What Is the New Testament About?

TEXT: Romans 3:28-31; 10:12-13; Hebrews 9:13-17, 28; 1 Peter 1:3-7; 1 John 1:1-4

OBJECTIVE

The students will be able to explain that the New Testament was written so all could know that Jesus is God's Son and that by believing in Him we can have eternal life.

BIBLE LESSON OUTLINE

Introduction: Insert pictures of Jesus' life on earth (such as His birth, death, healings, with the children) into a plastic picture cube. Use this to open your class session. Let the children pick out the important figure in each picture. Then explain that Jesus is the most important person in the New Testament part of our Bible. All the pictures they looked at were told about in the New Testament.

1. The New Testament has three main sections: the history of Jesus' life on earth and early ministry of His followers; letters of instruction from Jesus' followers; prophecy of things yet to be.
2. It tells of Jesus' life on earth, death, resurrection, ascension, and His second coming.
3. The New Testament promises that salvation is for "the whosoever will," and gives us the promise of eternal life.

Climax: Through studying the New Testament, we can know Jesus and God's plan for the way to receive eternal life.

Conclusion: The New Testament is the complete revelation of God's plan for mankind's eternal salvation through His Son, Jesus.

Response: The students will be able to explain that the New Testament shows us how to receive salvation and live a Christian life that will qualify us for Heaven.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The names "Old" and "New Testament" first appeared around the close of the second century. They were thus named to classify the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. There are twenty-seven books in the New Testament and it is believed that all were written in the first century. Of course they were individual articles or letters when first written. The combined group, which we know as the New Testament, made its appearance in the second century. The first four books of the New Testament are called the Gospels, but are actually four records of one Gospel. The fifth book, the Acts of the Apostles, gives a short account of the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. Of the next twenty-one, thirteen bear the name of Paul, one the name of James, two have Peter's name, and one the name of Jude. Of the other four, three are considered to be John's writings and many scholars believe that Paul also wrote the Book of Hebrews. The Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation which is primarily a book of prophecy.

While some may wonder if there were other inspired writings, the child of God does not need to worry that anything has been lost that would be necessary to take us on our journey from earth to Heaven. We have a very well-documented account of the plan of redemption and need only to follow the instructions that are in the Word to have a truly satisfying life here below and a knowledge that the Lord will take us Home to be with Him.

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES

• Copy and cut out a notched New Testament memory verse card for each student (see Patterns). Also give each student a piece of string or thin yarn two yards long. Instructions: Staple one end of the string to the black dot at the top of the card. Wrap the string from one notch to another in the correct order of the memory verse and say each word aloud as it is wrapped. Fasten the end and use this as a book marker for your Bible.
• Use the same idea for the New Testament stories told in felt figures as was used in lesson 36b for the Old Testament. Name several stories from the New Testament and let each child choose one to illustrate with felt figures (use pattern given for 36b and also silhouette shapes given in Unit 28).
• Little Wordless Books could be made to help explain what Jesus did for us.
• Make a large chart of the children's favorite New Testament stories to go with the Old Testament chart from 36b. If they name a story from the Old Testament, simply add it to the Old Testament list. These charts can be saved and each Sunday's lesson can be added to one of the lists so the children can see where each lesson is found. It is also a quick review for previous lessons.

QUESTIONS

1. Who are some of the men that God used to write the New Testament?
2. Name the three main sections of the New Testament.
3. What does the history part tell about?
4. What do the letters tell?
5. What does the prophecy part tell about?
6. Why is it called "New"? What is new about it?
7. Were there people still alive from the Old Testament days when the New Testament came about? What do you think they thought about Jesus' coming and fulfilling the promises of God?
8. Do all people believe in Jesus today?
9. What are some of the main points of the New Testament?
10. How did Jesus' life on this earth teach us how we should live?
11. What story do you like best in the New Testament?
12. What promises were fulfilled in the New Testament?
13. Talk about how both Testaments are important to read.

PRE-SCHOOL SUGGESTIONS

• The Bible-verse garden suggested in 36b can be carried over and used in this lesson also. They can use the same flowerpot cup for both lessons or make one for each. Again, prepare verse flowers for the children to add to their flowerpots (use same pattern as for 36b). On each of the flowers print verses from the New Testament. Tape a chenille wire to the back of each flower and then it can be pushed into the clay dough where it will stand up like a flower. The children may win flowers in many ways to add to their flowerpot gardens: smiling, sharing, obeying, etc. (Refer to lesson 36b for suggestions.)
• Show colorful pictures of stories and lessons they know from the New Testament. Bring out the fact that the New Testament is the story of Jesus. It tells of His coming to earth, the life He lived, the message He brought, the people who followed Him, His death and resurrection, and of His promise to come again.
• Put together the circle chart of the New Testament stories (see Patterns). Lay the top circle (with a wedge missing) on the circle with the pictures. Attach them together in the middle with a paper fastener. Turn the circle to the different pictures and ask the children if they know what story it is. Tell them that the story is found in the New Testament.

REVIEW IDEAS‍

Use the same idea as was related in lesson 36b for the OT poster. This time prepare a large poster with the letters NT (see Patterns). Ask the children to suggest stories and events from the New Testament that can be written into these larger letters. (If they happen to mention something from the Old Testament, try to suggest a New Testament happening that might be similar. You don't want to scare them off from participating.) Fill the poster with New Testament details. Present to the children the fact that the New Testament is filled with the wonderful story of Jesus and His love. You can then put the poster on display or have a drawing to see which child gets to keep the poster.

Challenge the children to learn some facts that are found in the New Testament. Have them take turns spinning and answering questions suggested by the game wheel (see Patterns). Allow them to ask their teachers to help, but the teachers must refer to their Bibles when helping. The six categories are, Name, Book, Verse, Meaning, Before/After, Story. Ask such questions as, "What was the name of Jesus' mother?" "What is the last book of the Bible?" "What is today's memory verse?" "What is the meaning of prayer?" "The four books before Acts are called the Gospels. Name them." "What story does a star remind you of?" Remember that the New Testament is the story of Jesus, so include Him in most of your questions.