The Bible is not actually put together in the order the events occurred. Explore the New Testament books of the Bible in chronological order in this timeline.
What Makes the New Testament of the Bible “New”?
400 years after the Old Testament prophets have foretold the coming of a Messiah, their Savior shows up. Not in the form of a powerful king, but as a tiny, homeless baby in a manger.
In the Old Testament, God’s people continually repent of their sins and offer sacrifices for forgiveness, but when Jesus humbly offers his life as the perfect sacrifice for all of mankind’s sins, there is no requirement for future sacrifices. Consequently, our sins have been forgiven!
God desires our hearts, not our perfection–for us to be in a relationship with Him daily, to turn to Him for our needs, and to praise Him in the storm.
The New Testament is “new” because EVERYTHING changed after Jesus’ death and resurrection. His sacrifice trumped any hold sin could ever have on us. Therefore, the New Testament of the Bible is the story of the Gospel (aka The Good News!).
Confused? That’s ok!
Keep reading.
The New Testament Books of the Bible are NOT in Chronological Order
So if you’re a newbie to learning about the Bible, no worries! The Bible is complex and something you’ll study for the rest of your life.
However, I’d like to help you jump-start your journey by outlining the basic events for you to gain some historical context to what you’re reading. The books of the Bible are grouped into categories, not chronological order. However, the New Testament timeline of events isn’t quite as confusing as the Old Testament.
I’ve created a printable that will walk you through the process in this Old and New Testament Summary and then you can add on the rest of the books of the Bible as you go.
Here are a few tips on the New Testament books before we dive in:
- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all different accounts of the same story: Jesus’ life.
- Acts is the history of starting the Church after Jesus goes to heaven.
- Romans – Philemon are letters to churches and Christians from Paul, a missionary.
- Hebrews – Jude are also letters from other Christian leaders.
- Revelation is a prophecy that John the Apostle received from Jesus about the end times.
Learn About the Books of the New Testament in Chronological Order
To help make sense of and simplify the organization of events in the New Testament, I made a printable to cover the main connections between each book of the Bible. You can print it from my shop below:
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So a few years ago, I made this Old and New Testament Summary Printable, and then I worked my way through each book of the Bible! To get the rest of the printables, check out my Timeline Bundles for the best deal:
Timeline Bundles
Additionally, you can check out even more posts on Bible study here:
- Old Testament Timeline
- Study the Book of Genesis with this Printable
- Learn the Basics from the Bible Book of Matthew
- A Complete Bible Summary of Each Book in the Old Testament
- Tips on Buying a Bible That’s Right For You
You’ve got this!
While you’re here, sign up to receive freebies plus a shop discount:
I love the timelines how beautiful!!
Thank you so much! I needed something different for a visual learner like myself!
I ordered the old/new timeline and it didn’t download.
I’m sorry you’re having trouble. Did you get the email invoice? It should have purple words to click for the download. Contact me at info@amysenter.com if you’re still having issues. Thank you for your purchase!
Just requested the new and old time line so I can print it. Wondering if you recommend if you read the entire old before the new or to go back and forth keeping with the timeline of the old/new?
There’s no wrong order to study your Bible, but I would normally recommend starting with the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This particular study is to supplement the background history of whatever you’re studying. I am doing it in order through Revelation. Thanks for reaching out!