Free The Gospels Report Example

The Bible is better understood through the scores of themes used in the various books. The New Testament offers many insights into the life of Christ. The major themes in the New Testament include the Kingdom of God, the suffering of Christ and his people, and the required human response. However, these themes are more pronounced in the Gospels, which include the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In this discussion, a detailed analysis of the three themes will be delineated as they are exhibited in the Gospels.
One of the major themes in the New Testament is the Kingdom of God, which is synonymous to the Lordship of Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew, believers are taught the Lord’s Prayer with the wording “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). In essence, the believers use this prayer to ask God to exercise His authority upon the world in order for His intentions to take the play. In the Gospel of Mark, it is asserted that the coming of Christ had brought the kingdom of God nearer (Mark 1:15). Here, it is clearer that the Lordship of Christ was a representation and a continuation of the Kingdom of God. In the same vein, The Gospel of Luke gives an account of a nobleman who went to a distant country with intent to receive Kingdom; however, the prospective subjects rejected him since they believed in no other reign other than the Kingdom of God (Luke 19:12-14). On the other hand, The Gospel of John also alludes to the theme by warning Christians that “Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), but the Kingdom of God in this context means heaven. All in all, the theme is eminent in the Gospels.
The suffering of Christ and his followers is also a significant theme in the Gospels. It is asserted that the suffering and rejection of Jesus and his followers of the people of the world did not happen by mere accident; rather, it was in God’s intention of Jesus as a role model for believers. The Gospel of Luke states that "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:46). It means that the suffering had been planned for and had a substantial purpose to Christians. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus teaches his disciples that the Son of Man, who is Jesus Christ, had no option but to suffer and be rejected by the chief priest, teachers of law and even elders and eventually be killed. However, he would rise on the third day (Mark 8:31). More importantly, Jesus Himself makes it apparent that the suffering was part of his mission in the Gospel of John by stating that “But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27). Nonetheless, the suffering was not unique to Jesus, but also his followers were to suffer. The Gospel of Matthew teaches Christians that “"You will be hated by all because of My name” (Matthew 10:22). Intrinsically, God knew the nature of the people of the world and used Jesus as a source of Salvation for the believers.
Interestingly, the New Testament also offers guidelines for the believers through the theme of required human response. Christians are taught about the right things to do and what not to do. The Gospel of Mark encourages Christians to repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15). In the light of these teachings, human are expected to have personal faith in the gospel and repent of their sins. In the same vein, the Gospel of Matthew offers an account of Jesus’ preaching to the people that they should repent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). God’s kingdom reign and thence human beings are expected to repent their sins in order for them to be part of the kingdom of God. Luke also taught the repentance is not an option for the purpose of salvation: “Unless you repent, you willperish” (Luke 13:3). To boot, the Gospel of John teaches Christians that one cannot claim to be a follower of Jesus unless he or she grows like him: The apostle John said, "This is how we know we are in him Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (John 2:5-6). It means that human beings should respond by enduring the suffering in the world without complaining just like Jesus did.

Works Cited

The Holy Bible: New Life Version (NLV). Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour, 2008. Print.