Home » New Testament Survey

New Testament Survey - Overview

Class name

What is a survey?

Purpose

Why are we here?

To engender an ever-increasing passion for the glory of God in Jesus Christ, that we might know Him, which is Eternal Life (John 17.3 NASB95), and make Him known. We pursue this by knowing His Word - which is Spirit and Life (John 6.63 NASB95) We are made holy by His Word – His Word is truth (John 17.17 NASB95)

Not to master the Word, but that the Word might master us.
Grasp the major themes and primary message of each book of the New Testament, as it bears witness to the Gospel
To be thus equipped always ready to give a reason for the hope in you (1 Peter 3.15 NASB95)

Class protocols

We all desire to get the most benefit and blessing from our time together around the Word. So these protocols are simply meant to facilitate that, and reduce potential distractions

Be on time

Being late is a distraction, and diminishes everyone’s learning experience in both quantity and quality
Being on time displays your eagerness to learn and grow in the Lord, and shows love and respect for your neighbor
Grade points will have to be deducted if you are late, unless you have a very good excuse

No electronics in class

Electronics include phones, tablets, and laptops.
We all know how distracting these can be, despite good intentions
There will be a container near the entrance where you can leave your silenced phone and any other personal electronics.
You can retrieve them on the way out of class

Paper Bibles and Paper notebooks

No electronics means that we get to write in old-fashioned paper notebooks! This is a good thing.
You may choose to transcribe your hand-written notes later onto a device. The process of doing this can be helpful for remembering and considering what we discussed in class

Formal Equivalence translations of Scripture only

Dynamic Equivalence (paraphrase) translations like the NLT, TPT (Passion), MSG (Message), TLB (Living), et al. can be helpful in thinking about a text of Scripture. Yet they are by nature once removed from the actual text. Reading a paraphrase is similar to reading a commentary in that you are getting someone else’s thoughts and insights second-hand, rather than getting them directly for yourself from Scripture.

Since want to maximize our personal interaction with the Lord in His Word, we will use only Formal Equivalence (word for word) translations. These include the NASB, ESV, NKJV, and LSB. If you have another version you’d like to use, check with the instructor.

Resist the temptation to use AI

ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools can be useful for finding out things. But they have an inherent danger of diluting and diminishing our discipleship (learning of Him, and learning from Him). Our goal here not just to get through this class with a passing grade – it is to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord, to grow as His disciples and be better equipped to be His hands and feet in this broken world. Also, there are good reasons to be believe that AI tools are not trustworthy in the long run.

Grades

There will be 3 elements to your grade

Attendance and Punctuality - get to class, and be there 5 minutes early
Engagement and Participation in class - ask questions and share your insights
Homework assignments and possible quizzes - turned in at the beginning of every class

Books

Required

Hard copy Bible (see above for acceptable versions)
Introducing the New Testament - 170 pp. An inexpensive condensed and simplified summary of An Introduction to the New Testament cited below.

Optional

An Introduction to the New Testament - 780 pp. An excellent and thorough study if you want to dig deeper!

References and Resources

1st Semester Schedule

(subject to revision)

Background of the New Testament
Text of the NT; The Synoptic Gospels
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
New Testament letters
Who was Paul?
Romans - the Gospel of God
1 & 2 Corinthians
Galatians

2nd Semester Schedule