How to Read the New Testament, part 1

Daniel Lee
4 days ago
4 min read

So, you want to read your Bible more? Amazing! I'm 100% in favor of it. But do you know how to begin?

I believe the Holy Scriptures have been preserved for us and handed down through the ages in such a way that anyone can pick up a Bible, start reading, and find a message of hope and salvation. But to get the most out of your time in God's Word, it is helpful to have a plan.

This is not a "Read the Bible in a Year" plan. I don't think you should put a timeline on reading the Bible. Go at your own pace and focus more on learning than just reading.

So here is PART 1 of my suggested plan for reading the New Testament.

[TL;DR: Matthew - James - Galatians - Jude - Hebrews]

Volume 1: The Bridge

As you probably know, our Bible is broken up into two main segments called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament (also called The Hebrew Scriptures) contains the stories of God and his people Israel. Creation, the Flood, the Exodus, Judges and Kings, wars, exile, prophets, poetry - and much, much more.

This first volume of New Testament books serve as a bridge between the stories of the Old Testament and the fulfillment of The Story in Jesus of Nazareth. These books and letters emphasize the Jewish heritage, culture, and religious traditions that gave rise to Christianity.

The Gospel According to Matthew

We begin with the first Gospel account in your New Testament. Matthew was written for a Jewish audience who would have known the Hebrew Scriptures inside and out. They knew the stories of Abraham, Moses, David, and Elijah, so Matthew draws connections between all these Old Testament characters and Jesus the Messiah.

The book itself is divided into five major sections, reflecting the Five Books of the Law of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The Sermon on the Mount is a new type of Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses the Law to give to his people.

Matthew emphasizes the Jewish prophets of old who foretold about the coming Messiah. He captures the Jewishness of Jesus, grounding him firmly within the whole story of the Bible thus far. According to Matthew, Jesus is the new Moses, the new King David, the new High Priest, the new Jonah, the Prophet promised in Deuteronomy 18.

Begin with the Gospel of Matthew and then proceed to the book of...

James

The Epistle (another word for Letter) of James, found toward the back of your Bible, is a short letter written by the half-brother of Jesus. Yes, Jesus had siblings. They didn't believe him at first, and they even thought he was crazy and should come back home. But after his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus' mother and siblings became true believers and even leaders in the church!

James is one of the earliest letters preserved in the New Testament. It was written specifically to Jewish Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire during the First Century. James' letter is a great follow-up to the Sermon on the Mount because it is strongly connected to Jewish "Wisdom Literature" - think Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. He tackles practical matters concerning church-life, and is every bit as relevant today as it was nearly 2,000 years ago.

Galatians

This is one of the earliest letters from the apostle Paul. Written to churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), Paul is addressing the issue of Jews vs. Gentiles in the church. Do non-Jews have to become Jewish in order to follow Jesus and find salvation in him? Paul's answer is a firm NO. Interestingly, some think Paul and James are at odds with each other on the whole "Faith and Works" issue. Read these two letters back to back and wrestle through that on your own.

Jude

This short, one-chapter letter is found right before Revelation at the end of the New Testament. But it was also a fairly early-written letter. Jude (short for Judah/Judas - you can probably guess why he shrotened it) was also a half-brother of Jesus who became a leader in the Jerusalem Church along with James.

Jude is interesting, though, becuase it refers to some of the weirder parts of the Old Testament and even aludes to some stories from what we would call the Apocrypha. It's a very Jewish snapshot into the religious community growing around the figure of Christ.

And then finish off this collection of New Testament books with...

Hebrews

While we don't know who wrote this letter (or delievered the sermon that became this letter), we do know they were deeply rooted in Jewish Scriptures and traditions. This anonymous letter reads like a sermon transcript, and it's all about how Jesus is better. Jesus is better than Angels, better than Moses, a better High Priest, a better Sacrifice, and so on. Hebrews forces us to look backwards in order to understand what Jesus did in his ministry, death, and resurrection, while also propelling us forward into the future of God's people.

Take your time with Hebrews. Have a Bible website (like BibleGateway.com) pulled up so you can find all the cross-references with the Old Testament writings. This letter is a fitting end to this collection of works bridging the context between the Hebrews Scriptures and the Good News of Jesus the Messiah.

Download the full reading plan here