Context Matters: New Testament BackgroundsSýnishorn

Topic 2: The literary background of the New Testament

Knowing the literary background for some New Testament texts can help shed light on theology. For example, the New Testament applies Old Testament statements about God to Jesus to show that Jesus was indeed God. Often, the New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament directly to highlight the deity of Jesus.

In Romans 10:9–13, Paul takes a statement about God from Joel 2:32 and applies it to Jesus. He writes, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. … for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

New Testament writers also allude to well-known Old Testament passages. This can be seen in Philippians 2:10–11, where Paul writes, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.” This is an allusion to Isaiah 45:23 where God speaks through his prophet, “By myself I have sworn… Before me every knee will bow, by me every tongue will swear allegiance.”

By alluding to this passage and applying it to Jesus, Paul is equating Jesus with God.

The New Testament also uses references to other non-biblical traditions to highlight that Jesus is God. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” He’s likely evoking an ancient Jewish teaching that stated, “Where two or three are gathered for the study of God’s law, there will be God’s Presence among them.” Jesus is then claiming to be the very presence of God.

You don’t need to know all the historical and literary references in the New Testament to grasp its teaching that Jesus is God, but being aware of them can help illuminate Scripture and give you a fuller sense of how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.

Learn more about theology in understanding the New Testament background and genres in the New Testament by watching the videos below.