In a 2017 address, President Russell M. Nelson promised, “If you proceed to learn all you can about Jesus Christ, I promise you that your love for Him, and for God’s laws, will grow beyond what you currently imagine.”[1] Truly the more we learn about Jesus Christ, the more we love him. The more we love him, the more we will desire to follow him.

This volume of collected essays is intended to assist disciples of Jesus Christ in coming to a deeper understanding of the Savior and his ministry through their personal study of the New Testament. Because the period and culture of the New Testament can be daunting to modern readers, we’ve gathered the work of Latter-day Saint scholars who have devoted time and research to gaining a greater understanding of the New Testament. We have included essays written from a variety of perspectives to highlight the different lenses that can productively be brought to bear on the New Testament. Some of these essays are overtly devotional, while others are more explicitly academic, but all are written with the intent to help each of us accomplish one goal: to learn of him.

In the first section, we’ve selected four essays that give important background information. Why is it so important to specifically focus on Jesus Christ in our study of the New Testament (and other scripture)? What were some of the political and religious sentiments held by different groups of Jews? How did the process of the canonization of the New Testament come about? These and other questions are answered in this section.

The essays in the second section focus on the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’s mortal ministry. Readers will come to more fully understand how to approach each of the four Gospel accounts and learn additional insights about Jesus Christ. They will come to know the Savior better by broadening their perspectives on his miracles, teachings, and interactions with people from all walks of life. We particularly highlight the climax of the Savior’s ministry—his passion—with essays on events that took place in Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the garden tomb.

In the third section, we explore the second half of the New Testament, typically the part of the New Testament that can be less familiar to readers. Essays in this section include discussions of Paul and his letters, Peter’s pivotal role in the expanding church, the forthcoming apostasy, the role of women in the New Testament, and how Jesus can be found in texts such as the letter to the Hebrews, the general epistles, and the book of Revelation. For those who interested in additional scholarly resources, we’ve included a lengthy appendix that overviews New Testament scholarship and provides a list of some of the most important work being done on this remarkable text.

In the April 2020 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson taught, “As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths.”[2] Our hope is that the essays gathered in this volume can assist you in your intentional efforts to learn all you can about Jesus Christ.

Notes

[1] Russell M. Nelson, “Prophets, Leadership, and Divine Law” (worldwide devotional, January 8, 2017), https://www.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/broadcasts/article/worldwide-devotionals/2017/01/prophets-leadership-and-divine-law?lang=eng.

[2] Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign, May 2020, 89.