of believers who were under attack by false realize the purpose for which we were created — to love,
teachers … who change the grace of our God into a worship and enjoy the Lord in perfect fellowship forever.
license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only
Sovereign and Lord (Jude 1:4).
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