The New Testament begins in Acts not Matthew chapter one.

Dave... · Tuesday at 12:06 PM

The New Testament Begins in Acts Not Matthew

When you read the Gospels in the Bible, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, do they sometimes seem to contradict other parts of the New Testament Scripture? For example, in Matthew 6:15, Jesus said, “If you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Yet, in Colossians 2:13, the Apostle Paul wrote, “…God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.” How can there be two different perspectives written in the same New Testament?

Many Christians experience confusion because they think all of Jesus’ teachings are part of the New Testament, also known as the “New Covenant.” However most of them are not. The New Testament, which is God’s New Covenant with mankind, actually starts in the book of Acts, not Matthew. How do we know this fact is true?

When reading the New Testament, ask yourself this question, “Had Jesus died yet when this was written?” If not, then those writings are part of the Old Covenant in most cases. If the writings are after Jesus died, then it’s part of the New Covenant.

When Jesus came to earth, He came directly to the Jews who were still under the Old Covenant with God. Want the gist of the Old Covenant? Deuteronomy 28 spells it out very clearly. If Israel obeyed God’s laws, there were 12 verses of blessings He would give them (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14). But, if Israel disobeyed God’s laws, there were 52 verses of curses He would give them. (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

Would you want to live in that kind of tension-filled relationship with God? No way! Unfortunately, many Christians today believe that is still how God treats them, even though we are under the New Covenant of grace. Therefore, Christianity feels more like a burden, instead of a blessing.

Many of the things that Jesus taught in the Gospels was Old Covenant instruction to the Jews of His day. When He taught them, He was raising the bar of how perfect they needed to be accepted and blessed by God. Here are some examples:

“Unless you are more righteous than the strictest religious leaders in Jesus’s day, the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will not go to heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)
“Calling someone an idiot or crazy because you are angry with them will send you to hell.” (Matthew 5:22)
“Lust is adultery.” (Matthew 5:27-28)
“You must live a perfect life exactly the way God does.” (Matthew 5:48)

These performance-based teachings were aimed to show the Jews and anyone who reads the Bible today that it’s impossible to get God’s unconditional acceptance by obeying the law. Jesus was preparing people to understand how much they needed Him to be their Savior.

God was about to bring into existence the New Covenant, and Jesus was preparing them and everyone else for it. But, here’s the key. The New Covenant did not begin until Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were complete. For instance, Hebrews 9:15 says:

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a New Covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the Old Covenant.”

Remember Jesus’ teachings we just listed from the book of Matthew? Let’s compare what the New Covenant says about you as a Christ follower:

God has already forgiven you whether you forgive or not. (Colossians 2:13)
God made you perfect in your identity in Christ. (Hebrews 10:14)
God made you a holy person and not a lustful person in Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:2)
God made you a patient person because you’re complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)

The Old Covenant was conditional based on mankind’s imperfect works. The New Covenant is conditional based on faith in Jesus’ perfect work. Do you see the amazing difference?

Read the New Testament with a lot more clarity now that you know the New Testament starts in Acts, rather than Matthew!

The New Testament Begins in Acts Not Matthew

Guojing · Tuesday at 4:17 PM

Dave... said:
The New Testament Begins in Acts Not Matthew
When you read the Gospels in the Bible, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, do they sometimes seem to contradict other parts of the New Testament Scripture? For example, in Matthew 6:15, Jesus said, “If you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Yet, in Colossians 2:13, the Apostle Paul wrote, “…God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.” How can there be two different perspectives written in the same New Testament?

Many Christians experience confusion because they think all of Jesus’ teachings are part of the New Testament, also known as the “New Covenant.” However most of them are not. The New Testament, which is God’s New Covenant with mankind, actually starts in the book of Acts, not Matthew. How do we know this fact is true?

When reading the New Testament, ask yourself this question, “Had Jesus died yet when this was written?” If not, then those writings are part of the Old Covenant in most cases. If the writings are after Jesus died, then it’s part of the New Covenant.

When Jesus came to earth, He came directly to the Jews who were still under the Old Covenant with God. Want the gist of the Old Covenant? Deuteronomy 28 spells it out very clearly. If Israel obeyed God’s laws, there were 12 verses of blessings He would give them (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14). But, if Israel disobeyed God’s laws, there were 52 verses of curses He would give them. (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

Would you want to live in that kind of tension-filled relationship with God? No way! Unfortunately, many Christians today believe that is still how God treats them, even though we are under the New Covenant of grace. Therefore, Christianity feels more like a burden, instead of a blessing.

Many of the things that Jesus taught in the Gospels was Old Covenant instruction to the Jews of His day. When He taught them, He was raising the bar of how perfect they needed to be accepted and blessed by God. Here are some examples:

“Unless you are more righteous than the strictest religious leaders in Jesus’s day, the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will not go to heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

“Calling someone an idiot or crazy because you are angry with them will send you to hell.” (Matthew 5:22)

“Lust is adultery.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

“You must live a perfect life exactly the way God does.” (Matthew 5:48)

These performance-based teachings were aimed to show the Jews and anyone who reads the Bible today that it’s impossible to get God’s unconditional acceptance by obeying the law. Jesus was preparing people to understand how much they needed Him to be their Savior.

God was about to bring into existence the New Covenant, and Jesus was preparing them and everyone else for it. But, here’s the key. The New Covenant did not begin until Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were complete. For instance, Hebrews 9:15 says:

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a New Covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the Old Covenant.”

Remember Jesus’ teachings we just listed from the book of Matthew? Let’s compare what the New Covenant says about you as a Christ follower:

God has already forgiven you whether you forgive or not. (Colossians 2:13)

God made you perfect in your identity in Christ. (Hebrews 10:14)

God made you a holy person and not a lustful person in Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:2)

God made you a patient person because you’re complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)

The Old Covenant was conditional based on mankind’s imperfect works. The New Covenant is conditional based on faith in Jesus’ perfect work. Do you see the amazing difference?

Read the New Testament with a lot more clarity now that you know the New Testament starts in Acts, rather than Matthew!

The New Testament Begins in Acts Not Matthew

Are the words Covenant and Testament equivalent to you?

Dave... · Tuesday at 7:30 PM

Guojing said:
Are the words Covenant and Testament equivalent to you?

For the most part, yes, but there are distinctions. I made a second post that specifically dealt with Covenant instead of Testament. It's still awaiting moderator approval. Is this normal for all new members to need every post approved?

Guojing · Tuesday at 7:54 PM

Dave... said:
For the most part, yes, but there are distinctions. I made a second post that specifically dealt with Covenant instead of Testament. It's still awaiting moderator approval. Is this normal for all new members to need every post approved?

Not too sure about that procedure.

Because while the New Testament indeed began with the death of Christ, it does not follow that the New Covenant also began then.

It will be clearer if you read Hebrews 9 in the KJV, they differentiate between covenant and testament correctly.

And if you recall the Old covenant of Law, it started not when Moses was given the 10 commandments at Mount Sinai, it only started after the nation of Israel collectively agreed to fulfill the requirements at Exodus 24.

You quoted Pauline scripture in your posts but they are not referring to the Body of Christ under the New covenant.

Paul never said we are under Israel's new covenant, instead, he made it clear that those covenants belong to Israel (Romans 9:4).

Dave... · 2025-12-03T12:27:24-0600

Guojing said:
Not too sure about that procedure.

Because while the New Testament indeed began with the death of Christ, it does not follow that the New Covenant also began then.

It will be clearer if you read Hebrews 9 in the KJV, they differentiate between covenant and testament correctly.

And if you recall the Old covenant of Law, it started not when Moses was given the 10 commandments at Mount Sinai, it only started after the nation of Israel collectively agreed to fulfill the requirements at Exodus 24.

You quoted Pauline scripture in your posts but they are not referring to the Body of Christ under the New covenant.

Paul never said we are under Israel's new covenant, instead, he made it clear that those covenants belong to Israel (Romans 9:4).

Hey @Guojing

Technically, it's the same Covenant. We call them old and new to differentiate that one is in promise, and the other is a fulfillment of that promise. What changes is the way that the covenant has different administrations of the same Covenant. Ezekiel 36:25-27. The promise was made to Israel. It was fulfilled at Pentecost. It was in the Old Testament that the promises were made, and in the the New Testament that the Promises realized. Plus, there is Spiritual Israel, which, apart from Jesus Himself, didn't begin until Pentecost, when the first believers were placed into Christ. It's not cut and dry. There seems to be a lot of overlapping.

When the natural branches were broken off, who were they? If you say spiritual Israel, then they lost there salvation. If you say, physical Israel, then the Promise was made to physical Israel first. They were told that the Gentiles were grafted in to provoke them to jealousy. That they can be grafted back in if they repent and believe. Paul wanted this for his people.

I'm going to add a Kenneth Weust outline of Hebrews that I've posted before. I'll put it in the bible study section. It will be helpful for some people. It's good to see the whole book at once to understand the details.

Dave... · 2025-12-03T12:54:36-0600

@Guojing

Hebrews Outline by Kenneth Wuest

HEBREWS Analysis by Kenneth S. Wuest Wuest's Word Studies From the Greek New Testament I. The New Testament is better than and takes the place of the First Testament because its Founder, the Messiah, is better than... (1:1-8:6) 1. The prophets (1:1-3) since Messiah is... ....a. God the Son...

www.christianforums.com

Dan Perez · 2025-12-03T14:27:17-0600

Guojing said:
Are the words Covenant and Testament equivalent to you?

And yes I DO. . but I also say that the NEW COVENANT IT NOT YET IN OPERATION. !!

and when I ask them how anyone is saved by. the NEW COVENANT. , there is no reply.!!

The age that we are in. now ALL SAVED BY GRACE. . ROM 10:9. . and all are. PLACED into the BODY of CHRIST as

1. Cor 12:13. !!

dan p

Guojing · 2025-12-03T16:25:24-0600

Dave... said:
Plus, there is Spiritual Israel, which, apart from Jesus Himself, didn't begin until Pentecost, when the first believers were placed into Christ. It's not cut and dry. There seems to be a lot of overlapping.

Pentecost was a Jewish festival, no gentiles will be coming into Jerusalem (Acts 2:5), and Peter was only speaking to "Men of Israel" (Acts 2:14).

So the Body of Christ did not begin at Pentecost, God was adding the believing Jews into little flock.

As for your point about natural vs spiritual Israel, are you using Romans 9:6 to form that kind of distinction?

Dave... · 2025-12-03T19:29:16-0600

Guojing said:
Pentecost was a Jewish festival, no gentiles will be coming into Jerusalem (Acts 2:5), and Peter was only speaking to "Men of Israel" (Acts 2:14).

So the Body of Christ did not begin at Pentecost, God was adding the believing Jews into little flock.

As for your point about natural vs spiritual Israel, are you using Romans 9:6 to form that kind of distinction?

Yes, the Jesus believing Jews received the Promise owed to them first. Then the Gentiles. And along the way, all who were true OT believers, had the Gospel preached to them and believed (all that the Father gives Me )see Romans 8:29. We see this through out the book of Acts. This is the transition. The birth of the Church. The first to be baptized with the Holy Spirit are the first to be placed into Christ. This is why we call Pentecost the birth of the Church. Gentiles were added too. True OT believing Gentiles. See Lydia, Cornelius. To name a few. These were true Gentile OT believers who were predestined (Romans 8:29) to be conformed to Christ likeness. The sheep.

Anyways, follow...

OT--Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He [Jesus] who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

OT Acts 1:4-5 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." ---(at Pentecost)

Without the Holy Spirit, not justified, not born again, only the promise of it to those who believed.

OT John 12: 32-33 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

" the believers in Samaria who were converted under the ministry of Philip had to wait a short while to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, until Peter and John came up to Samaria and laid hands on the converts (Acts 8:17). In that unique transitional situation as the Church was beginning, those particular believers had to wait for the Holy Spirit, but they were not told to seek Him. The purpose for that exception was to demonstrate to the apostles, and to bring word back to the Jewish believers in general, that the same Holy Spirit baptized and filled Samaritan believers as baptized and filled Jewish believers--just a short while later Peter and a few other Jewish Christians were sent to witness to Cornelius and his household in order to be convinced that the gospel was for all men and to see that "the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also"(Acts 10:44-45). Those special transitional events did not represent the norm, as our present text makes clear, but were given to indicate to all that the body was one"....

"Why did the Samaritans (and later the Gentiles) have to wait for the apostles before receiving the Spirit? For centuries, the Samaritans and the Jews had been bitter rivals. If the Samaritans had received the Spirit independent of the Jerusalem, that rift would have been perpetuated. There could well have been two separate churches, a Jewish church and a Samaritan church. But God had designed one church, in which "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female," but "all are one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:2.)...

By delaying the Spirit's coming until Peter and John arrived, God preserved the unity of the church. The apostles needed to see for themselves, and give firsthand testimony to the Jerusalem church, that the Spirit came upon the Samaritans. The Samaritans also needed to learn that they were subject to apostolic authority. The Jewish believers and Samaritans were thus linked together in one body....

Today, believers receive the Spirit at salvation (cf.1 Cor. 12:13). There was no need for delay after Jews, Gentiles, Samaritans, and Old Testament saints were already included in the church. (Macarthur)

Guojing · 2025-12-03T19:33:07-0600

Dave... said:
Yes, the Jesus believing Jews received the Promise owed to them first. Then the Gentiles. And along the way, all who were true OT believers, had the Gospel preached to them and believed (all that the Father gives Me )see Romans 8:29. We see this through out the book of Acts. This is the transition. The birth of the Church. The first to be baptized with the Holy spirit are the first to be placed into Christ. This is why we call Pentecost the birth of the Church. Gentiles were added too. True OT believing Gentiles. See Lydia, Cornelius. To name a few. These were true Gentile OT believers who were predestined (Romans 8:29) to be conformed to Christ likeness. The sheep.

I think you are using the term "church" and the "Body of Christ" equivalently.

The Body of Christ is indeed the church for today.

But that does not mean anytime you see the word "church" in scripture, it must be the Body of Christ (Acts 7:38)

Church means "called out assembly" and such assembly existed even in the OT.

Dave... · 2025-12-03T19:43:58-0600

Guojing said:
I think you are using the term "church" and the "Body of Christ" equivalently.

The Body of Christ is indeed the church for today.

But that does not mean anytime you see the word "church" in scripture, it must be the Body of Christ (Acts 7:38)

Church means "called out assembly" and such assembly existed even in the OT.

Yes, Jesus is the true Church, the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13

Guojing · 2025-12-03T19:56:12-0600

Dave... said:
Yes, Jesus is the true Church, the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13

So by this, you would agree that the OT church as described by Stephen (Acts 7:38), cannot be the Body of Christ since Jews and gentiles were not equal then?

The New Testament begins in Acts not Matthew chapter one.

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