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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I :

Christ His &Church


A New Testament Survey of the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles

L e c t u r e s 2005 Gordon-ConwellT . D a v i d G o r d o n b y D r . Theological Seminary

N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I
About the Ockenga Institute and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary: Established in 1985, the Ockenga Institute exists to make the rich educational resources of GordonConwell Theological Seminary available to Christian leaders throughout the world. Through our various centers and programs, we serve as the research and continuing education arm of the school, seeking to build Christian leaders for the Church of Jesus Christ, present and future. Contact us: Dimensions of the Faith Ockenga Institute of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary 130 Essex Street South Hamilton, MA 01982 tel: 1-800-294-2774 email: ockenga@gcts.edu web: http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/dimensions/ Copyright: Copyright 2005 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Printed in the USA. Acknowledgements: Curriculum Design and Developer: David Horn Project Editor: Dana Hess Notebook Writer: Gypsy Fleischman Audio Editor: Curt Wanner Graphic Design: Ashli Newman Notebook Format: David Finnell and Dnes House

About the author: Dr. T. David Gordon, a native of Richmond, VA, is currently Associate Professor of Religion and Greek at Grove City College in Grove City, PA, where he has served since 1999. Previously, he had taught for 13 years at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He served for nine years as the pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashua, NH. He and his wife, Diane, have two daughters, Grace and Dabney.

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A N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y o f t h e G o s p e l s a n d t h e A c t s o f t h e A p o s t l e s Preface: The Dimensions of the Faith series is developed with the rm conviction that a life of faith and obedience in Jesus Christ is based upon a working knowledge of Gods word. You cannot obey what you do not know. For this reason, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has developed the Dimensions of the Faith series for any Christian who desires foundational knowledge in the areas of Old and New Testament, Biblical Interpretation, Church History, Theology, and Missions. The goals of each course are the following: 1. To paint the big picture of what you are learning; 2. To provide you with the basic content; 3. To introduce you to key words that will enlarge your capacity for knowing; 4. To guide you to understand how greater knowledge of Gods word can be applied naturally to everyday life and service; 5. To direct you to valuable resources as Gods word whets your appetite for further study. The Dimensions of the Faith series is designed to be used in a variety of settings. You may wish to use the materials as a resource for your own spiritual growth and enrichment. You may also wish to study the materials as a group. The series may be used as a leadership tool for churches or as a training tool on the mission eld. We encourage those of you who are pastors to use the series with your ruling boards or your volunteer teaching staffs. A certicate is available for those who complete all six subject areas of the Dimensions of the Faith series. In addition to the notebook and tape/CD version you currently own, you may listen to the lectures on the Gordon-Conwell website: http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/dimensions/. The variety of formats will allow greater exibility in the use of this material. For more information about the Dimensions of the Faith series, please contact us by postal mail at the Ockenga Institute, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts 01982, or email us at ockenga@gcts.edu. We pray that God will use this series as a powerful tool for expanding your knowledge of God and Gods word so that you may be able to share the good news throughout the world.

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About the Study and Workbook Guide: The following study guide is designed as a scratch notepad to be used as you listen to the accompanying taped lectures. You may have noticed that we have used the drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci as a motif for our materials. Just as Da Vinci sketched out his ideas in the process of creating a nal painting, so we invite you to sketch out your own thoughts in the notebook while you listen to the lectures. Each chapter includes valuable information and questions for you to ponder while you listen. Use the designated blank spaces and margins as your opportunity to interact with what you are learning. To guide you through the materials, we have provided you with a series of icons. We do so under the rm conviction that a fuller knowledge of God and his word requires expanding your horizons in all directions. Breadth of Biblical Knowledge: Grasp the big picture, from A to Z. SCOPE Width of Biblical Knowledge: Expand your understanding by enlarging your vocabulary. DEFINITION

Height of Biblical Knowledge: Grow in your knowledge of the basic content of Scripture, theology, church history, and culture. BASIC CONTENT Length of Biblical Knowledge: Stretch yourself to obedience and service through correct understanding. APPLICATION FOR SERVICE Depth of Biblical Knowledge: Use these resources to grow deeper. QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY

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Table of Contents

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Basics and Backgrounds How History Helps Clearly Canon There to Here: The New Testament Thy Kingdom Come Back to the Future Gospels 101 Matther, Mark, and Luke: Three Angles, One Story The Red Letter Edition: The Gospel of John The Spreading Flame

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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I : L e c t u r e O n e

Everyone would agree: the world is vastly different today than it

was two thousand years ago. The people living in Jesus time could not even have imagined the way we live. Yet we continue to accept texts written by these people as if they are relevant to our daily lives. Why? Why do we study the New Testament? Why are these ancient writings relevant to our lives today? What makes the Bible powerful and meaningful to those of us living thousands of years after it was written? When we understand the background of the New Testament, the political and social factors which inuenced its writers and the cultural context into which these writings came, we can more fully understand the life-changing nature of Gods message to those who received it two thousand years ago. And we can better experience its life-changing power in our own lives.

Notes _____

Atonement At the heart of bibical religion, a sacrificial system in which an animal takes the place of a person, receiving for him or her the punishment for his or her sins. Sacrifice The substitutionary punishment (death) of an animal. Temple The building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped Yahweh. Built to represent the heavens and the earth. The place where God lived among his people.

Why is it important to understand the variety of ways that the term background can be used?

What is the denition of background that Dr. Gordon will be using?

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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I

Notes _____

What was the Decree of Cyrus? Where in the Bible is it recorded?

In what ve ways was Judaism affected by this era of outside rule?

What happened to Israelite religion when the temple was destroyed?

What is one essential ingredient of biblical religion? How is this ingredient part of the Christian faith?

To what extent is the church today inuenced by the same kinds of political forces and religious compromises that affected the Israelites?

What would happen to your spiritual life if Christs atonement was suddenly taken away?

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Basics and Backgrounds

Which tradition has the more-appropriate claim to being the successor to Old Testament Temple religionJudaism or Christianity? Jacob Neusner, Judaism in the Beginning of Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984.

Notes _____

No Jews offer sacrices anywhere....They dont have the atonement....weve got atonement. Its just Christ! But we have atonement and atonement still is essential to the biblical religion.

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New Testament Survey I: Lecture Two

Notes _____

Imagine nding an unopened letter in a book. You open it, and nd


that it is a love letter, yet there is no address and no signature, no date, nothing other than the body of the letter. You would certainly still be able to understand most of the content, but some of the details would be difcult to understand. However, if you knew who wrote the letter, who it was written to, when it was written, and why it was written, youd have a much better chance of putting all the pieces together. The text of the New Testament is something like such a letter it gives us the body, but we have to look at the history around the writing of the text to put the pieces together. How does the context in which we understand the New Testament affect our interpretation of the text? What errors do we make when we have faulty information about the setting of the text? How is our understanding enriched when we have a more complete picture of Gods redemptive work in history?

Meritorious (or works religion) The idea that a person achieves salvation by his or her good actions, or by his or her adherence to a set of laws. Torah Literally, the Hebrew word for Law. Specifically, the Mosaic Law found in the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy. Gentile Literally the nations, referring to the non-Hebrew nations, those outside the Mosaic covenant.

Give two of the reasons why rst century Judaism was not works religion.

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How History Helps

What was the true problem Jesus had with the Pharisees?

Notes _____

When was Gods promise given to Abraham? What was the promise?

What was the Apostle Pauls main problem with the Torah?

If there is anything that is unscientic, it is history.

What is the difference between knowing something scientically and knowing something historically?

How does an understanding of who God is affect our study of history?

If you were to write a history of Gods redemptive work in your life, what events and ideas would need to be included?

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Notes _____

Like the Galatians, sometimes we want people to conform to our rules and expectations before we consider them Christians. In what areas do you think the Church is guilty of this?

Paul no where says [the Jews] found grace offensive or mercy offensive. What they found offensive was the crucied Messiah.

Is the study of history religiously or philosophically neutral? Is there a distinctively Christian way to study history? Cairns, Earle E. God and Man in Time: A Christian Approach to Historiography. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979, pp. 75-107. M. Howard Rienstra. History, Objectivity, and the Christian Scholar, in C. T. McIntire and Ronald Wells, eds., History and Historical Understanding. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984, pp. 69-82. Was first century Judaism a meritorious religion? E.P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1978. Dunn, James D.G. The New Perspective on Paul, BJRL 65(August, 1982): 94-122. Reprinted in Jesus, Paul and the Law, Louisville: John Knox, 1990.

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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I : L e c t u r e T h r e e

When a great artist, composer, or writer dies, there is a great

effort made to collect that persons works. Published works, as well as old photographs, unnished bits of poetry or painting, even anecdotes about that persons childhood are gathered together. Often, interviews with the persons close friends and family results in the writing of a biography. Much the same gathering of materials took place as the church grew from a small group of disciples into a geographically spread-out, nationally diverse group of people, and as it became more and more necessary for believers to discover ways of maintaining unity. Naturally, written texts began to be collected and distributed among the churches, including accounts of Christs life and the testimonies of those who had witnessed his earthly ministry. How were these texts gathered together? How did the church come to recognize certain texts as having authority, inspiration, and the denite stamp of the Holy Spirit? At what point in history did the church have what we know as the New Testament scriptures?

Notes _____

Epistle a personal letter which may have been also intended for public reading. Apostle one of the people whom Christ personally chose and specially commissioned to be the foundation of his church. Catholic universal, world-wide, for all people. Canon a collection of writings that the church recognizes as an authoritative guideline for Christian faith and practice.

What is the classical Protestant view of how the books of the NT became canonical?

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Notes _____

What is the earliest evidence we have that the NT material was being gathered?

What is the most signicant principle by which the church has recognized canonicity?

Why was it important that Paul prove that he had been commissioned by Christ himself?

How is recognizing inspiration similar to recognizing beauty?

What is the Holy Spirits special role in regard to the Apostles?

What are some NT references to other portions of the NT as Scripture? Where do we nd the rst evidence of all 27 books in our modern NT being joined in one group?

How does the Holy Spirits testimony in your life resonate with the

Apostolic testimony as recorded in the NT?

The rst verse of the hymn Amazing Grace ends with the line,

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Clearly Canon

I once was lost, but now Im found, was blind, but now I see. In considering your own spiritual walk, when have you experienced the Holy Spirits opening of your eyes to something in the scriptures?

Notes _____

Why do some churches include the Apocrypha in their Bibles? Rather what you see in the history of the recognition of the canon is that wherever there are those that submit to the Lordship of Christ and repent of their sins, there is the recognition that in this book they hear the voice of Christ.

What is the Apocrypha? Charlesworth, James H. Apocrypha, in David N. Freedman, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 1, A-C. New York: Doubleday, 1992, pp. 292-294.

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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I : L e c t u r e F o u r

Notes _____

Have you ever wished you could reproduce some yummy treat

from your childhood just the way Grandma used to make it? Blueberry pie, or gingersnaps, or oatmeal-raisin cookies? You could try following Grandmas own recipe, complete with barely-legible notes along the sides, abbreviations you dont understand, even ingredients youve never heard of. The people who gathered the original letters and texts of the New Testament, and the scribes who copied them had a similar job, with similar difculties, as you would have following and translating Grandmas recipe. How did the New Testament come together, and how did it stay together through thousands of years? Can we trust that two thousand years later, the recipe for pie still produces a pie? How can we know that the New Testament text we now have is authentic and reliable?

Lector a person whose job it was to read the scriptures aloud so that others could write it down and thus make copies of the text. Scribe a person whose job was to copy by hand the text of the scriptures. Manuscript handwritten copy of a text. Translation a version of a text in a language which is not the original language in which the text was written.

In the broad picture, what are the stages from the original letters and texts of the NT to what we now have?

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T h e N e w Te s t a m e n t : T h e r e t o H e r e

What are the three main families of texts of the NT? What are the basic characteristics of these families?

Notes _____

What are some of the ways scribal errors have entered the NT text?

How have the letters, spacing, and punctuation of the NT manuscripts changed over time?

What are the intentional and unintentional errors, as Dr. Gordon explains these? What are some examples?

How have scholars tried to determine what is the original, authentic text of the NT?

What does Dr. Gordon mean when he says Dont build your house on theological sand? What can you do to avoid making this kind of error?

When you compare ve thousand manuscripts and they all agree...that is pretty overwhelming.

How is your faith challenged and afrmed by Dr. Gordons discussion of the transmission of the NT manuscripts?

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Notes _____

What are the oldest actual manuscripts, or portions of manuscripts, that we have found? Where and how were they found? Eliot, Keith and Ian Moir. Manuscripts and the Text of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1995, pp. 9-25. Bruce, F.F. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1960, pp. 10-20.

[God] had now spoken in these last days in his Son and there were a group of Apostles upon which the church had been established, and God had spoken to and through them, and the church and all of its subsequent generations would be built upon that apostolic foundation

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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I : L e c t u r e F i v e

There is no denying the fact that great evil exists in the world.

Wars, political corruption, greed, genocide, and innumerable other horrors testify to the fact that human nature has changed little since the days of Cain and Abel. Yet Jesus came to establish his kingdom and to bring about the redemption and healing of the world. Like the Israelites, we look around us and say God, if you really care about us, hurry up and get rid of all this bad stuff! Can it be that Gods kingdom exists even in the midst of the mess that the world is in? Where is it? When did it start, and is it nished yet? As Dr. Gordon will remind us, John the Baptist from his prison cell had similar questions about the Kingdom of God, and he went right to the source for his answers.

Notes _____

Kingdom of God/ Kingdom of Heaven at the core of Jesus teaching, this refers to Gods sovereign rule and the working out of this rule in redemptive history. Deliverance rescue from bondage or danger. Covenant an agreement made under oath between two parties, which generally includes blessings if the stipulations of the covenant are kept, and curses if they are not. Parable A figure of speech. Jesus used such figures in an unusual manner, by employing them without an instructional context. He did this to fulfill his prophetic role of proclaiming judgement upon Israel.

What is the summary statement of Jesus proclamation ministry? What two places in the Bible may this statement be found?

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Notes _____

How does the Israelites experience of a failed kingdom set the stage for Jesus coming?

Why is John the Baptist greater than all the prophets, yet the least in the Kingdom of God? Where is he located in redemptive history?

What is the signicance of Jesus Kingdom being the nal, ultimate Kingdom?

So the whole Old Testament at least is hoping that a kingdom, not of Israel, but a kingdom of God would come. When God would put his king on the throne and God himself would be God to his people and rule them.

How is the Kingdom both present and future? What aspects of it are present? What aspects are future?

Where in the teachings of Jesus can you nd examples of the old giving way to the new?

How is the Kingdom like a mustard seed?

Do members of your family have differing attitudes toward Gods Kingdom? How is your familys unity affected by these attitudes?

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Thy Kingdom Come

Have you ever felt like John the Baptist, as you consider the suffering that is in the world today, asking Jesus, Is your Kingdom here? How has God answered your question?

Notes _____
He is bringing into human history the nal, ultimate reign of God anticipated throughout the Old Testament in all of the law and the prophets.

Were there other people in Jesus time who were claiming to be the Messiah? How did their approach differ from Jesus? Lohse, Eduard. The New Testament Environment. Nashville: Abingdon, 1976, pp. 187-196. Horsley, Richard A. Messianic Movements in Judaism, in David N. Freedman, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 4, K-N. New York: Doubleday, 1992, pp. 791-797. In what sense did the kingdom of God arrive when Jesus was here on earth? Herman Ridderbos. The Coming of the Kingdom. Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1962.

Gods ultimate Kingdom where God himself will live and rule in the midst of his people and do all that the earthly kingdoms could not accomplish.

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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I : L e c t u r e S i x

Notes _____

There is nothing quite like the rst day you wake up, look outside,

and see the rst bit of green pushing up through the ground. The rst crocuses, appearing overnight into a world that may still be strewn with dirty piles of snow...the rst robin...the rst buds on the trees.... Spring may seem as if it comes suddenly, magically. Yet the ower bulbs wake up and begin their work long before the shoots show above the ground. The snow that falls all winter melts to give the thawing ground its rst good drink of water. The leaves that grow all summer and fall to the ground in autumn provide necessary nutrients for new plants and trees to grow. When Spring comes, we can see the ways in which all of nature has worked together to bring forth new life. Jesus coming was like the coming of Spring. The events, covenants, promises, and religious laws of the past could nally be understood as a great, complex preparation for Jesus coming.

Judgment Gods rejection and removal of all his enemies and of everything that corrupts and defiles his creation. Redemption Gods restoration of his creation from its corrupt and defiled state to a clean and perfect state. Grace Giving to people who deserve one thing something else that they dont deserve....You didnt earn it, you dont deserve it, its a gift. Repentance to turn away from those things which keep us from God, and to follow God in wholehearted obedience and love.

What happened to the Old Testament when Jesus taught the disciples on the road to Emmaus?

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Back to the Future

How did the apostles preach Christ and argue that Jesus was the Christ?

Notes _____

What two things does the Kingdom of Jesus bring? How are these two things related to each other?

Why, according to Dr. Gordon, did Jesus speak in parables?

What two symbolic actions did Jesus perform in order to illustrate his judgment of Israel?

How does Jesus use the parable of the gracious employer to teach about grace? What is the proper way to respond to the Kingdom?

In a nutshell, what are the ve things that Jesus taught about the Kingdom?

And so judgment is essential and you do not have salvation, in a biblical sense, without the judgment which removes from the fallen world that which corrupts it and that which deles it.

Is there anyone in your life from whom you need to ask forgiveness? Have you ever needed to withhold the expression of your forgiveness for a time?

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Notes _____
If you dont see what you are doing ethically as a reection of what God has done, an expression of gratitude...then you have failed to understand the joy of living in a covenant relationship with God.

How do you balance your willingness to forgive seven times seventy and the need for you to withhold forgiveness from an impenitent person?

Describe an experience when God allowed you participate in his work through prayer, so that you were able to honor and thank him.

Why did Jesus preach in Parables? What kinds of parables did he teach? Stein, Robert H. An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1981. And so we bear with our sufferings precisely because they are redemptive. Capon, Robert Farrar. The Parables of Grace, The Parables of Judgement, The Parables of the Kingdom, (3 Vols.) Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

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New Testament Survey I: Lecture Seven

Most of us have completed a jigsaw puzzle at one time or another

in our lives. To t the pieces together, we didnt just randomly throw them onto the table, expecting this to do the trick. Instead, we considered each piece, looked at each little part of the whole, and tried to gure out how each part was related to the bigger picture. Reading the gospels is not unlike tting together a puzzle. We have to consider how each piece of narrative ts into the greater story, the story of Gods redemptive work. Our interpretation of each event, miracle, parable, or teaching needs to be understood within its particular cultural context, as well as in light of what kind of narrative it is and where it falls in the story.

Notes _____

Messiah the Hebrew term meaning anointed. The Jews commonly anointed with oil a king or a priest, which signified Gods commissioning to do a certain task, and they awaited the promised anointed one who would deliver them. In the New Testament, the term Christ is used, and Jesus is presented as the one who fulfills Gods promise to save his people. Gospel in the New Testament, this refers to the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which include Jesus earthly ministry and his fulfillment of his Messianic task. Synoptic a term referring to the first three gospels because of the striking similarity of their material, thus, they see Jesus through a single eye Genre The broad literary type, or category, into which a piece of writing falls.

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Notes _____

What is the difference between historical narrative and illustrative narrative?

What are some of the ways we can distinguish between these two types of narrative?

What is the fundamental question one must ask in interpreting illustrative narrative? How can we use an illustrative narratives context to better understand what it is illustrating?

So the last Adam is much greater than the rst Adam. His temptation arrives in a more difcult context, but he nevertheless is faithful to the word of God and not the word of the devil and he perseveres in his God-given task.

What is the main question one must ask when interpreting historical narrative? How did the apostles go about using the Old Testaments historical narrative passages?

As Dr. Gordon explains it, how does the temptation of Jesus narrative t into the story of redemption? What are some common misconceptions about this narrative?

What does the Bible primarily talk about?

What is your response to Dr. Gordons reading of the temptation narrative? Do you feel as if you have more reason to love and serve and adore the One who was faithful to his Messianic task?

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Gospels 101

Notes _____
Do you ever look at the Bible as a sort of handbook for us to use for better living? How does your understanding change when you perceive that it is lled with information not about sinners, but about the Savior?

Was Christs temptation analogous to our temptations, or was it distinctive to his special work as Redeemer? James Henley Thornwell, Christ Tempted as the Second Adam, in The Collected Writings of James Henley Thornwell. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1986: 298-333. There are wonderful, wonderful treasures for you in the Bible....Wonderful, wonderful truth in the Bible if we would simply just ask of it the questions which it wants us to ask, and not the questions which we have by sloth and indifference perhaps come to be asking of the Bible.

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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I : L e c t u r e E i g h t

Notes _____

In a court of law, witnesses give testimony before a jury and judge,

describing events that they have seen or heard, so that at the very least, two sides of the story are revealed. The idea is, that when two or more perspectives of the same events are compared and contrasted, what results is a more complete picture, and a deeper understanding, of the events being described. As we begin our study of the New Testament at the Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we immediately see that these three books concern the same period of time in history the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Many of the same events are recounted: the miracles, teachings, death and resurrection of Christ. Yet each author brings to his writing his own perspective, his own personality, and his own ideas of which events and details are relevant to the story. How can we benet from this variety of perspectives? What questions might we ask in order to have a better understanding of how these three testimonies work together to give us a fuller understanding of our Savior?

Ecclesiology/Ecclesiastical having to do with the church, its offices and institutions. Eschatology the study of the end times, or last things, which began with Christ and continues until the final judgment and redemption of the world. Aramaic a related language to Hebrew, which had become the common Jewish language at the time of Jesus. Jesus would have spoken Aramaic. Samaritan a person living in Samaria, the region between Galilee and Jerusalem. The Jews of the first century considered them impure.

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Matthew, Mark, and Luke: Four Angles, One Story

How can the Gospel of Matthew be divided? What phrase in 4:17 and again in 16:21 serves to divide the sections?

Notes _____

What is unique about Matthews gospel? What themes and concerns run throughout the book?

What is the primary factor inuencing the content of the gospel of Mark? What is Mark trying to show by taking this approach?

What clues suggest that Luke was written to a Gentile audience?

What specic groups of people have a prominent role in Luke that arent paid much attention in the other gospels?

But Luke is very interested in showing the effect of the gospel and the potential effect of the gospel through the breadth of the range of human experience both in one sense chronologically and geopolitically, and ethnically and socially.

Why is Luke considered a universal gospel?

What does Dr. Gordon mean by having a symphonic understanding of the Synoptic Gospels?

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Notes _____

How does the universality of Lukes gospel affect your understanding of the life of Jesus? If Luke hadnt written his gospel, how would the total picture of Christs ministry as recorded in the Bible be changed?

Dr. Gordon tells us that when we read Mark, we should always ask What happened? Who responded and how? How can you apply that question to your own spiritual walk? How has God acted in your life, and how have you responded?

Not every instrument has the same voice or plays the same part, and yet the whole thing is combined and skillfully written and performed into a unity and a majesty that you do not have by any of the others alone.

How can we reconcile inconsistencies from one Synoptic to another? Why are there differences in the details of stories that appear in more than one gospel? Archer, Gleason L. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982, pp. 311-315. Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992, pp. 19-60.

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N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I : L e c t u r e N i n e

After reading the rst three gospels, which have such a striking

similarity in layout and chronology, it is quite a change of pace to study the gospel of John. From its mysterious, poetic beginning, to its self-identication as a book of signs, it is readily apparent that John intends for us to meet the complete Jesus not just Messiah, not just the man, not just prophet, miracle-worker, or Savior but as all these things, as the Word of God through whom we may have everlasting life. With such a profound purpose, this book of the Bible may seem incomprehensible in its complexity. Yet it also contains the most intimate view of Christ, the most well-loved verses of encouragement. What ties all these things together? What are some of the keys to unlocking this treasure chest of wonder?

Notes _____

Incarnation the theological idea that God became truly human in the flesh. Johannine refers to those books of the New Testament which are considered to be written by John. Church the total assembly of all believers, across all the earth, from the past, present, and future, who collectively make up the body of Christ on earth, and which will be perfected at the final redemption of the world.

Why do some people hesitate to claim that John wrote the fourth gospel? What evidence suggests that John did write this gospel?

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Notes _____

What is unique about the scope of time in Johns gospel?

Why, according to 20:31, did John record his book of signs?

What is the Old Testament parallel for Jesus rst sign of turning water into wine? Why is this signicant?

Describe the two-fold structure of the book of John. How is verse 1:11 related to this structure?

As Jesus explained them, what are some of the privileges of believing in him?

Why is Jesus new commandment really new? What part of it isnt new?

[Jesus] is hovering right there around the essential focus of Jewish life their feasts. He is doing Jewish things with Jewish people in Jerusalem and they reject him, they believe him not.

What is one way you can express your love for God by loving one of his children? How does this manifest the unity of the Church that Jesus prayed for?

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2005 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

The Gospel of John: The Red Letter Edition

As Christians, how does our hope of future glory with Christ affect our everyday lives? How does it affect your life?

Notes _____
He goes away to prepare a place in glory. He returns to the glory he had with the Father from the foundation of the world and what He wants to do is to prepare a place for us to be where he is, not for him to remain perpetually where we are in this fallen condition.

How does the dating of Johns gospel help us date the other books of the New Testament? Eliot, Keith and Ian Moir. Manuscripts and the Text of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1995. Bruce, F.F. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1960.

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2005 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

New Testament Survey I: Lecture Ten

Notes _____

According to our calendar, the years before Christs coming are

marked BC Before Christ, and the years after his birth are known as AD Anno Domini, or In the Year of Our Lord. In our system of reckoning time, Christs incarnation is a pivotal point in history, an event that was and is so signicant that it deserves to mark the beginning of a new era. For Luke, the pivotal point in history was the coming of the Holy Spirit which had been promised by Jesus and anticipated by the Old Testament scriptures. This coming marked the beginning of a new era in Gods redemptive history. As we consider the importance of this event, we need to understand the Old Testaments view of the Holy Spirit as well as the effects of the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, so that we can more fully realize the role of Spirit in our own lives.

Sinai Covenant the covenant given to the Jews through Moses, a covenant which demanded perfect obedience and which included temporal blessings for obedience and temporal curses for disobedience. Pentecost in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus followers at the Jewish feast of Pentecost, which gave them the power to be Jesus witnesses to all the world.

What is the basic distinction between Luke and Acts?

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2005 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

The Spreading Flame

How is the Holy Spirit perceived in the Old Testament? What is the relationship between the Spirit and the Kingdom?

Notes _____

For Luke, what is the pivotal point in redemptive history?

Who has the central role in the narrative of Acts? Why are these people so important?

What is so unusual about the testimony of the apostles?

After the Holy Spirit comes to the apostles in Jerusalem, what are they supposed to do?

Why is the ending that Luke chose for this book a tting ending?

How can we determine which parts of Acts we should simply read with thanksgiving, and which parts are more directly relevant to our own actions?

The Spirit is perceived in the Old Testament as especially the agent of God who will invest the Messiah with the power for his task, who will turn the hearts of the people in the end times new covenant. He is the one who brings heaven to earth and earth to heaven....

Is the proclamation of Christs death and resurrection part of your daily life? How can you take part more fully in the continuation of this apostolic tradition?

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2005 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

N e w Te s t a m e n t S u r v e y I

Notes _____
To say that the Spirit is here is to say the new covenant is here. To say the Spirit is here is to say the Messiah has come. To say the Spirit is here is to say end times are upon us, the last days are upon us.

Was Pentecost typical of the experience of New Testament believers for all time, or was it a once-for-all event similar to the death or resurrection of Christ? Richard B. Gafn, Jr. Perspectives on Pentecost. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1979.

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