The Purpose of the 27 New Testament books; here is a brief theme to strike the "keynote" of the book and open up its deeper spiritual meaning.
Which is your favorite, or which would you like to learn more about?
1. The Gospel of Matthew <>< Purpose: To show that Jesus of Nazareth was the kingly Messiah of Jewish prophecy.
2.
The Gospel of Mark <>< Purpose:
To present Jesus of Nazareth as God's Suffering Servant, the Redeemer of the
world.
3.
The Gospel of Luke <>< Purpose:
To give a connected and orderly narrative of the life of Christ as seen by eyewitnesses,—Luke 1:1-4.
4.
The Gospel of John <>< Purpose:
To inspire faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
5.
The Acts of the Apostles <>< Purpose:
To document the early church's growth.
6.
Epistle to the Romans <>< Purpose:
To prepare the believers of Rome for his long-awaited visit. He wanted to
spiritually edify them and establish his apostolic authority through a
foundational theological treatise.
7.
First Epistle to the Corinthians
<>< Purpose: To purify the church from divisions and immorality.
The church at Corinth had become infected with gross immorality surrounding it
in a licentious city. Paul's primary aims were to combat the worldliness which
had crept into the church; and the divisive sectarianism.
8.
Second Epistle to the Corinthians
<>< Purpose: To expose "deceitful workers" and to defend
Paul's apostolic authority.
9.
Epistle to the Galatians <>< Purpose:
To defend the doctrine of justification by faith, warn against a reversion to
Judaism, and vindicate Paul's own apostolic authority.
10. Epistle
to the Ephesians <>< Purpose: To show believers their position in Christ
and encourage them to walk accordingly.
11. Epistle
to the Philippians <>< Purpose: To express Paul's affection for
the believers in Philippi, thank them for their gift, and encourage them to a
lifestyle of unity, holiness, and joy.
12. Epistle
to the Colossians <>< Purpose:
A.
General, a message of goodwill to encourage
and edify believers.
B.
Special, to counteract doctrinal
errors growing out of the mixture of Judaistic teaching and the vagaries of
oriental and philosophical speculation. These heresies tended to obscure the
divine glory of Christ.
13. First
Epistle to the Thessalonians <>< Purpose: To comfort believers and
encourage them to a life of purity by expounding on the doctrine of Christ's
imminent return.
14. Second
Epistle to the Thessalonians <>< Purpose: Certain expressions in
Paul's first Epistle to this church had been misinterpreted concerning the time
of Christ's coming. His words had been understood as teaching that the day of
the Lord had come (2
Thessalonians 2:2). Paul's Purpose was to correct this perspective.
15. First
Epistle to Timothy <>< Purpose: To encourage Timothy, Paul's young
assistant, to be a godly example (1 Timothy 4:12),
exercise his spiritual gifts (1 Timothy 4:14);
and give guidance in his pastoral responsibilities during Paul's absence (1 Timothy 3:14-15).
16. Second
Epistle to Timothy <>< Purpose:
A.
General, to encourage and instruct a
young pastor in his pastoral work.
B.
Special, to request Timothy, his son
in the Gospel, to hasten to Rome so that Paul might have the comfort of his
companionship,—2
Timothy 1:4; 4:9,
21.
17. Epistle
to Titus <>< Purpose: To counsel and encourage Titus, a young
pastor, relating to his ministerial duties and doctrines, emphasizing the
maintenance of good works.
18. Book
of Philemon <>< Purpose: To appeal to Philemon to receive, forgive
and restore Onesimus even as he [Philemon] would receive Paul.
19. Epistle
to the Hebrews <>< Purpose: The chief doctrinal Purpose of the
writer was to show the transcendent glory of the Christian dispensation compared
with that of the Old Testament.
20. Epistle
of James <>< Purpose: To challenge believers to possess an active
faith that will produce fundamental changes in a person's conduct and
character.
21. First
Epistle of Peter <>< Purpose: In writing this Epistle, Peter
obeyed two specific commands which Jesus had given him.
A.
To encourage and strengthen the brethren,—Luke 22:32.
B.
To feed the flock of God,—John 21:15-17.
22. The
Second Epistle of Peter <>< Purpose: To warn believers of the
dangerous and seductive work of false teachers and to encourage them to
"grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
(2 Peter 3:18).
23. First
Epistle of John <>< Purposes: The writer mentions four reasons for
writing this Epistle to believers:
A.
To add to their joy,—1 John 1:4.
B.
To guard them against sin,—1 John 2:1.
C.
To warn them against false teachers,—1 John 2:26.
D.
To strengthen their faith in Christ and
assure them of eternal life,—1 John 5:13.
24. Second
Epistle of John <>< Purpose: The Epistle was apparently written to
warn friends against heresy and association with false teachers,—2 John 1:7-11.
25. Third
Epistle of John <>< Purposes:
A.
To commend Gaius for his loyalty to the truth
and his care of traveling teachers and missionaries.
B.
To rebuke Diotrephes for his pride.
C.
To recommend Demetrius to Gaius.
D.
To inform the readers of his imminent visit.
26. Epistle
of Jude <>< Purpose: The Epistle was evidently written to warn the
church against immoral teachers and alarming heresies that were endangering
believers' faith.
27. Book
of Revelation <>< Purpose: To give hope to Christians, especially
those who suffer, by revealing Jesus Christ as the ultimate victorious King of
Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).
The book manifests its own AUTHORITY in declaring itself to be the
revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1).
Frank Charles Thompson, Thompson Chain Reference Bible, (Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbride Bible Co., 1997), WORDsearch CROSS e-books.
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