"New Testament Survey"

Luke through Romans

Introduction

Steve Bader continued his session on the New Testament Scriptures in adult Sunday School class. He continued with the book of Luke and went through the book of Romans. This article provides a brief summary of the content. I recommend you either download the audio in it's entirety from sermons page or order the CD's.

Luke

Luke is the closest Gospel to a technical historical account of Christ’s life. A Gentile by birth, his focus is towards to Gentile readers. He traces Jesus’ genealogy back to Adam to emphasize that this a faith for all believers. Early in the book Luke stresses Christ’s identity. His account of Jesus’ temptation provides a stark contrast between the Lord’s success and Adam’s failure in resisting the enemy. Like the previous two gospels, Luke stresses the salvation of the lowly and lost as well as the condemnation of the self-righteous and haughty. As he turns toward Jerusalem, he sends out the 70, teaches them the Lord’s prayer, tells them not to worry and prepares them for when He would leave. Again and again, Jesus speaks of his suffering. Instead of Christ being received and consummating the kingdom, He would be rejected by the Jews and the kingdom would be taken from them.

Luke gives the greatest detail about Christ’s Passion. In the final chapters he paints vivid images of the night Christ was arrested, wrongly accused and, the next day, crucified. Luke also gives the most vivid description of his resurrection, post-resurrection time with the disciples and ascension. Despite the fact that everything unfolding just Christ predicted, the disciples are in disbelief when the tomb is empty. When he appears to them, the disciples are still confused even though He stands before them offering proof of His identity. The book ends with Christ’s ascension as He commands them to wait for the Spirit, which would help them in their ministry.

John

John is never named in the gospel that bears his name. He is referred to in the book simply as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” It was written around 90 A.D., a time when both Jew and Gentile churches had been integrated.

John writes this account with a view to certain heresies about Christ that had arisen, specifically Ebionism and Docetism. Ebionism denied Christ’s divinity and virgin birth. They maintained He was just a good teacher. Docetism was the precursor of Gnosticism. The Docetists denied that Christ had a physical body. They insisted that Christ’s physical body was just an illusion. Thus, in the first chapter, John addresses Docetism by describing the Trinity. The Word who was not only with God but was God, became “flesh” and tabernacle among men. John and the other disciples had seen Jesus and touched Him. To address Ebionism, John presents Jesus as the One who created the world, a world which subsequently rejected Him. Yet, those who believe are granted the right to become children of God.

The term Logos was used in that day to define revelation about God. However, John used the term Logos to not only to say that Christ came to reveal God, but to also declare that he was God.

The first main section after the prologue was is sometimes referred to as the Book of Signs, confirming Jesus’ identity. Christ refuses to answer questions from the Jews about his identity as Messiah. Rather He declares His identify through signs which in turn divide the people. This is the sifting of the wheat and tares. In John 3, Christ tells Nicodemus that the Spirit, like the wind, goes where He wills and effects whom He pleases in a description God’s election.

The affirmation of Christ’s identity through his words is conveyed with imagery. Jesus uses “I am” with predicates to give himself titles such as The Vine, Bread of Life, Light of the World, Good Shepherd, and The Way, the Truth and the Life. Most importantly, Jesus takes the divine name for Himself. He claims He is simply “I Am” (8:58), declaring His deity.

At the raising of Lazarus, the Jewish leadership decides that Jesus must die. In John, Caiaphas makes his prophetic statement that “is better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He speaks better than he knew for this is how the Jews would bring judgment upon themselves while Jesus sacrifices Himself to bring His people eternal life.

At the raising of Lazarus, the Jewish leadership decides that Jesus must die. In John, Caiaphas makes his prophetic statement that “is better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He speaks better than he knew for this is how the Jews would bring judgment upon themselves while Jesus sacrifices Himself to bring His people eternal life.

In the next section, The Book of Glory, we are given an intimate window into the hours before His death and crucifixion. In the Farewell Discourses, Jesus tells His disciples to imitate the example He has set before them. In chapter 17, we’re given the privilege of hearing Christ’s powerful intercession for His people.

After Christ’s arrest, John tells us of His appearance before Pontius Pilate. The governor claimed he had power over Jesus. Christ informs Pilate that his authority was granted by God. In reality, Pilate had power over nothing.

After Christ’s death and resurrection, we find one of the most beautiful declarations of Christ’s deity. Thomas had doubted the witness of the other disciples to Christ’s resurrection. When confronted by the risen Jesus, he declared, “My Lord and my God!”

Acts

Acts is part two of Luke’s Gospel account. It starts with Christ’s accession. This book is a natural bridge to the Epistles, which begin with Paul’s letters. The first part concentrates on Peter and the second part shifts the historical focus to Paul.

The book opens with Christ telling the disciples that His spirit will come and descend upon them, empowering His followers for the work of the ministry. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples and they took to the courtyard where every person heard the Gospel in their own language. 3000 were saved that day. Peter then declared that this salvation is effective for as many as the Lord shall call, establishing God’s election.

In the trial of Stephen, he accused the Jews of not only killing the prophets but the Messiah Himself. As with Jesus’ death, Stephen’s sentence and execution reminds us that that God’s grace was being taken from the Jews and now given to all. The Jews become more militant than ever and seek to squelch the Christian movement. Saul of Tarsus, later to become Paul, sought to exterminate Christians wherever he found them. Nonetheless, the church continued to grow and flourish.

The persecution forced Philip to flee to Ethiopia, Samaria, and beyond. Peter received a revelation that God shows no partiality to any nation. As Peter declared this to Cornelius, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Gentiles.

Saul was converted when Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus. After James was murdered, the newly converted Paul sought to build credibility among Christians, dispelling the idea that he was still a Christian killer.

When Peter returned to Jerusalem, Peter was rebuked for associating with Gentiles but declared that this was God’s intended purpose.

The focus now turns to Paul and his missionary journeys. Paul would have successes and rejection, but it shows how God would begin to grow his church with people from every culture and nation.

Romans

Romans is considered the most comprehensive and theologically rich of Paul’s Epistles. The church at Rome had no leader so Paul sought to help and instruct them. Paul had never visited the Roman church, but wrote to them while ministering in Corinth. The book of Romans is a precise declaration of Paul’s theology. The Apostle establishes early in Romans that the Christian faith is for all believers, both Jew and Greek.

The theme of the first few chapters is the righteous of God by faith. Paul starts with man’s depravity and how he exchanges the truth of God for a lie. Therefore, God gives them over to their sin. Paul declares that the Jews and Gentiles are equally guilty whether they had the Law or not. All have fallen short of God’s glory. Being a Jew is no longer a physical reality but now a matter of the heart. What matters now is if one is a Jew inwardly.

Only God can change man’s hopeless condition. The promise of Abraham was finally fulfilled, not through the law, but through faith in Christ. In Romans 5, Paul declares how righteousness is imputed to us. This is shown through federal headship. While our condemnation came through Adam’s disobedience, our salvation came through the perfect obedience of Christ.

Even though the Law increased the guilt of sin, grace abounds and overcomes the effect of sin. However, this does not give warrant to sin as much as we like. Rather, we are now free to walk in newness of life.

Paul’s lament in Romans 7 depicts the aguish we all feel in our struggle with the flesh. Yet the Spirit is with us in our weakness, working out things in us which are beneficial to our salvation. The golden chain of salvation in chapter 8 should provide the believer the definite certainty that God will finish what he began in us.

In Romans 9, Paul establishes the fact that belonging to the people of God is not a matter of natural descent. God’s election is based on His good pleasure. God is just in His election because mercy is never owed. He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. In Chapter 11 Paul declares that, because of the Jew’s rejection of Christ, salvation came to the Gentiles. Yet, the Gentiles are warned not to be haughty lest they be cut off as well.

Beginning in chapter 12, Paul outlines our role in the Christian life. We must be transformed to the image of Christ. He also declares that we are to be dutiful and obedient citizens. He likewise stresses that our Christian liberty should not be claimed at the expense of our Christian witness. Finally, the Apostle closes the book with a beautiful doxology.

- Jordan McGehee

You can listen to this series here.