The Message of the New Testament

The Message of the New Testament

by F. F. Bruce
Published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 1998
120 pages, $8

reviewed by
Dan Simon
Innovatia Software
dansimon@innovatia.com

This is a reprint of a book that was originally published in 1972. The author, F.F. Bruce (1910-1990), devoted most of his life to the study of the New Testament. He wrote more than 40 commentaries and books, most of which are accessible to the Christian layperson.

In this book Bruce traces the development of the message of the New Testament. In a way we can say that there is a single message in the New Testament – that Jesus Christ is Lord. But in another way we can recognize the gradual development of that message as Christianity grew from a fledgling movement to a mature religion during the first century AD. So Bruce divides the New Testament into 10 separate messages, each of which is represented by one or more of 23 of its 27 books. Note that Bruce does not include Philemon, 2 John, or 3 John as part of the message of the New Testament. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that these three books are personal letters that do not easily fit into a systematic overview of the New Testament. Less clear is why Bruce does not include Philippians in his overview.

Mark – This book declares the message that Jesus was the son of God. The opening verse reads, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” This book represents the earliest written record of the New Testament. Although some of Paul’s letters probably predate it, Mark collected, edited, and expanded the earliest material of Christianity, among which was Peter’s preaching during the first years following the resurrection. The declaration of Jesus as the son of God was the most basic truth upon which Christianity was founded.

Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, 1 and 2 Thessalonians – These books declare that God “justifieth the ungodly” (Romans 4:5) on the basis of Jesus’ death and resurrection. These are among Paul’s earliest letters and they contain the foundation of his teaching. Most attempts to systematize Paul’s theology are based on these epistles. Some theologians have argued that while Jesus taught a message of love and forgiveness, Paul corrupted that message into one of rules and regulations. But an examination of these letters of Paul clearly reveal that his theology emphasized grace as much as Jesus’. The initiative in grace always lies with God, and godly living is then mankind’s appropriate response to God’s grace.

Colossians and Ephesians – These books declare that Jesus is the fulfillment of the eternal purpose of the universe. Throughout history humans have asked questions such as, “Why am I here? Where did I come from? What is the meaning of it all?” In these books Paul answers the philosophy of the day and states that the answer to these questions lie in Jesus. The person and work of Jesus have implications not only for religion, but for all of life. In Paul’s earlier letters, especially Romans and 1 Corinthians, the church is spoken of as a local entity. In Colossians and Ephesians, Paul speaks of the church as a universal body that transcends time and geography. This is the development of what some scholars call “early catholicism,” where catholic means universal. This is the development of the doctrine not of the Catholic church, but of the catholic church – the universal church.

1 and 2 Timothy, Titus – These letters, referred to (since the 18th century) as the “pastoral epistles,” deal with church order. The books reflect the maturing of Christianity as a religion. Paul realized that Jesus’ return may not be immediate so some instruction on church organization was needed.

Luke and Acts – These books declare that Christianity is a faith not only for the Jews but for the whole world. There were two great Christian historians in the first few centuries AD. One was Eusebius, who lived in the fourth century and wrote a comprehensive 10-volume history of Christianity that covered the first three centuries. Luke, who wrote the books of Luke and Acts, was his predecessor. The fact that Jesus was convicted and executed on a charge of sedition against Rome made it difficult for many Romans to accept Jesus as Lord. Luke makes it clear in his books that, first of all, it was the Jews who pressured the Roman government to execute Jesus, and secondly, Jesus’ execution was a miscarriage of justice. The book of Luke can be considered the gospel to the underprivileged. Some of the underprivileged to whom Jesus gives special consideration in Luke include women, the poor, Samaritans, tax collectors, and sinners in general.

Matthew – This book declares Jesus as the great teacher. For example, Matthew is the gospel that contains the famous sermon on the mount (chapters 5-7). It also places a special emphasis on his messiahship and has often been called the gospel to the Jews because of the large number of fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, and scriptural quotations and allusions. These two themes are brought together in this book in that much of Jesus’ teaching is concerned with the kingdom of God.

Hebrews – This book declares Christ as unchanging and yet always moving onward. The first century was a time of great change in Christianity, especially as more and more Gentiles became part of the body. The Christian Jews were often resistant to change. It was all they could do to convert to Christianity, and they were often unwilling to entirely give up their Judaism. (This can still be seen today among those who call themselves “Christian Jews.”) These first century Jewish Christians were already experiencing persecution and so they were reluctant to burn their bridges and make a wholesale change from Judaism to Christianity. They wanted the best of both worlds – commitment to Jesus along with the legal protection they enjoyed as Jews. They had to learn, as we must learn today, that although God is unchanging he is not stagnant. He calls us to move beyond the faith of our fathers even as he called Abraham to leave the land of his nativity. Attachment to the traditions of the past becomes a leech that sucks dry our allegiance to Jesus and his word.

Revelation – The message of this book is that the divine purpose will be consummated; history will have a final climax, and God and his people will be the winners. Many of the first readers of this book were persecuted and were beginning to lose hope that they could persevere to the end. Rome was bound to win sooner or later. But John encouraged them with the bigger picture, promising not only that Jesus will one day win but that they will be rewarded for their perseverance.

James, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, 1 John – These letters are sometimes called the catholic or general letters because they are addressed not to particular churches but to Christians in general. The message of these letters is that although the church lives in the world, it is not part of the world. How should we live in a world that does not encourage our faith? How should we react to persecution? There are internal threats to Christianity also, which are especially emphasized in 1 John. John wrote to combat a Gnostic sect that believed that Jesus and Christ were two different entities. They taught that Jesus was a regular man. Christ came upon him at his baptism, and then left him before his crucifixion. John refused to accept this division. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1).

John – This book, written toward the end of the first century, proclaimed the unity of Christianity and historical fact. The world had changed much since Jesus lived and died. Jerusalem had fallen to Roman armies in 70 AD, and the way of life at the end of the first century was very different than the world in which Christianity was originally proclaimed. Moreover, the prevailing philosophy of the day tended to elevate spiritual and abstract concepts such as truth, and deprecate the material world. The Christians at the end of the first century asked the questions, “Does it matter when Jesus lived? Does it matter where he lived? What is the essence of Christianity?” John answers the questions by teaching that Christianity is based on historical fact but consists of eternal truth.

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Last Revised: March 13, 2001