What is the Bible referring to when it mentions the law and the prophets?
The phrase the law and the prophets refers to the entire Hebrew Bible, what we call the Old Testament. Jesus spoke of “the law and the prophets” multiple times, such as when He listed the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:40). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pointed to His absolute perfection, saying, “Do not…
What are the Pastoral Epistles?
The Pastoral Epistles are three letters written by the apostle Paul. The Pastoral Epistles are 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. All three are letters from an old man at the close of his ministry who is concerned for his successors in the pastorate. As such, the letters concern the things that would be crucial…
What are the prison epistles?
The prison epistles—Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon—are so named because they were written by the apostle Paul during one of his incarcerations. Paul mentions this imprisonment in each of the prison epistles: Ephesians 3:1 and 4:1, Philippians 1:13, Colossians 4:3, 18, and Philemon 1:10. It is generally accepted that Paul wrote the prison epistles during…
Why should we study the Old Testament?
There are many reasons to study the Old Testament. For one, the Old Testament lays the foundation for the teachings and events found in the New Testament. The Bible is a progressive revelation. If you skip the first half of any good book and try to finish it, you will have a hard time understanding…
Old Testament vs. New Testament – What are the differences?
While the Bible is a unified book, there are differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In many ways, they are complementary. The Old Testament is foundational; the New Testament builds on that foundation with further revelation from God. The Old Testament establishes principles that are seen to be illustrative of New Testament…
What is the Bible about?
Essentially, the Bible is about God’s plans and purposes for fellowship with people on the earth. God created everything, including people who are made in His image and made for the express purpose of having fellowship with Him. Genesis tells of the creation of the first people, Adam and Eve, their fellowship with God in…
What is the Q gospel?
The gospel of “Q” gets its title from the German word quelle which means “source.” The whole idea of a Q gospel is based on the concept that the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are so similar that they must have copied from each other and/or another source. This other source has been given…
What is the two-source hypothesis?
In addressing this issue, it is helpful to first understand what is the Synoptic Problem, the question of how to explain the similarities and differences among the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the Synoptic (“Same View”) Gospels in that they share many similarities. Thus, they can be studied synoptically or comparatively with the…
What are the Synoptic Gospels?
The Synoptic Gospels are the first three books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three books plus John are called the “Gospels” because they chronicle the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection—the basis of our salvation. The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew the apostle, one of the twelve…
What is the story of the New Testament?
Four hundred years after God spoke to the prophet Malachi, God spoke again. The message was that the prophecy of Malachi 3:1 was soon to be fulfilled, that a prophet was to prepare the way for the Lord. The Messiah was on His way. That prophet was named John. The Messiah was named Jesus, born…