The Book of Acts

Written to communicate the spread of the gospel to all nations, Luke presents to Theophilus and others the validity of the Christian faith by documenting the growth of the church.  This spread of the news of Jesus came because the resurrected Lord appeared to the disciples and the Holy Spirit came upon His people at Pentecost.  What resulted makes it plain to the reader that the origin, the sustainability, and the boldness of the believers and their message come not from themselves.  The sovereign God has ushered in the kingdom and has chosen a people to proclaim Christ crucified and risen.  This message of forgiveness of sins to all who trust in Jesus cannot be stopped, just as Jesus was never stopped.  God Almighty will continue His sovereign work, and so persecutions and trials point not to the deficiencies of the kingdom but to the value of the King.

Truly, the power of the message lies in the power of the Holy Spirit who moves through the Word being heard to call from the ends of the earth peoples who have been ordained to eternal life.  These people joyfully receive the Word even if their lives are called for because they know unshakeable realities.  Among them, are gospel bearers like Paul who are lights to the Gentiles which illumine the world with the reality of the Jewish Messiah.  Christ alone brings restoration to the house of Israel and He alone reconciles the unrighteous because of His life, death, and resurrection.  And even as the message is rejected, God’s purposes are brought to fruition—the gods of the peoples are shown to be idols, and the kingdom of God is advancing.  Now is the time for repentance because He will judge the world in righteousness (17:31).

The Gospel of John

John wrote his Gospel so that his readers would “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing [they] would have life in his name” (20:31).  Central to the beloved disciple’s writing then are aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry which point to His deity.  He is one with the Father, united in essence with Him (1:1 c.f. with 1:18; 5:18).  Therefore, he gives many signs of His deity to the children of men in order that they may believe (cf. 4:48).  Those that are hardened and have not been given to the Son by the Father, are not interested in His Person and work, and thus leave Him when the signs are finished and the truth is not embraced (6:66-69).  But those who receive Him, who believe in His name, are given the right to become children of God (1:12, c.f. with 6:35).

It has been noted by some[1] that in His essence of deity Jesus is the antitype of all the Jewish festival types and is Himself the temple.  By indicating that He is the Lamb of God, Bread of Life, the Light of the World, and the Good Shepherd, Jesus shows that to believe in the Son is to believe in God Himself and to obtain eternal life (5:23-24) in the present, even as eternal life is a future reality as well (11:25).  Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.  And it is because He has died and has risen that people from all nationalities who believe in Him counted as people of God.  Jesus purchased salvation for the world, intercedes for them, and has given them the Spirit who will bring them through to the end.

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[1] E.g. Dr. Jason Meyer in his NT Lecture 11, slides 54-56

The Gospel of Luke

The Gospel of Luke is written to Theophilus so that he can be certain of the things that were instructed him (1:3-4).  Therefore, the narrative is an apologetic for the Christian faith as it reveals Jesus to be the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the One that would bring salvation to all peoples.  This salvation comes not to those who are haughty and self-righteous, but to the oppressed—to the poor, sick, and outcasts of society.  As the Son of God, Jesus came to seek and to save that which is lost (19:10), even tax collectors and prostitutes who see their need for a Savior and humbly repent.  However, many refuse to rid themselves of riches or worldly concerns.  Material matters are too attractive for them.  But in the end, the joy that those who pridefully cling to wealth experience will turn to mourning.  On the other hand, the ones who relinquish their resources and repent of their backslidings find everlasting joy.  They are the ones who prove to be children of Abraham and obtain salvation through the saving work of resurrected Christ.

Hope-filled believers in Jesus are not left to themselves but given the Holy Spirit.  Power will come down to them from on high to aid them in their walk with the Lord so that their life is not lived in anxiety but in trusting in the lavish Giver of good gifts.  Believers are then free to seek his kingdom and serve others to point them to the ultimate Servant.  This Servant humbled Himself and was exalted.    Blessing came to Him, for He heard the word of God and kept it and that blessing is with those who do the same (11:28).

The Gospel of Mark

Mark is written to communicate that Jesus is the Son of God and the Suffering Servant.  As the Son of God, He fulfills the expectations of a coming Lord who will inaugurate the kingdom of God.  As the Suffering Servant, He reveals Himself to be the Son of Man who by His death and resurrection gives His life as a ransom for many.  Both Jews and Gentiles are blinded to these realities and need the miracle working Christ to heal them of their spiritual deficiency.  Those for whom Jesus removes this blindness take up their cross and follow Him and prove to be in the family of God.  And those for whom the blindness is not removed seek signs, care nothing for the substance of Jesus and His call, and will receive judgment when the kingdom will be consummated.

The first half of the book (1-8) emphasizes Jesus equal status with God and emphasizes the preaching and message behind the miracles.  By working miracles and healing, He demonstrates His power, all the while calling for belief.  By providing bread, Jesus shows that He is the chief shepherd who is the Son of David.  Jesus is the One who ushers in the kingdom of God and only an embrace of Jesus provides entrance into the kingdom of God.  This kingdom is initiated not through the Jewish expectation of immediate and full justice, nor does it come to any one individual based on heritage.  The Son of God has become the Son of Man to suffer for sinners so that an embrace of His authority and Lordship will ransom the lost.  They will enjoy the blessing of being in the family of God, whereas those who reject Him will be rejected at the close of the age.

The Gospel of Matthew

Written to a Jewish audience, the book of Matthew portrays Jesus as the fulfillment of all messianic hopes.  The Old Testament predictions concerning a Coming One who will save and redeem His people is fulfilled in the Person of Christ.  His lineage, His teaching, His righteousness, and His resurrection show that the kingdom of God has come and the only proper and saving response is repentance.  The flow of the narrative and the emphasis in Jesus’ teaching demonstrate that to oppose Him will result in wrath when King Jesus returns.  On the opposite side, to humbly embrace Him and rest only in His sacrificial atonement will bring forgiveness of sins in this age and life when the Son of Man comes again.  Because Jesus has authority not only to define reality but also to forgive sins, He is a greater Moses whose redemption for His people is actualized because of his own life, death, and resurrection.   Jesus is not just of David’s line, He is the Lord of David who has inaugurated the kingdom to provide salvation for Jews and Gentiles alike.  While opposition came by Jewish authorities, His victory over sin and death shows that ultimate authority belongs to Him.

Ironically, while the Jewish people were anticipating a deliverer while intending to establish their own righteousness, they participated in the crucifixion of the only Righteous One who alone could deliver them from their self-righteousness.  All of the prophecies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus who calls people to Himself so that they will be true children of Abraham.  And true anticipation is in the second coming of Messiah Jesus.  He has accomplished full and complete redemption for all who trust in Him, and therefore his disciples bring the gospel to the nations.