The Canonical Structure Of The New Testament

Acts of the Apostles chronicles the rapid advancement of the Gospel by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles: The Charismatic Community in Mission” takes into account the narratives succeeding Pentecost including Spirit Baptisms from Samaria to Ephesus (Acts

This is found by comparing Acts 1:1 with Luke 1:3-4. Acts 1:1: "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen." Luke 1: 3-4: " (3) Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, (4) so that you may know the certainty of things you have been taught." Because Luke's first book was written to Theophilus as was Acts, Luke must be the author of both.

Let me explain, in the book of Acts, there is the history of how Christianity came about. The Apostle Peter preached boldly because of the Holy Spirit. In my opinion, the life application here is to turn to the Holy Spirit to give us courage also insight to accomplish what God wants us to do building His kingdom. However, change will take place as new churches are founded. The book of Acts tells us that by faith in Jesus, along with the Holy Spirit, we can face these new problems, challenges as well as give us significant ways to unravel them. The early church was founded by God’s Holy Spirit and His power with the help of his disciples just as it should be today (Acts 1-2

The final eight epistles of the New Testament canon exert an influence out of proportion to their length. They complement the thirteen Pauline Epistles by offering varying perspectives on the richness of Christian truth. Each of the five authors – James, Peter, John, Jude, and the author of Hebrews – made a distinctive contribution from his own point of view. Like the four harmonizing approaches to the life of Christ portrayed in the Gospels, these writers provide a sweeping portrait of the Christian life as a whole and how it should be lived out. Although Paul’s epistles are excellent, the New Testament revelation after Acts would be severely limited by one apostle’s perspective had the writing of these five men been neglected. The

The controversial figure of St Paul is credited with writing thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament; thus making him one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age and in the development of the early Christian faith. Paul’s letters are some of the earliest Christian documents discovered dating to approximately 50 AD, whereas the scholarly consensus for the dating of the gospels is between 70 AD and 90 AD. Therefore, Paul’s thirteen letters reveal the earliest teachings about Jesus and the Christian faith; in particular Paul’s letter to the Romans expresses the fullest statement of how salvation in Christ is achieved (Wansbrough, 2011, P247). Thus, this essay will primarily focus on Romans and the extent it concurs with the Gospel according to Luke. In doing this, the essay will also analyse whether Paul’s letters rely on the narrative of Luke’s gospel. The overall message Paul preaches in his thirteen letters is we can be saved through Jesus’ actions, but only if we follow his teachings. However, the argument is can this message be fully understood by Christians without Luke’s gospel? Additionally, this paper will attempt to show how Paul’s preaching has altered or remained the same throughout time.

In the first part of Dr. Timothy McGrew's discussion on the dependability of Acts and Luke as an author, McGrew shows and proceeds to interact with the opposing view held by Dr. Bart Ehrman. McGrew respectfully goes through each of Ehrman's negative and misguided beliefs on the contradictions and errors Erhman believes there to be in the book of Acts.

Our source of knowledge of the apostolic work of Paul comes first from the Book of Acts. The epistles written by Paul serve to further our knowledge of his mission. These letters were written to churches that he had founded or churches that were known to him. Luke’s account of Paul introduces us to the basic facts about this important biblical figure. A more complete understanding of Paul’s journeys can be gleaned from his letters. These epistles were written almost at the time they occurred and they comprise some of the earliest works contained in the New Testament.

Third, he dedicates his work to the reader’s knowledge and growth in the Christian faith. These three statements apply not only to Luke but to Acts as well. They help account for the plausibility, careful reporting, and theological sensitivity of the book.

The authorship of the Gospel of Luke is a debated topic, while certain scholars believe that it was Luke, Paul’s physician, others believe that the writer is anonymous (Harris, 2014; Wilcox, 2014). There are two different bases of logic regarding this topic that will allow the reader to arrive at their own conclusion. First, a memo in the Muratorian canon names the physician Paul traveled with as the writer of the Gospel of Luke (Harris, 2014). Also, church leader Irenaeus refers to Paul’s physician and writer, Luke, as the author of the Gospel of Luke. Consequently, since scholars believe the same author wrote both Luke and Acts, the phrasing in certain books of Acts implies inclusion in certain narratives or first-hand accounts, thereby again

The book of Acts was written by Luke. This book in the Bible has great meaning and is the last recorded time of Jesus talking. Paul and Barnabas work together to preach the gospel and this is written in the book of acts.

“Acts describes the life of the church in Jerusalem, the spread of the gospel in Samaria, the activities of Peter, and the early persecution of

Luke and Acts tells the story of what Jesus did and taught during his ministry, first in his earthly life and then as the exalted Christ and Lord through his disciples. This essay will outline the various titles Luke used to portray or described Jesus in his two-volume narrative, in doing this we hope to get a better understanding and a complete picture of who Jesus was. Luke in his two volume work described Jesus in numerous ways and I am only going to be discussing four which referred to him as Christ, Lord, Prophet and Savior. The main Christological themes that appear in Luke-Acts highlighted and emphasised on the concept of the “Lord 's Christ”, meaning the coming ruler of God 's people, who will serve as their Savior and performing prophetic work [2 pg. 123-143]. Moreover, Jesus’s role was not assumed on his own initiative, but rather it was the work of God. Thus we can say that God’s work and plans were at the center of the Book of Acts and Luke’s gospel [1 pg 22].

According to Matera, Luke-Acts is a well-defined set of time periods. The Gospel is considered the time of Jesus and Acts is the time of the Church. The time of Jesus in Luke's Gospel foreshadows the Church (Matera, 7). As stated in Stanton, "Luke set out the story of Jesus as a prelude to the story of the origin and growth of the early Church" (Stanton, 80). John, on the other hand, focuses on Christology and the teachings of Jesus to the community (Matera, 9). Both Gospels contain strong references to discipleship, which form the basis for the Church.

Originally, Acts 1, 2: The Book of Acts is indicative of the Holy Spirit to be an accurate account of the activities of the early church. The Epistles of the New Testament were to the believers inspired by the Holy Spirit…a creed for us to apply. Acts is a devotional and an historical account of the spread of Christianity. Relatively, it is the triumph of the Christian message, despite the persecution of Christ, and his people. Acts begins Jesus’ charge to the Twelve Apostles to spread the Gospel throughout the world, giving them the power of the witness through the Holy Spirit. Acts is a post-resurrection message amid the Apostles and Jesus, equally teaching them about the Kingdom of God.

During the early history of the church, there was no such thing as a New Testament “canon.” The selection of books that were to be included or excluded from the texts used by the church was the responsibility of each individual church body, and thus varied greatly from location to location. Because there was no canon – (books considered