What Books Of The Bible Are The Gospels?

What books of the bible are called the gospels? What is the difference between them and the other books in the New Testament?

What is the Gospel?

Jesus first words out of His mouth after beginning His earthly ministry was “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Jesus tells us to believe the gospel but what is it? The gospel is the good news of the kingdom of God and the King of that kingdom, Who is Jesus Christ. The bad news is that everyone’s sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23) and our wages earned include death (Rom 6:23a) but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ (Rom 6:23b) which is found in Him alone (Acts 4:12). The good news is not good until you hear the bad news first and that’s the very bad news of God’s wrath abiding on all who refuse to believe in Christ (John 3:36b). The bad news of our sinful state makes the good news seem critically important to us. Like a diamond displayed on black felt, the sparkling beauty of God’s mercy and grace are made more beautiful when displayed against the backdrop of God’s wrath and judgement. That’s why the good news is so good…it saves wretches like me.

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew was apparently one of the twelve disciples that Jesus called but he was also called Levi, the son of Alpheus (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27) and his former occupation was that of a publican. A publican or tax collector was highly despised by the Jews because they were seen as traitors to their own people. As a tax collector, Matthew would have been far richer than most of his countrymen but he simply walked away from it all, a life of comfort and ease, to follow Christ. It’s hard for us Christians to understand all that Matthew and the other disciples left for Christ.  Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and what a perfect position to be at where the Old Testament door slams shut and the New Testament opens wide. It is the hinge upon which the Old Testament ends and the New Testament begins, which may be why Matthew focuses on the Jewish prophecies of Christ to convince his intended Jewish audience that Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the long awaited Messiah.

The Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark, which is John Mark, was actually the Gospel of Peter, because we can see that it’s written from Peter’s perspective. Peter even referred to Mark as his son (1 Pet 5:13). Most biblical scholars agree that Mark or more precisely, John Mark, wrote the Gospel of Mark. Since we know that Mark spent a considerable amount of time with Peter and even mentions Mark as being with him in Rome while Peter was imprisoned there, it would seem natural for John Mark to have recorded Peter’s eye witness experiences with Christ during His earthly ministry. The clarity and detail with which Mark writes with is such that it feels like you are right there with Jesus, just as Peter was. John Mark alone recorded Pilates questioning the Centurion and Mark’s Greek Style of writing, which contains Semitisms that only a Jerusalem Christian might understand. The Gospel of Mark seems to be directed toward the Roman Christians. He emphasizes the fact that God saves Gentiles and Jews alike and seeks both groups worship of Him so apparently Mark’s intended audience was the common man on the street and reflected the working man’s approach just as Peter was a fisherman by trade and was part of the local fishing trade.

The Gospel of Luke

Luke, who is called the Beloved Physician and Luke the Evangelist and he was likely a Greek by birth and as such, was a Gentile as far as the Jews were concerned. We know that Luke wrote the gospel that bears his name and also the Book of Acts and we can read for ourselves the purpose for which he wrote it in Luke 1:1-4 as he begins “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” We don’t know for certain whether Luke wrote to a real person named Theophilus because the Greek name means “friend of God” so there is reason to believe that this gospel may have been written for the larger Christian community in general and not just for one man. This gospel had a decidedly apologetic nature to it and contains highly accurate details and genealogies that we might expect of someone of a higher Greek education.

The Gospel of John

This is my favorite of all gospels and was obviously written by the Apostle John who identifies himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7). John’s gospel appears to focus on the divinity of Christ as the true and only Son of God. He relates focuses on Jesus’ existing with God and being very God from before the earth existed and also as the Creator (John 1) as “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Jesus came to dwell in the flesh (John 1:14) so that He could live a sinless life and become the perfect, once-and-for-all supreme and sufficient-for-all sacrifice for mankind. John even gives us the reason for writing this gospel by writing that “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).

Conclusion

The gospels really are good news for those who’ve repented and trusted in Christ but it is very bad news for those who reject Christ (John 3:36b). If you would read the gospels, you would find the many different angles of Jesus’ life and ministry while here on the earth and like four different eye witnesses, each gives us a unique perspective that gives us a 360 degree view of Jesus in every respect.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.