The New Testament is a record of the mortal life and ministry of Jesus Christ and His Apostles. This lesson will help prepare you to come unto Jesus Christ and follow Him as you study the New Testament.
Student preparation: Invite students to think about why it will be worthwhile to study the New Testament this year. It might be beneficial to invite them to ask a few of their family members why they think it will be worthwhile.
Possible Learning Activities
Invite students to think about their answers to the following three questions. Then discuss the bulleted questions as a class.
Think about your answers to the following questions:
What do you do when you feel physically or mentally tired?
What do you do when you feel afraid?
Who do you go to when you need help with something?
How do the activities or people you thought of help you in difficult situations?
Have you ever had a need that no activity or person seemed to be able to help you deal with?
President Jean B. Bingham, General Relief Society President, taught how we can have our most important needs met.
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Sister Jean B. Bingham
Lasting joy is found in focusing on our Savior, Jesus Christ, and living the gospel as demonstrated and taught by Him. The more we learn about, have faith in, and emulate Jesus Christ, the more we come to understand that He is the source of all healing, peace, and eternal progress.
According to this statement, what blessings can we experience because of Jesus Christ?
Which of these blessings is most important to you right now? Why?
Studying the life of Jesus Christ in the New Testament
This year, we are invited to study the New Testament at home, church, and seminary. As we make the effort to study the New Testament and learn by the Holy Ghost, our understanding and testimony of who Jesus Christ is and what He offers us will increase. We will learn what we can do to experience the joy, healing, and peace that He offers.
Before asking the following questions, consider inviting students to open the New Testament and look through some of its pages or chapters. Ask them what they notice and what they know about how it is organized.
What do you already know about the New Testament?
What are some of your favorite stories from the New Testament? Why?
Why do you think it will be worthwhile to study the New Testament this year?
The first four books of the New Testament contain four accounts of the Savior’s life. These are known as the Gospels. The rest of the New Testament contains the ministry and teachings of some of the Savior’s Twelve Apostles and other leaders of the early Church.
For more information, see “How is the New Testament organized?” in the “Commentary and Background Information” section at the end of the lesson.
In the New Testament, the Savior offers an invitation we can take in order to receive the help He desires to give us.
Read Matthew 11:28, looking for the Savior’s invitation.
What do you think it means to “come unto [Christ]”?
What kind of rest do you think the Savior can give us as we come unto Him?
What blessings have you already experienced in your life as you have come unto Jesus Christ?
Strengthening your discipleship as you study the New Testament
Your experience studying the New Testament this year will give you many opportunities to come unto Jesus Christ and be His disciple, or follower.
Throughout your study, pay attention not only to what you read and hear about Jesus Christ but also to what the Spirit is teaching you about Him. Consider setting aside a few pages in your study journal to record what you are learning and feeling about Him and what you are doing to follow Him. Throughout the year, add updates to these pages and review your progress.
Invite students to think about the experience they will have studying the New Testament this year by responding to the questions below in their study journals.
What do you hope to learn or experience as you study the life and teachings of Jesus Christ this year?
What are a few specific ways you hope to improve as a follower of Jesus Christ?
Consider bearing testimony of the Savior. It may also be beneficial to invite a few students to share their testimony of the Savior as well. Encourage students to consider ways they will strengthen their commitment to come unto Him and be His disciple as they begin studying the New Testament.
Commentary and Background Information
How is the New Testament organized?
The first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are known as the Gospels. The Gospels are four testimonies of Jesus’s mortal life and ministry. In Greek, the word gospel means “good news.” For more information about the four Gospels, see Guide to the Scriptures, “Gospels,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The rest of the New Testament (the book of Acts through the book of Revelation) contains the writings and ministries of key leaders in the Savior’s Church. The book of Acts records the missionary activities, ministries, and miracles of the Apostles. The book of Romans through the book of Jude are epistles, or letters, written by Paul and other Church leaders to instruct and edify the Saints. The book of Revelation contains a revelation received by John about the last days.
How can my faith in Jesus Christ be strengthened as I study the New Testament?
President Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society General President, shared some ways our faith can be strengthened as we study the Savior’s life and teachings.
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Sister Jean B. Bingham
As you study Christ’s life and teachings in a myriad of ways, your faith in Him will increase. You will come to know that He loves you individually and understands you perfectly. In His 33 years of mortality, He suffered rejection; persecution; bodily hunger, thirst, and fatigue; loneliness; verbal and physical abuse; and finally, an excruciating death at the hands of sinful men. In the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary, He felt all of our pains, afflictions, temptations, sicknesses, and infirmities.
No matter what we have suffered, He is the source of healing. Those who have experienced any manner of abuse, devastating loss, chronic illness or disabling affliction, untrue accusations, vicious persecution, or spiritual damage from sin or misunderstandings can all be made whole by the Redeemer of the world. However, He will not enter without invitation. We must come unto Him and allow Him to work His miracles.
Elder L. Tom Perry (1922–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified of the importance of studying the New Testament.
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Elder L. Tom Perry
The world today is so saturated with doctrines of men that it is easy to forget and lose faith in that all-important account of the Savior’s life and ministry—the New Testament. This sacred volume is the centerpiece of scriptural history, just as the Savior Himself should be the centerpiece of our lives. We must commit ourselves to study it and treasure it!
Display an image of Jesus Christ, like the one found at the beginning of the lesson. Invite the students to record their answer to the following question in their study journal. Then invite a few volunteers to share their responses with the class.
Who is Jesus Christ to you?
Encourage the students to notice how their answer to this question evolves as they study the life of Christ in the New Testament this year.
Studying the New Testament can strengthen our testimony that Jesus is the Christ
Invite the students to study John 20:30–31, looking for one of the reasons John wrote his account of the Savior’s life. Explain that John’s words in these verses can also apply to the rest of the New Testament.
It might be useful to review accounts from the New Testament that strengthen our faith that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. Students could find an account on their own, or you could give them a few options to choose from, including some of the following:
As students study, invite them to consider what they learn that could strengthen someone’s testimony that Jesus is the Christ.
Names and titles of Jesus Christ
One of the ways students will learn of Jesus Christ as they study the New Testament is by noticing His many names and titles. Invite students to study some of the following verses, looking for names or titles that are used to describe Jesus Christ. Invite students to consider what those names and titles teach them about Him.