Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Top Ten New Testament Passages

I recently was asked by a Rabbi to share my top ten New Testament passages. It had never really made such a list before. How do you decide?

Top Ten New Testament Passages

These ten are my top ten. I don't think there is any kind of unanimity in Christianity about how one should read or interpret the New Testament. That is why there are just so many different traditions in Christianity. I come from the Wesleyan tradition, so my choices here are both personal, as seen through my theological background, and from my own experience.

Most Christians experience the bible with favorite go to verses that encourage them. I think what you are looking for are passages that get after the heart of New Testament theological ideas.

1) Romans 8

The number one passage for a New Testament worldview, in my opinion, is Romans Chapter 8. This chapter is the climax to Paul of Tarsus' discourse from the beginning of the letter. To get the full impact of Romans 8, one ought to read the argument from Romans 1 all the way through Romans 8. But to save you that time, I'll set up the chapter by stating that Paul is describing the difference between a righteousness gained by obedience to the Law of Moses versus a righteousness that is given to those with faith in Christ. Paul's understanding of this righteousness by faith is that God, in His mercy, pours His Holy Spirit into the hearts of those of who believe the gospel. Cross reference Romans 1:16. Paul asserts that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first the Jew, then the Gentile. In Romans 8 Paul is describing the redemptive work of God through His actions in Jesus. That redemption is from a world that is in bondage to decay (sin and death). Freedom is given to Jesus in His resurrection from the dead. That same freedom is given to believers through the Spirit that dwells in them. The Spirit enables believers with the power of God to become what the Law of Moses intends. No longer hindered by the power of sin, those who are "in Christ" (which I interpret to mean obedient to the influence of the power of God's love) are enabled to be just, righteous and pleasing to God.

My favorite verse in this passage is Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (New Revised Standard Version)


2) Matthew 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount)

Matthew is depicting Jesus as the new Moses, a lawgiver of the new covenant in Jesus. Jesus stands upon a mountain and gives The Beatitudes to open His sermon. The "Blessed are" statements are akin to the blessings in Deuteronomy for covenant faithfulness. The rest of Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 are like the book of the Law in Exodus 20-23. These describe the new covenant morality of Jesus' disciples.

Critics of Christianity have said when reading this material, "The only problem with Christianity is that no one has ever tried it!" The bar is set high here. It takes an act of God's transforming grace (love in action) for one to be empowered to live according to the morality set forth here.

3) 1 Corinthians 13 (The Love Chapter)

This passage is a favorite for weddings. John Wesley, founder of my tradition, said that if one would adhere to the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and this passage in 1 Corinthians 13, one would be living true Christianity. These two passages give a good representation of what Christians are called to become. It only happens through the transforming power of God's love poured into us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

4) 1 John 4:7-21

This passage describes God as love. God is love. If God dwells in us through the Spirit of Christ, then His love dwells in us. His love is best illustrated in the gift of Jesus, God's Son, as the ultimate atonement for sin. Cross reference 1 John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  (New International Version)

5) Matthew 22:35-40 (The Greatest Commandment)

America's Pastor, Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven Life, gleans five purposes for the church which come from the great commandment and the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). To love God fully is worship. To love neighbor is mission. Jesus taught that the love of God and neighbor fulfills the objectives of the Law of Moses and the just teachings of the prophets. Cross reference Paul in Romans 13:8-10. Love empowering thoughts, words and deeds, creates the kind of holy life God intends for humanity. It must be His love, not our distorted ideas about love. His love is self-sacrifice. His love is a mystical power that recreates the human heart.

6) Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission)

The mission of the United Methodist Church is "to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." We take part of that mission statement from the Great Commission. After Jesus died and was raised again to life, He commissioned His church to go and make disciples.

Rick Warren draws his other three purposes of the church from this passage. The first two purposes Warren gleaned from the great commandment: love God (worship) and love neighbor (mission). In the Great Commandment, the other purposes are as follows: make disciples (evangelism), baptizing them (fellowship), teaching them (discipleship).

Not everyone agrees with Warren's spin, but it's pretty good in my estimation. Much of what we do is pointed at either trying to get people in the door (evangelism) so that they can worship (love God) and serve in church ministries and missions (love neighbor). As participants draw deeper, they become part of small groups (fellowship) that help them grow in faith (discipleship).


7)  2 Corinthians 5:1-6:2

This passage describes our hope in eternal life, a resurrected body. But resurrection is not merely an afterlife experience. Resurrection is experienced now through the Spirit. The death conquering powers of the age to come are present in us through the Spirit. Therefore all who are in Christ are a new creation. We are of the new heaven and earth that God will create. God has begun this new creation in the resurrection of Jesus and all who believe.

8) Ephesians 2:1-22

This passage describes how Gentiles are part of what God is doing to redeem the world through Israel. Through faith in Christ we are joined together as fellow citizens in the kingdom of our God.

9) Acts 1:8

You won't likely find this verse on a top ten list, but this describes the mission of the church, from a different angle. The church is empowered to be witnesses to Jesus Christ. It started in Jerusalem with Jews who believed Jesus is Messiah. The good news of God's love and mercy through Jesus spread throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. I am a Christian because the church has consistently been a witness for Jesus.

But witness is more than words. It is the kind of communities Christ's disciples build. See Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-35.

Another way to describe the church's mission of witness is to understand that the church is continuing the ministry of Jesus, that is to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of God is here (or near at hand), to heal the sick, and to liberate those held in bondage. Luke 6:17-19 illustrates Jesus' ministry.

People from all over... had come to hear him (Teaching)
to be healed of their diseases (Healing)
Those troubled by evil spirits were cured (Liberation)

Any ministry of the church ought to continue the ministry of Jesus by bringing hope through teaching and preaching the gospel, by restoring health, and establishing liberty (setting the captive free) to pursue holiness (one in love with God and neighbor) through the power of grace.

10) Philippians 4:4-13

The letter to the Philippians is often called the "Epistle of Joy." Paul's rhetoric is filled with joy. This passage is a favorite of mine because it helps me to remember to cultivate joy in my heart by focusing on the praiseworthy. I can always rejoice because of the nearness of Jesus Christ, my Lord, through the Holy Spirit which He has given me. Through the Spirit, I have heaven inside. I am already right with God through Jesus' sacrifice and already perfected in Christ through His work in me in eternal glory. I am both a fallen man captive to sin and a glorified man transformed by the Spirit of Christ and the Love of God. When I rely upon Him, I am at my best. It is a life long journey to grow up into maturity in Christ, but through His strength I can do all things. It's so important not to get bogged down in despair, grumbling, complaining and frustrations. To quote another favorite passage from Genesis, "God has been gracious to me and I have all I need. (Genesis 33:11) Like Jacob the patriarch learned, when we realize just how blessed we are to be in covenant with God and one another, what else do we really need? We have it all.

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