GOS-01 Introduction to the Gospels

Have you ever noticed how important news is in our lives? The important information we receive about the world around us influences our opinions, our values, our plans, and many other aspects of our lives. At times news events are so significant that they change our entire worldview. Well, when we stop to think about it, the Bible itself is sort of like an archive of news stories. It records all sorts of good and bad news related to God’s people throughout history. And as we study these stories, they influence and change us in many ways. But without a doubt, the best news Scripture has to tell us is a collection of reports that we refer to simply as “the good news” or “the Gospels.” They are the life-changing accounts of the person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This is the first lesson in our series The Gospels. In this series we will explore the books written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. In this lesson, which we have entitled “Introduction to the Gospels,” we will gain an orientation toward these books that will help us to understand them more clearly and to apply them more fully to our lives today.

In our Introduction to the Gospels, we will touch on four crucial matters. First, we will examine the Gospels in terms of their literary character. Second, we will look at their status in the church. Third, we’ll consider the unity between the Gospels. And fourth, we’ll explore the variety that distinguishes them from each other. Let’s begin by looking at the literary character of these books.

Usually, when we read literature, we have some idea of what sort of literature we’re reading, and that’s what guides us as to how to read it and what we expect. So that, for example, if you read an historical novel, you’re not expecting it to be factual history, and you’re not mislead. Or if you were to read a volume of short stories and you know it’s not a continuous novel, you don’t read it in that way. So, we really need to have some idea of what sort of literature we’re reading and what kind of conventions of that literature are operating.