Importance of the New Testament for Christianity

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Christianity is the worlds major religion with around 2 billion followers. Its central figure is Jesus Christ who through his birth, ministry life, trials, crucifixion, death, and, resurrection is believed to have offered the salvation and atonement needed by His followers from their sins. His nature and personality have been the subject of debate for centuries among many groups resulting in different world views and denominations.

The name Jesus is originated from Hebrew to mean save. In the New Testament, an angel told Mary and Joseph to name their child Jesus on different occasions. The Bible in Matthew 1:21 states that you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins, (Bible, 2020). Christians have believed that the name has divine power, and it is commonly called upon when they want to display their ability.

There are titles given to Jesus by His followers when He was still on His mission here on earth as a human. These names include; Christ, The Word, the Son of God, the Son of David, and the Light of the World. The name Christ is derived from the Greek word Christos, which means the anointed one. It had been prophesied in the Old Testament that God would send the Messiah to save the world from their sin. The Jews knew that Jesus Christ the Messiah was coming though they never understood what He had come to do. They thought that He had come to set up an earthly kingdom and deliver them from the Romans, but He came to deliver them from the bondage of sin.

In the scripture, John 1:1, Jesus is referred to as The Word. It clearly shows that He was an eternal being just like God Himself. John further elaborates in the chapter that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Bible, 2020). This means He came on earth, was born as a human being, lived with men, and later died (Senga & Grose, 2021). It affirms the divinity of Jesus claim that He was God who came to be amidst people.

The title Son of God has been used severally referring to Jesus in the New Testament. It indicates His divinity from when His birth was announced up to when He was crucified. The declaration that He was Son of God was made by individuals like John the Baptist in the gospel of John 11:27. Demons declared the same in the gospel of Luke 4:41 and Mark 3:11 (Bible, 2020). Also, Jesus Christ Himself asserted that that was His title.

Jesus is again called Son of David, which explains that He was a descendant of David. This is brought out in the gospel of Matthew 9:27 when He healed blind men in Galilee, who were saying, have mercy on us, Son of David. When He was entering Jerusalem, some people in the crowd that welcomed him were heard saying, Hosanna to the Son of David. (Matthew 21:9) (Bible, 2020). In Revelation 22:16, Jesus calls Himself the Root and the Offspring of David.

There are several instances in the New Testament where Jesus is referred to as the Light of the world. In John 1, John states that In Him was life and the life was the light of men. Jesus, Himself explains that He came to the world to make the blind see. He also states that whoever follows Him shall not walk in darkness but shall have life. The epistle of 1 John 1:15 says that God is light and in Him, there is no darkness at all. Two titles stand out for me, namely, Son of God and The Word of God (DeSilva, 2018). These two set the standard of how best to understand who Jesus is.

After the death, resurrection, and ascending of the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, there was no movement identified as a church. There were only a few men termed as disciples and apostles who used to walk and work with Christ who later started the Christian faith across the land of Israel. Through these men, the movement gained pace and started to be known within Israel and far-off areas outside Israel. One of the key factors that led to the remarkable spread of Christianity was the supernatural power that had been promised to the disciples by Jesus himself. According to Acts 1:8, Jesus assured them of some power that would prepare and drive them to preach the gospel to all nations (Bible, 2020). But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, (Bible, 2020). This was evident during and after the day of Pentecost when the promised Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, and Peter led the rest to proclaim what had happened and started witnessing about Jesus.

Before Christianity, the dominant religion within Israel was Judaism which had a strict form of worship that was informed by the Old Testament practiced mainly by the Pharisees and Scribes. A religious clash started to emerge with the introduction of a New Testament that was a bit different from the old one. The New Testament was more appealing to many people who felt that the laws were unbearable to follow, which also had severe consequences (Bishop et al., 2018). This factor led to many people believing in Christianity, which translated to more conversions.

Politics, too, played a very key role in influencing the direction and scope of the spread of Christianity. During the days of Jesus here on earth, the dominant empire by that time was the Roman Empire. The death of Christ Himself happened in the hands of Roman soldiers, which shaped the way the political entity started viewing the followers of the New Testament. This negative perception spread out across the Roman Empire, and Christians were viewed as outcasts. It is believed that Paul, who is probably the greatest of all the apostles, was killed in Rome. At some point in the rule of the Roman Empire, there emerged an emperor by the name of Constantinople who claimed to have converted to Christianity. He declared Christianity to be the state religion across the entire Roman Empire (Alawode, 2020). This gave rise to a new body within Christianity known as the Roman Catholic Church, and with the absence of persecution of Christians, this was bliss for the movement, which gained roots across the whole of Europe.

The idea of God being three persons in one has been the key topic for many decades to many circles and groups across the world. It is a mystery that has caused great debate over the centuries with very few agreements. It is, however, worth noting that God initiated this concept early enough in the Old Testament to prepare the hearts and minds of people about His second person, Jesus Christ, who is also known as God the Son. For instance, Isaiah 6:9 says, For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Craig, 2019). This is one of the precise parts of the old testament that indicate that Jesus was that Son who was to be born and was the same as God.

The New Testament strongly introduces this radical idea that Jesus is God the Son. John chapter one is very unequivocal in his claim that Jesus was there at the beginning of time with God the Father. John further pens down that Jesus is the creator of the universe and the earth. He then states that the same Word that was with God the Father, in the beginning, took flesh and dwelt among men. During the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, a voice is heard by all who were around, confirming Him to be the Son of God. The Jews knew this special status of the Son of God meant that Jesus was the same as God, and that is the reason they wanted to stone Him to death as recorded in John 10:33. Philippians chapter 2 states that Jesus, although being equal with God, humbled Himself to a man of no reputation to save people.

In summary, Jesus Christ remains to be the most influential single individual in human history. The prophecies about His birth, name, life, and completion of His mission here on earth stood out, placing Him as different from other humans and, therefore, the worlds savior. His ministry was carried forward after His death, resurrection, and ascension by His disciples to many parts of the world. The ripple effect continued, coupled with many challenges, propelled Christianity to what it is today.

References

Alawode, A. O. (2020). Politics in Christian missions. HTS: Theological Studies, 76(1), 1-4. Web.

Bishop, R. C., Funck, L. L., Moshier, S. O., Walton, J. H., & Lewis, R. J. (2018). Understanding scientific theories of origins: Cosmology, geology, and biology in Christian perspective. InterVarsity Press.

Craig, W. L. (2019). Is God the Son begotten in His divine nature?. TheoLogica: An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology, 3(1), 22-32. Web.

DeSilva, D. A. (2018). An introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, methods & ministry formation. InterVarsity Press.

Senga, S. S., & Grose, R. P. (2021). Hallmarks of cancerthe new testament. Open Biology, 11(1). Web.

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Importance of the New Testament for Christianity

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