The New Testament books contain the most life-changing truths in the world.
However, it can often be difficult for a 21st-century reader to understand how to read the New Testament, which was written in the 1st century, without first understanding the context, central themes, and key texts of each book. We’re not going deep on the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but I guarantee you’ll walk away from this post with some great insights.
The New Testament is the second part of the Christian Bible, comprising all of the books that were written after the Old Testament. It includes 27 books in total, with four Gospels, Acts, thirteen letters attributed to Paul, and Revelation.
The New Testament was written between 50 and 100 A.D., with most scholars agreeing that Mark was written first around 70 A.D., Matthew and Luke were written between 70 and 85 A.D., and John was written around 90 A.D.
The order of these books is important because it helps us understand who wrote them and when they were written. For example, if you read Mark before you read Matthew, you’ll notice that they have some differences in their content and wording; this is because Matthew is based on Mark but also includes additional content from another source called Q (or Quelle in German).
The New Testament is the second part of the Christian Bible, which was written in Greek. It contains 27 books that were written between 50 and 100 AD. The New Testament also contains 7 letters (1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, James, 1 Peter and 2 Peter) that are not included as part of the canon.
The New Testament is divided into three parts: the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles. There are also many other writings included within this collection including Revelation and other apocryphal texts such as Shepherd of Hermas or Didache.
Canonical Order of the New Testament Books
List of Canonical Order of the New Testament Books
Four Gospels
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
Historical Books
- Acts
Pauline Epistles
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
General Epistles
- Hebrews
- James
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter
- 1 John
- 2 John
- 3 John
- Jude
Prophecy
| Canonical Order | Book |
|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew |
| 2 | Mark |
| 3 | Luke |
| 4 | John |
| 5 | Acts |
| 20 | Hebrews |
| 27 | Revelation |
Of The Bible New Testament In Order
Matthew
You should read the New Testament in order, starting with the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all accounts of Jesus Christ and his life on Earth.
The four Gospels are:
- The Gospel of Matthew by St. Matthew (who was also one of the 12 apostles) tells us about Jesus’ birth, childhood and ministry as a carpenter until he begins his public ministry as an adult. It also includes some sayings of Jesus that are not found anywhere else in Scripture.
- The Gospel according to Mark is believed to have been written by St. Peter’s disciple John Mark around 65 A.D., though there is no way for us to know for certain who wrote it or when it was written because there are no historical records about this book at all! However, many believe this is because it was written during persecution when Christians could not write their own books without being persecuted by Roman authorities–so they used an already-existing document instead!
Mark
Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Luke
Luke is a gospel, written by the doctor who accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys. Luke was a Gentile and a physician, so he tells the story of Jesus from the perspective of someone who is not completely immersed in Jewish culture. This gives us insight into how Jesus’ ministry might have looked from an outsider’s perspective.
John
John
The first epistle of John was written by the Apostle John, a disciple of Jesus Christ. In it, he addresses the problems in the Church and urges people not to deny their faith. The second epistle of John also comes from this author. It is believed that it was originally written to someone named Gaius, who lived on the Greek island of Crete. This letter warns against false teachers and tells Christians how they should live their lives in light of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf: “Everyone who practices sin is guilty before God; everyone who does righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 3:9). The third epistle was written by someone claiming to be “the Elder.” According to scholars, this pseudonym could refer either to John himself or one of his disciples—it’s impossible for us know for sure which it actually refers too at present time due lack any evidence available now for analysis yet future discoveries may prove otherwise!
Acts
Acts is the second half of the story told by Luke in his Gospel. It covers the first 30 years of the Christian church and is written in the late 50s. Luke’s Gospel is a good place to start reading about Jesus, but Acts will tie everything together with further details on how God’s people lived out their faith during this time period.
Romans
The book of Romans is Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, written in the mid-50s from Corinth. It’s his longest letter, and it contains some of his most important theology—a summary of his gospel.
Romans doesn’t mention Paul by name, but we know he wrote it because of how many times he refers to himself as an apostle (12 times), and because he says other things that only Paul could say (for example, that he was ‘born again’ through baptism on the road to Damascus).
Paul wanted this letter to be read aloud in each church where there were no problems with anyone who had been baptized into Christ Jesus. It becomes clear why when you read it yourself: it’s very easy reading!
1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians is the first letter to the Corinthians and was written by Paul. The book of 1 Corinthians is one of two letters that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth; it was either written between AD 53-56 or AD 57-58. The book addresses questions about marriage, divorce, celibacy, worship and spiritual gifts.
2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians: A letter written by Paul to the Christians in Corinth. The first letter he wrote to them was called 1 Corinthians, and he wrote 2 Corinthians after that. This letter is thought to be one of his most well-written letters because it shows the depth of his theology and his knowledge of Scripture.
Galatians
- Paul
- Galatia is an area in Asia Minor and not a specific city.
- Paul wrote this letter to defend his gospel. He was concerned that the Galatians were being influenced by false teachers who wanted to impose Jewish law on them again. The legalism of these Judaizers was dangerous because it undermined God’s grace, which is offered freely through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Ephesians
Ephesians is a book of the Bible that contains three short chapters. In it, Paul describes the church as being one body with many members, each a part of Christ’s body. All Christians are to be humble and gentle toward others and bear with one another in love; they are to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. The final chapter describes how believers should be content in their lives here on earth, knowing that their ultimate reward will come hereafter at Christ’s return, when they shall behold Him face-to-face!
Philippians
In the New Testament, Philippians is the 14th book. The book of Philippians was written by Paul and sent to the church in Philippi.
Paul wrote this letter around AD 60, during his first imprisonment in Rome. The letter was written to encourage those who had become Christians under Paul’s preaching at Philippi (Acts 16:12-40) and to help them deal with some problems they were having internally as a church community.
Colossians
- Colossians was written to the church in Colossae, a city located in Asia Minor.
- Paul wrote the letter, but Timothy assisted with its composition.
- The letter is one of several New Testament letters that scholars believe were written at approximately the same time (c. AD 60-62) as Philemon and Ephesians; these are sometimes referred to as “prison epistles” because they were all composed while Paul was imprisoned somewhere on his way to Rome for trial. It has also been suggested that he wrote it during a brief stopover at Laodicea or Hierapolis (Col 4:16).
1 Thessalonians
In the opening verse of this letter, Paul says that he is writing to the church at Thessalonica. This was likely a response to their initial letter asking for clarification on some points raised in his other letters. The date of this letter is unknown but most scholars believe it was written around 50 AD. There are several themes throughout this book including:
- Jesus’ return and rapture, or catching away (1:10)
- Last Day events (2:16)
- Judgment seat of Christ (3:10)
2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians is a letter Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica after he had visited them. It was written around 51 CE, during the second missionary journey that Paul took with Silas and Timothy.
This book is about how Paul’s mission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and support his churches was going. He encourages them by telling them not to believe rumors about him or other Christians and reminding them of how God saved their souls once before so they could be saved again if they died without Christ (1:10-11).
Paul also tells them that he is going to send Timothy back as soon as possible so he can encourage them further with words from God himself (2:19).
1 Timothy
You might think that the book of 1 Timothy would be a great place to start, since it is one of Paul’s pastoral epistles (literally “letters for pastors”). These letters are addressed to individuals who were responsible for leading churches.
1 Timothy is the first of three such letters that Paul wrote to Timothy, and it is also the sixth book in the New Testament.
2 Timothy
2 Timothy is a letter written by Paul to his son in the faith, Timothy. It’s one of the last letters Paul wrote before he died.
Paul was in jail when he wrote 2 Timothy, but he knew that his death was near and wanted to be sure that Timothy would follow Jesus faithfully. He reminded him of how God had given him great grace as he did his work for the Lord and encouraged him to stay strong in the faith.
Titus
Titus is a letter written by Paul to Titus, an early Christian leader. The book of Titus was written in the year AD 66, while Paul was in Nicopolis (in today’s Greece), and sent to Titus who was in Crete. The purpose of this letter was two-fold: firstly, it contains instructions regarding sound doctrine and good works; secondly it gives instructions regarding church order and how people should behave in the church.
The themes throughout this book include sound doctrine; good works and church order. In addition, there are many similarities between Timothy’s Epistle and Titus’ Epistle as they are both written from someone who has been left by Paul to lead a congregation until he returns (2 Tim 4:19-22; 3:14-16).
Philemon
Philemon by Paul is a personal letter from Paul to Philemon. Onesimus, the slave of Philemon, had met with Paul in Rome and become a Christian himself under his tutelage. This was significant because it meant that they both were brothers in Christ.
Paul asked Philemon to forgive Onesimus and welcome him back as a brother in Christ.
Hebrews
- Hebrews was written by Paul.
- The purpose of this book is to warn, exhort, and encourage believers in Jesus Christ. It compares Moses to Jesus and shows how much better Jesus is than Moses.
James
James is the first book of the New Testament. It is also known as “the Book of James”, and it was written by an apostle named James. This epistle is a general one, which means it deals with topics that are applicable to all Christians.
In this letter, the author of James explains how faith without works will not save you. He then goes on to describe what kind of works God wants from his people:
- Without love we are nothing but empty shells
- We should be patient with others and show kindness towards them when they do something wrong
1 Peter
The book of 1 Peter was written by the Apostle Peter and written to a specific group of people. It is not your personal letter from God, but it is meant to be read by the early Christian community in Rome. The author uses his own experience as a member of that community to exhort them toward faithfulness and holiness in this world.
2 Peter
2 Peter is a difficult book to understand. It is not written in the same style as other letters in the New Testament, and it is full of metaphors that require careful study and thought. Furthermore, it was written by Peter while he was imprisoned on account of his faith; this may have been part of his inspiration for writing this letter. In 2 Peter 1:1–2:14, we see that there are five things that can help us stay strong when facing persecution: “sanctification,” “endurance,” “patience,” “joyfulness,” and “godliness.”
Peter points out how important these things are because he knows what kind of suffering his readers will face because they believe Jesus Christ is Lord (1:1–7). The book itself is full of warnings about false teachers who are trying to lead people away from the truth about Jesus Christ (2:1–18) and exhortations for believers to stand firm during times of suffering (3:10). In general terms though, 2 Peter encourages believers who are going through times when they feel like giving up or being discouraged from their faith because it will be worth it if they do not give up their hope in God!
1 John
1 John is the first epistle of John in the New Testament. This letter was written by John, one of Jesus’ apostles, around 90 AD. The author describes himself as “the elder” to distinguish himself from others with that name. He wrote this letter to people who had been Christians but were doubting the truth of their faith and its message—that Jesus died for our sins so we could be forgiven and have eternal life if we believe in him.
The purpose of 1 John is to help Christians live a life of truth and love (1 John 1:3). It encourages believers to behave in ways that show they love God and others more than themselves (1 John 2:4).
2 John
- John wrote his gospel and three letters, known as “the Johannine letters”.
- 2 John is the shortest book in the New Testament and is addressed to a lady named Gaius.
3 John
3 John
This letter is addressed to Gaius, who may have been a church leader in the city of Ephesus. John was hoping that he would visit soon and that they could see each other. He also wanted him to know how much he loved him and how much God loved him as well.