Delve Into The New TestamentSample

DAY 2 – READING IN CONTEXT

When we read all of the New Testament’s books with an ap­preciation for when and why they were written and for the kind of writing that they represent, the story of how Jesus brought God’s plan to its culmination unfolds before us. Unfortunately, these books have traditionally been placed in an order that makes it more difficult to read them with this appreciation. Luke and Acts, for example, are two volumes of a single work and should therefore be read together. But the book of John has traditionally been placed between them, so that Luke can be put together with the other gospels. This mis­leadingly encourages Luke and Acts to be read not only as separate books, but as different kinds of literature. 

Likewise, the three letters of John are best understood when they’re read together with the gospel according to John, since they’re all by the same author and reflect the same perspective. But in the traditional order, John’s letters are separated from his gospel by most of the New Testament. James, a wisdom book, has been placed in the middle of a group of letters, incorrectly implying that it, too, should be read as a letter. The thirteen letters written by the apostle Paul are presented roughly in order of their length, and as a result, they’re badly out of historical order. It’s difficult to read them with an appreciation for where they fit in the context of his life and for how they express the development of his thought. 

PRAYER: Open my eyes and heart to Your Word, O Lord.