Day 8: The Bible is a Miraculous Book: Making the New Testament

The early Christians composed the books we call the New Testament for a variety of reasons: 

• Their churches needed eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life and work before the apostles died. 
• Missionaries needed written records of the Christian faith.
• Disciples needed training. 
• Early churches needed doctrinal standards and practical guidelines for explaining and defending the faith.
• And Jesus' words needed to be preserved.

So the gospels ("good news") were written to tell the story of Jesus' life and work. 

The book of Acts told the story of the early church's expansion from Palestine to Rome. The epistles (formal letters) were written to various churches and early Christians. And the Revelation was given by Jesus to the apostle John.

Ordering the New Testament

The New Testament books were not arranged in chronological order but for more practical reasons: 

• Matthew comes first, as it bridges the Old Testament to the New.
• Mark was probably the earliest gospel to be written, followed by Luke and then John. 
• Acts bridges from the gospels to the letters to the churches, as it tells of the church's expansion across the Empire.
• Paul's thirteen letters were then arranged from longest (Romans) to shortest (Philemon). 
• Hebrews was placed at the beginning of the "General Letters," followed by the epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude. 
• The book of Revelation was placed last, as it predicts the return of Jesus and the culmination of his work in history.

Choosing the New Testament

Why were these books chosen and other early writings omitted from the New Testament? 

1. A book must have been written by an apostle or based on his eyewitness testimony. 
2. A book must possess merit and authority in use. 
3. A book must be accepted by the entire church. 
4. Finally, the book must be approved by the decision of the church. 

Various church councils compiled lists of books already in wide acceptance by Christian communities. These councils did not choose the books of the New Testament—the books had already been chosen by God working through his people. The councils merely codified what the churches had already accepted.

From ancient languages and manuscripts, to thousands of copies, to compiling and recognizing the sixty-six books that are God's word for us—the entire process was guided and blessed by God. The One who inspired the Bible also preserved it for us. 

The more we know about the Bible, the more miraculous it becomes. 

That all of its words “bear witness about me,” as Jesus said in John 5:39, makes it more amazing still.