Bible Book Summaries of the New Testament

The Book of Philippians The book of Philippians is one of the four shorter epistles written by the apostle Paul while he was in prison. Throughout Paul’s life the Philippians held a special place in his heart. He wrote to them with affection, and the epistle breathes a note of joy throughout. When Paul first came to Philippi, he was thrown in jail. The location of his imprisonment has been long debated. In the deep of the night, bound and beaten, he sang a hymn to God. A decade later Paul was again in prison, and he still was celebrating the Christian’s joy in the midst of suffering, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). Paul begins the epistle by giving thanks for the love of the Philippians and by praying for its increase. Even though Paul is in prison, the gospel is not confined; on the contrary, it is increasing. Whether Paul lives or dies, “Christ is preached” and this results in salvation. Following these reflections, Paul introduces a series of exhortations: to remain faithful in suffering; to remain considerate of others, as Jesus Christ was and to avoid evil and live blamelessly. The final chapter of Philippians summarizes several miscellaneous matters. Paul exhorts quarrelsome church members to rise above their differences. He also leaves two important lessons, on substituting thankful prayer for anxiety and on the characteristics of a noble and godly life. He concluded with thanks for the Philippians’ gift and included final greetings.

The Book of Hebrews The book of Hebrews is the nineteenth book in the New Testament. It is an epistle letter that was written by an unknown Christian to show how Jesus Christ had replaced Judaism as God’s perfect revelation of himself. Hebrews begins with a marvelous tribute to the person of Christ and throughout the epistle the author weaves warning with doctrine to encourage his readers to hold fast to Jesus as the great High Priest of God. The author makes extensive use of Old Testament quotations and images to show that Jesus is the supreme revelation of God and the all-sufficient mediator between God and humankind. Because of its literary style and the careful way it develops its argument, Hebrews reads more like an essay than a personal letter. Two passages in Hebrews often trouble Christians. I 6:4-6 and 10:26 the author warns that if a person willingly turns from fellowship with Christ, he can no longer forgiven. The intent of these verses is to cause Christians to remember the great cost of God’s grace and to take their profession of faith seriously. The intent of these verses is not to cause believers to doubt their salvation. There is no example in the bible where anyone who desired the forgiveness of Christ was denied it. The backbone of this epistle is the finality of Christ for salvation. This wonderful truth is no less urgent for us today than is was for the original readers of Hebrews. The rise of cults, with their deceptive claims of security, is but one example of the many things that appeal for our ultimate loyalty. Hebrews reminds us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). Because of his perfect sacrifice of himself, he is still the only mediator between God and us. Only God is the true author of our salvation.

The Book of Romans The book of Romans was the most formal and systematic of Paul’s epistles. The main theme of Romans is that righteousness comes as a free gift of God and is receivable by faith alone. Romans stands at the head of the Pauline epistles because it is the longest of his letters, but it is also Paul’s most important epistle. Romans reflects Paul’s deep concern with the relation between Jew and Gentil. The jews are indeed God’s chosen people, although their history is one of rebellion against God. Their rejection of Christ is consistent with their history, although a remnent does remain faithful. The rejection of the Jews,