Part II -- Acts, Romans, I & II Corinthians
Part IV -- Hebrew Scriptures and Tenets of the World Christian Church
Tenets of the World Christian Church 21
The Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--are the immutable record of the earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the prophesied Messiah of Israel. The centrality of God in Jesus' life, the model for our own life in Christ, is made clear in each of the Gospels.
The three "Synoptic" Gospels broadly overlap their portrayals of Jesus' words and actions; yet each is highly distinctive because the apparent audience to which it is directed. Matthew is obviously written to the Jews, and relies heavily on references to the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish prophesy. Mark, written for Gentile (or at least Roman) readers, tends not to rely on references to prophesy but goes to some length to explain Jewish customs. Luke was written specifically to the otherwise unknown "Theophilus," and even more than Mark, has a need to explain Judaism to its Gentile reader(s). It frequently renders Hebrew names in their Greek equivalents.
The Gospel of John chooses to reveal yet another dimension of the Lord's life and work. It is the most direct revelation of Jesus as the Son of God--of Jesus as God. Omitting most of the events recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, John instead chooses to focus on Christ's life and His last days. Aside from His own resurrection, John records eight of Christ's miracles--six of which are only found in this Gospel: changing the water into wine, healing the nobleman's son, healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, healing the man born blind, raising Lazarus, and the second catch of fish. The two great themes in the Gospel of John are those of faith and eternal life, and the necessity of the former in order to receive the latter.
The Book of Acts, written by the author of the Gospel of Luke, is the powerful record of the early Chu...