The Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke And John

The Gospels are our most important resource in a study of Christianity. Christians obtain most of their knowledge and understanding of Jesus from the Gospels. These are the heart of all scripture because the gospels contain the life ad teachings of Jesus. There are four gospels, and which serves a significance to our faith. The four Gospels include Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew’s Gospel is important because he helps convert Jews by teaching about Christ. This reveals that Christians should apply this to their own lives by spreading the word of God to everyone. This can lead to others following their footsteps and being followers of Christ too.
The Gospel of Mark presents many important facts and significant lessons. From establishing the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God to describing the miracles he performed, Mark includes a lot of important information. “Mark is significant to our faith in that he addressed persecuted Christians and portrayed Jesus as a man of action and suffering. This is significant because it’s important to stay faithful, even when suffering, being persecuted, or put down for your beliefs in Christ.”
Luke’s Gospel is important because it provides a firsthand account of the events of Christ's life from the Apostles and other witnesses.
He presents many important facts and significant lessons about Jesus Christ. Luke's Gospel focuses on Christ's teachings about salvation and Christ's fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the coming Messiah. It includes the beautiful birth story of the baby Jesus and the miracle conception by God. He told stories that portray Jesus as savior and friend to everyone- including sinners, the poor, women and Samaritans. This is important because it shows that Christ loves
everyone.
The Gospel of John is important because he presents Jesus as God most forcefully. John explicitly declared Jesus to be God (John 1.1) who brought all things into existence (John 1.3). John wrote to the Jews. His gospel was written to prove to Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. The information he provided was that they might “believe that Jesus is the Christ; and that believing you might have life is His name.”
Overall, the gospels play an important part in our lives and faith. To Christians, the gospel allows us a model on which to build our faith, to grow and develop in our lives. It is the embodiment of themes: grace, faith, righteousness and justification. “Romans 1:16-17: I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”
Each Gospel contains a different purpose, which beholds a great significance to the Christian faith. The Gospel of Matthew serves two purposes. First, it’s an apologetic, “a defense of the proposition that Jesus is the promise Messiah of the Old Testament prophecy.” Second, his writings were intended to be a message of encouragement to the Jewish Christians. The Gospel of Mark serves as a survey of information, reveals it’s for a non- Jewish audience. Mark includes the explanation of Hebrew traditions (7:2-4) and Palestinean conditions (11:13). Also, Mark is a strong advocate of the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. In one major sermon (13:3-37), he underscores Christ’s deeds. He characterizes Jesus as a servant who came to do the Father’s will—and, servant-like, he did so with great urgency. Mark uses the servant’s word, euthus (immediately), fourteen times in describing the activities of the Savior. The Gospel of Luke is dedicated to non- Hebrew recipients. Luke had a goal of underscoring the human aspects of the Lord. He did this through the following factors: gave the most complete record of the Savior’s birth and childhood (chapters one and two) and gave prominence to the prayers of Christ. In particular, of the fifteen prayers of Jesus that are recorded in the four Gospel accounts, eleven are found in Luke’s narrative. The Gospel of John is classified by itself. This is because It is designed to appeal to all ethnic groups. Its basic purpose is to offer the evidence of certain signs, which prove that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, which facts lead to eternal life (20:30, 31). John’s writings is characterized by a series of both word signs and work signs. For example, the word signs are the famous “I am” declarations. Such as Jesus affirming: “I am the bread of life” (6:35), “the light of the world” (8:12), and “the door” (10:7).
God reveals himself to us through Jesus in the Gospels. The Bible is a book about God and His relationship with human beings. The Scriptures contain a long history of God’s revelation of Himself to man. One example is that Jesus testified that he had come to earth to reveal the will of God the Father. This shown in Matthew 11: 27, All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son wills to reveal him. Another example is shown in Hebrews 1:1- 2. It reads, “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.” God also revealed himself through Jesus in the Gospels with the act of miracles. Jesu’s ability to perform miracles showed that God was present. A miracle is a sign that points people to God. Miracles reveal the existence and power of God. For example, John 20: 30-31 reads, “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
In conclusion, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John serve multiple purposes. Each writer has its own significant impact on Christian faith.