by J. Randal Matheny

On TheBible.net, someone asked in a forum discussion if the four gospels are not to be considered as a part of the old covenant, since Jesus lived under the old law.

In the years after the first centry, Christians designated the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as "gospels." It appears to capture a good perspective for these books.

These four record a period during which Jesus and his disciples lived under the old law. So the history it records is pre-gospel. But they were written in what is often called the Christian era by Christians, probably for Christians, or, at least, to familiarize non-Christians with the Lord Jesus and his teachings and purpose for coming to earth.

One big discussion in most circles has been for whom the gospels were written, Christians or non-Christians. In either case, the assumption has been, correctly, that these documents are meant to be understood within the context of the Christian message.

Yes, elements of the old law appear there: Jesus is a Jew, observes the Jewish feasts and laws, and teaches in the temple and synagogues. But the entire new covenant holds him forth as Savior, Lord, and Example. Therefore, in order for us to understand what he has done and taught, how he saves us, in what way he is Lord, and in what manner his life serves as our example, we need these four gospels for our faith. They are, in every sense, new covenant documents.

At the end of his work, John wrote, "... these [signs] 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" (20.30-31, NASU).

Whoever "you" refers to (Christians, non-Christians, or both), the object is clear: the author of this book wrote with the purpose of bringing people to faith -- or to strengthen faith, depending on how one reads the Greek verb here -- in Jesus as a part of the perfect covenant. We may safely assume the same for the other gospels.

That is why, to take another tack, the four accounts devote so much space to the last week of Jesus' life and, particularly, to his death. These are no mere biographies, we have been rightly told for so many years. These basic documents spell out for us the true facts of the life, ministry, teaching, and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. Since our belief is based upon the historical truth of the person of Christ, these are basic books for Christianity.

Christian books, these, through and through!

This question surfaces with more interest because in recent years some people have attempted to classify the four gospels as Old Testament in an effort to exclude the teaching on marriage, divorce, and remarriage from application to Christian living today. This is a dangerous and false teaching, for it appears to relegate what Jesus did and said to an Old Testament classification which can be ignored. Such a position is so distant from the truth of the gospel.

We can be sure: the four gospels are gospel. We need them for our Christian faith, teaching, and practice.