New Testament Book Names Inside Words Quiz

Answer: Luke

Luke is the correct answer. In the order the books appear in the New Testament, Luke is third, after Matthew and Mark. Luke was a worker in the early church who often laboured behind the scenes with Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. The Gospel of Luke contains a number of accounts which don't appear elsewhere. For example, details about the dying thief on the cross being assured he would enter paradise and the healing of the ten lepers are found in only Luke. Details about the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are also found only in Luke.

Luke, according to Scripture, was a physician. In Colossians 4:14 in the NKJV and the KJV, Paul describes Luke as the "beloved" physician." In the NIV, he describes his as "our dear friend." From references such as this, many people believe Luke was warm and friendly and made friends with practically everyone he met.

The Gospel of Luke, in my opinion, still speaks volumes today. I remember a number of years ago reading Luke 15:7 ("there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous people who do not need to repent.") and my life was changed forever.

Answer: James

Although the book is named after James, no one knows for sure who he was. Some believe the book was written by the half-brother of Jesus while others insist the brother of John was the author. Other possibilities are James, the son of Alphaeus and James the father of the apostle called Judas.

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible also state James was a common name in the days of the early church. The beginning sentence in the book says "James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." With that claim, James could have been practically any Christian with such a name.

Answer: Philemon

Philemon is the correct answer. Out of the thirteen books the apostle Paul is traditionally credited with writing, Philemon is the shortest, consisting of 25 verses. Philemon was the owner of the runaway slave Onesimus and he lived in Colossae, in what is now part of Turkey.

After Onesimus ran away, he ended up in Rome where the apostle Paul converted him to Christianity. The tiny book of Philemon is a heart-felt request by Paul to Philemon to accept Onesimus back, not as a runaway slave, but as an equal in Christ.

Answer: Philippians

Philippians was written by Paul and the book was addressed to believers at Philippi, a community in present-day Greece. Incidentally, some of the people who belonged to the early church at Philippi were Lydia, the first convert to Christianity in Europe, and the Philippi jailer. Their conversion is recorded in Acts 16:11-40.

Two of the major themes in Philippians are joy and being content in whatever the circumstance. In his letter to the believers at Philippi, Paul praises them for being generous givers (Philippians 4:14-16).

Answer: Mark

Mark is the correct answer. It is one of four Gospels, appearing after Matthew and before Luke. Many theologians believe the book was written by John Mark, who also went by Mark. If that is the case, the writer was a cousin of Barnabas, a worker in the early church, who served along side Paul and others.

"He might have been the youth wearing the linen cloth at Jesus' arrest (Mark 14:51-52) because only his Gospel mentions this incident, which occurred after all the disciples had already fled," notes in the NKJV Study Bible state. "The fact that Peter announced his miraculous jail escape at the home of Mary, Mark's widowed mother (Acts 12:12), indicates Mark had significant contact with Peter and the other leaders of the Jerusalem church."

Answer: Titus

Titus is one of thirteen books the apostle Paul is credited with writing. It appears after 2 Timothy and before Philemon. Titus was a worker in the early church and was converted by Paul, as per Galatians 2:3. He was from Greece and appears to have been a Gentile. The book is one of the smallest in the Bible, consisting of three chapters and only 46 verses. Titus was serving in Crete at the time of the letter, as per Titus 1:5. The general theme of the letter is the emphases on good works.

According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Titus was written by Paul between his two imprisonments, between A.D. 62 and 65. The notes also state tradition holds that Titus was written after 1 Timothy, around A.D. 63.

Answer: John

John is the correct answer. In the order the Gospels appear in the New Testament, John is fourth. It appears after Matthew Mark and Luke.

The New Testament also contains 1 John, 2 John and 3 John, all written by the same writer. John is traditionally credited with writing Revelation as well, although some theologians are casting doubt on that belief. (It is my personal opinion, however, John of Patmos, the writer of Revelation, is the same man who wrote the Gospel of John as well as 1 John, 2 John and 3 John.)

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible have this to say: "The Gospel of John is a persuasive argument for the deity of Jesus. It concentrates on presenting Jesus as the Word, that is God (1:1) who became a man (1:4). Thus John meticulously records the statements and describes the miracles of Jesus that can only be attributed to God Himself."

The notes go on to state: "John focuses on Jesus' claim that He was God by including Christ's seven 'I am' statements: 'I am the bread of life' (6:35, 48); 'I am the light of the world' (8:12); 'I am the door' (10:7,9); 'I am the good shepherd' (10:11,14); 'I am the resurrection and the life' (11:25); 'I am the way the truth and the life' (14:6); 'I am the true vine' (15:1). John doesn't take any chances that we might miss what these 'I am' statements suggest. He records certain occasions when Jesus equates Himself with the Old Testament 'I AM' (Yahweh). You can't be more specific than this: 'Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM' (8:58)."

Answer: Hebrews

Hebrews, which appears right after Philemon, is the correct answer. It is a message written to Jewish believers urging them to stand strong in the faith. The book was written to Jews who were apparently second guessing their conversion to Christianity.

However, it is not known who wrote the book. There are those who say Paul is the author but there are just as many who say this is not possible because the book contains a different writing style than the thirteen books Paul is credited with writing. Some say Barnabas wrote the book and Martin Luther speculated Apollos was the writer. According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, scholar Adolf Harnak has suggested Priscilla is the writer. The only thing certain is the uncertainty of the writer.

Answer: Acts

Acts is an historical account of the days of the early church. It was written by Luke, a physician who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel provides a treasure chest of information about how Christianity spread to the Gentiles in Europe as well as in what is present-day Turkey.

Acts, similar to the Gospel of Luke, is part of a special report Luke compiled for Theophilus. However, it is not known who Theophilus was. Some believe he was a prominent official in the Roman government while others believe he was a lawyer who represented Paul in his trial before Felix. Some believe Theophilus is a collective name for Christians in general but this view is disputed by many because the Gospel of Luke describes Theophilus as "most excellent," a term for a specific person and not a collective body.

In the Book of Acts, Luke is part of the action wherever you see the "we passages." In other words, instead of inserting his name into the copy, Luke states "we did this" or "we did that." The first 'we passage' appears in Acts 16. Luke writes that Paul and his group left Troas and headed to Philippi. It was at Philippi where, going by Scripture, Lydia was the first person converted to Christianity in Europe. (Acts 16:13-15) Scripture also reports her entire household became believers as well. Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth and many theologians believe she was wealthy. Luke was also involved in a shipwreck with Paul off the coast of Malta,as per Acts 27.

Answer: Revelation

Revelation, written by John of Patmos, is the last book of the New Testament. It's a complex book and there is no shortage of views about what the book is 'really saying'. In my opinion, the book is a tale of two cities -- Babylon the Fallen and the New Jerusalem. According to Revelation, Babylon faces a horrific future while residents of the New Jerusalem will have a glorious future.

The traditional belief is that the writer of the book was John, the brother of James, and one of the Twelve Disciples.

Some scholars, however, dispute this belief.