New Testament Bible Books – Summaries, Themes & Gospel Message
The New Testament is the fulfillment of God’s plan, revealing Jesus Christ as the Messiah and the path to salvation. From the Gospels to Revelation, these books proclaim the good news, establish the early church, and unveil end-time prophecy.
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Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel’s Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people but is rejected by them and how, after his resurrection, he sends the disciples to the gentiles instead.
Mark
The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the burial of his body, and the discovery of his empty tomb.
Luke
The Gospel of Luke tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts, accounting for 27.5% of the New Testament.
John
The Gospel of John is the fourth of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven “signs” culminating in the raising of Lazarus and seven “I am” discourses culminating in Thomas’ proclamation of the risen Jesus as “my Lord and my God”.
Acts
he Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make up a two-part work, Luke–Acts, by the same anonymous author.
Romans
The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in Corinth. Despite the name, it is not believed to be the first such letter.
2 Corinthians
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author named Timothy, and is addressed to the church in Corinth and Christians in the surrounding province of Achaea, in modern-day Greece.
Galatians
The Epistle to the Galatians is the ninth book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul the Apostle to a number of Early Christian communities in Galatia.
Ephesians
The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. According to its text, the letter was written by Paul the Apostle, an attribution that Christians traditionally accepted.
Philippians
The Book of Philippians was written around 60 A.D. while Paul was imprisoned, most likely in Rome. Philippians was a letter written to the Christians of Philippi encouraging them to remain steadfast, giving them thanks and updates and expressing joy.
Colossians
The Epistle to the Colossians is the twelfth book of the New Testament. It was written, according to the text, by Paul the Apostle and Timothy, and addressed to the church in Colossae, a small Phrygian city near Laodicea and approximately 100 miles from Ephesus in Asia Minor.
1 Thessalonians
The First Epistle to the Thessalonians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle, and is addressed to the church in Thessalonica, in modern-day Greece.
2 Thessalonians
The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle, with Timothy as a co-author.
1 Timothy
The First Epistle to Timothy is one of three letters in the New Testament of the Bible often grouped together as the pastoral epistles, along with Second Timothy and Titus.
2 Timothy
The Second Epistle to Timothy is one of the three pastoral epistles traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle. Addressed to Timothy, a fellow missionary, it is traditionally considered to be the last epistle he wrote before his death. The original language is Koine Greek.
Titus
The Epistle to Titus is one of the three pastoral epistles in the New Testament, historically attributed to Paul the Apostle. It is addressed to Saint Titus and describes the requirements and duties of presbyters/bishops.
Philemon
The Epistle to Philemon is one of the books of the Christian New Testament. It is a prison letter, authored by Paul the Apostle, to Philemon, a leader in the Colossian church. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Hebrews
The book of Hebrews compares and contrasts Jesus to key historical people and events from the Hebrew Bible. Through these comparisons, we see his superiority. He is greater than the angels, the Torah, Moses, the promised land, earthly priests, sacrifices, and the covenant.
James
The Epistle of James is a general epistle and one of the 21 epistles in the New Testament. It was written originally in Koine Greek. James 1:1 identifies the author as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” who is writing to “the twelve tribes scattered abroad”.
1 Peter
The First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. The author presents himself as Peter the Apostle. The ending of the letter includes a statement that implies that it was written from “Babylon”, which may be a reference to Rome.
2 Peter
The Second Epistle of Peter is an epistle of the New Testament, and it identifies the author as “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ”.
1 John
The First Epistle of John is the first of the Johannine epistles of the New Testament, and the fourth of the catholic epistles. There is no scholarly consensus as to the authorship of the Johannine works.
2 John
The Second Epistle of John is a book of the New Testament attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the other two epistles of John, and the Gospel of John.
3 John
The Third Epistle of John is the third-to-last book of the New Testament and the Christian Bible as a whole, and attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the Gospel of John and the other two epistles of John.
Jude
The Epistle of Jude is the penultimate book of the New Testament as well as the Christian Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Jude, brother of James the Just, and thus possibly a brother of Jesus as well. Jude is a short epistle written in Koine Greek.
Revelation
The Book of Revelation or Book of the Apocalypse is the final book of the New Testament. Written in Koine Greek, its title is derived from the first word of the text: apokalypsis, meaning ‘unveiling’ or ‘revelation’. The Book of Revelation is the only apocalyptic book in the New Testament canon.
Date of Writings
📅 45–50 A.D. – Early Epistles (Paul’s First Letters)
✅ James (possibly the first book of the New Testament, written by James, the brother of Jesus)
✅ Galatians (Paul writes to counter Judaizers in the early church)
✅ 1 Thessalonians (Encouragement to the persecuted church)
✅ 2 Thessalonians (Clarification on the return of Christ)
📅 50–60 A.D. – Paul’s Major Epistles & The First Gospel
✅ 1 Corinthians (Church discipline, spiritual gifts, and love)
✅ 2 Corinthians (Paul’s defense of his apostleship and encouragement)
✅ Romans (Deep theological letter on salvation and faith)
✅ Mark (First written Gospel, based on Peter’s eyewitness account)
✅ Ephesians (Unity in Christ and Christian living)
✅ Colossians (Christ’s supremacy and combatting false teaching)
✅ Philemon (Personal letter about Christian brotherhood and forgiveness)
✅ Philippians (Joy in suffering, unity in Christ)
📅 60–65 A.D. – Prison Epistles & More Gospel Accounts
✅ Luke (Gospel written by a physician and historian, companion of Paul)
✅ Acts (Luke’s second book, a history of the early church)
✅ 1 Timothy (Paul’s instructions on church leadership to Timothy)
✅ Titus (Guidance on appointing elders and sound doctrine)
📅 65–70 A.D. – Gospels & General Epistles
✅ Matthew (Gospel written to a Jewish audience, emphasizing Jesus as the Messiah)
✅ Hebrews (A powerful letter showing Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Covenant)
✅ 1 Peter (Encouragement to persecuted Christians in Rome)
📅 70–80 A.D. – Later Writings & Church Growth
✅ 2 Peter (Warning against false teachers and the return of Christ)
✅ Jude (Short but powerful letter warning against apostasy)
📅 80–95 A.D. – John’s Writings (Final Books of the NT)
✅ John (A unique Gospel focusing on Jesus’ divinity and deeper spiritual truths)
✅ 1 John (Letter of love, truth, and warning against deception)
✅ 2 John (Encouragement to remain in the truth)
✅ 3 John (Short letter about hospitality and Christian fellowship)
✅ Revelation (Final prophetic book about the return of Christ and the end times, written by John while exiled on Patmos, around 95 A.D.)
Breakdown
The Gospels – 4 Books
(The life, teachings, and work of Jesus Christ)
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
Historical Book – 1 Book
(The history of the early church)
- Acts of the Apostles
(Written by Luke, records the spread of Christianity after Jesus’ resurrection)
Pauline Epistles (Letters) – 13 Books
(Letters from Paul to churches and individuals)
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
General Epistles – 8 Books
(Letters from other apostles and leaders to believers)
- Hebrews (Authorship debated, often attributed to Paul)
- James
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter
- 1 John
- 2 John
- 3 John
- Jude
Prophetic Book – 1 Book
(The future of the church, the return of Christ, and final judgment)
- Revelation (Written by John on the Isle of Patmos, full of prophetic imagery and end-times prophecy)