Hymns 806
Scripture Reading:
Heb. 1:2 Has at the last of these days spoken to us in the Son, whom He appointed Heir of all things, through whom also He made the universe.
A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT
In the Old Testament Christ is portrayed as the coming One. In the New Testament, the One whose coming was predicted has come. Thus, the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old. These two testaments are actually one, revealing one Person who is our life. (Life-study of Matthew, msg. 1)
In the Old Testament, God spoke in the prophets, in men borne by His Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). In the New Testament, He speaks in the Son, in the person of the Son. The Son is God Himself (v. 8), God expressed. God the Father is hidden; God the Son is expressed. No one has ever seen God; the Son, as the Word of God (John 1:1; Rev. 19:13) and the speaking of God, has declared Him with a full expression, explanation, and definition of Him (John 1:18). (The New Testament Recovery Version, Heb. 1:2, footnote 22,)
THE NEW TESTAMENT
Gospels and Acts—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts
Gospels and Acts: The New Testament at its beginning presents four biographies to portray the four main aspects of this all-inclusive Christ. The Gospel of Matthew testifies that He is the King, the Christ of God prophesied in the Old Testament, who brings the kingdom of the heavens to the earth. The Gospel of Mark tells us that He is the Servant of God, laboring for God faithfully. The Gospel of Luke presents a full picture of Him as the only proper and normal man who ever lived on this earth. The Gospel of John unveils Him as the Son of God, the very God Himself, who is life to God’s people. The subject of Acts is the propagation of the resurrected Christ in His ascension, by the Spirit, through the disciples, for the producing of the churches—the kingdom of God. (The New Testament Recovery Version, Matt. 1:1, footnote 11; Subject of Acts)
The Epistles of Paul—
Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews
The Epistles of Paul: In Romans we see that Christ’s life is a life of righteousness for our justification. In Corinthians is the Christ who is everything in the practical church life. The books of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians form a cluster of Epistles that make up the heart of the divine revelation in the New Testament. The essential subject of these four books is Christ and the church. (Life-study of Song of Songs, msg. 8; Life-study of Hebrews, msg. 1; The New Testament Recovery Version, Gal. 1:1, footnote 11)
The book of 1 and 2 Thessalonians reveals the three aspects of a holy life for the church life—serving the living God, conducting ourselves in a holy manner, and waiting for the Lord’s coming. The first Epistle is for encouragement and comfort; the second is for correction and balance. If we put Philemon together with 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, we shall know how to have a proper local church life to preserve the church as the proper expression of the Triune God. The book of Hebrews reveals that Christ is superior to Judaism and everything related to it, and the New Covenant which He consummated is better than the Old Covenant. (Subject of 1 Thessalonians, Recovery Version, 1 Thes. 1:3, footnote 31; Life-study of 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon; msg. 1; The New Testament Recovery Version, Subject of Hebrews)
The Epistle of James
The subject of the Epistle of James is practical Christian perfection. The many virtues he covers in this book are related to this perfection. (Life-study of James, msg. 1)
The Epistles of Peter and Jude
The basic structure to the Epistles of 1 and 2 Peter and Jude is the Triune God operating to accomplish a threefold salvation so that we may be regenerated, that we may feed on His word, and that we may grow, be transformed, and be built up in order that He may have a dwelling place and that we may express Him. (Life-study of 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude, msg. 49)
The Epistles of John—1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation
The Epistles of John: John’s ministry was not only to mend the broken ministry of Paul but also to consummate the entire divine revelation of both the Old Testament and the New Testament, of both the Gospels and the Epistles. In such a ministry, the focus is the mysteries of the divine life. (The New Testament Recovery Version, 1 John 1:1, footnote 11)
Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 1; The New Testament Recovery Version, Matt. 1, 1 Cor. 1, Heb. 1; Life-study of Acts, msg. 2; Life-study of Romans, msg. 1; Life-study of Galatians, msg. 1; Life-study of 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon; msg. 1; Life-study of James, msg. 1; Life-study of 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude, msgs. 1, 45
