THE NEW TESTAMENT

As we have already seen, the New Testament is to the Old as a building to a foundation ; it is the completion and crown of all that had been foretold and provided. And as with the Old Testament, so with the New, Christ is the subject and substance of it all.

The method of mastering the New Testament must be very similar to that employed in the Old Testament, by reason of its structure being also historical. It is based upon facts, and these facts must be known if we would rightly profit by the teaching. It cannot be stated too clearly or emphasised too frequently that no fact or incident of the Bible is without some bearing on the revelation of God contained in the Scriptures. Following the same general plan as before, we will consider first the history and then the teaching.

The Contents of the New Testament.

In the New Testament also, the order of the Authorised Version is not chronological, and we shall

therefore divide the contents into eight sections, for the purpose of studying it in historical sequence as closely as possible. We shall find that here too we have books of fact and of illustration.

1. The Life of our Lord. The Gospels. Four characteristic pictures of the one Saviour. They should be studied separately, and then together, under the guidance of a good harmony. A summary of the harmony is found in most Teachers' Bibles, but a harmony with the full text is of course to be preferred. A good cheap one on the Authorised Version is Fuller's (S. P. C. K., 1s. 6d.), which is careful and accurate, and adequate for all ordinary purposes. The best on the Revised Version is the American one of Stevens & Burton (Gay & Bird, 6s.).

2. The Early Church.

(a) History. Acts i.-xii.

(b) Illustration. Epistle of St. James.

Study carefully the beginnings of the Church, and see illustrations in the Epistle of the type of its Christianity.

3. St. Paul's First Journey.

(a) History. Acts xiii. and xiv.

(b) Illustration. Galatians.

The first missionary work proper is recorded in the Acts, and the Epistle was (almost certainly) written to those in Asia Minor evangelised on this journey.

4. St. Paul's Second Journey.

(a) History. Acts xv. 1-xviii. 21.

(b) Illustration. 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

5. St. Paul's Third Journey.

(a) History. Acts xviii. 22-xxi. 17.

(b) Illustration. 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Romans.

Galatians appears here again because it illustrates the thoughts then rife in St. Paul's mind, which are so thoroughly dealt with in Romans.

6. St. Paul's Captivity.

(a) History. Acts xxi. 18-xxviii. 31.

(b) Illustration. Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, Philippians.

7. St. Paul's (probable) Release and Second Imprisonment.

(a) History. ) Hebrews, 1 Timothy.

(b) Illustration. ) Titus, 2 Timothy.

8. Closing Years of First Century.

(a) A.D. 70-85. Revelation, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude.

(b) A.D. 85-100. 2, 3, and 1 John.

For valuable handbooks to the life and work of St. Paul, consult Findlay's Epistles of St. Paul (2s. 6d.) and Stalker's Life of St. Paul (1s. 6d.). But first let the general facts be mastered from the Bible only. Miss Petrie's Clews to Holy Writ covers the New Testament as well as the Old.

The Teaching of the New Testament.

It is very important to study this carefully, for it is full of spiritual profit. There is a beautiful progress of thought from first to last. Note the different aspect in each division and subdivision.

1. The Person of Christ. (Biographical.) The Gospels.

(a) Working out Salvation.

(b) Providing materials for faith. John xx. 31.

(c) Founding a Church in the world.

2. The Preaching of Christ. (Historical.) Acts.

(a) Offering Salvation.

(b) Affording opportunities for faith.

(c) Gathering out a Church from the world.

3. The People of Christ. (Practical.) The Epistles.

(a) Manifesting Salvation.

(b) Showing results of faith.

(c) Dwelling in the Church for the world.

4. The Providence of Christ. (Prophetical.) Revelation.

(a) Completing Salvation.

(b) Bestowing rewards of faith.

(c) Ruling over the Church and the world.

For this phase of Bible study there is a book, a classic on the subject, Bernard's Progress of Doctrine in the New Testament, which is one of the books indispensable to all Christians.

It will be seen that Christ is the warp and woof of the New Testament. He is its centre, its lines, its circumference. Christ is the Prophet: let us hear Him; the Priest: let us accept Him; the King: let us obey Him.