Unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament was written in a single lifespan by a relatively small group of individuals. The New Testament was written by less than a dozen men who were all very closely associated with one another. We don’t know the exact date, but the first New Testament book written was probably the letter James which might have been written as early as 45 A.D. The earliest gospel was either the gospel of Mark or Matthew, but it is impossible to be certain whe  they were written. Some of Paul’s letters, Galatians and 1 & 2 Thessalonians, were written fairly early in the course of New Testament writings. All these books were probably written sometime between 50-55 AD (20-25 years after Jesus’ death and the beginning of the Christian church). Most of the rest of the books were written in the 60’s. The gospel of John and all three of John’s epistles were probably were written in the mid 80’s. The last book of the Bible to be written is also the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation, and was written sometime in the early 90’s.

We don’t exact date when each of the New Testament books were written, but we can be confident all the books of the New Testament were written in a span of about 50 years. The New Testament was finished before the end of the first century A.D., within 70 years of Jesus death. Each book was written by an apostle (someone who was directly called by Jesus, trained by Him, given special spiritual gifts and sent out by Him to preach Christ to the world), or a close associate of an apostle under apostolic supervision (like Luke and Mark). Every book of the New Testament was written by men who were under the direct control and guidance of the Holy Spirit. We can trust the books of the New Testament as reliable and accurate because they are eye witness accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings. Most significantly, every book of the New Testament is trustworthy because every book was written by men who were guided by the Holy Spirit of God to write the very words of God.

With the New Year upon us many are thinking about making another list of resolutions. Often these resolutions are positive, but morally neutral, changes in lifestyle, like: I will eat healthier this year; I will save more money each month; I will read more. Many resolutions, though, have to do with issues of right and wrong. Resolutions to beat an addiction, be a part of a church, be a better parent and others like them fall directly into categories of Biblical truth. In moral issues, how does a person go about changing their life to be a better, more righteous person.

Before answering the question, two important realities must be understood.  Being a better person does not make you a better person. External changes to life do not change the moral uprightness of your heart. Doing what is right is good, but external change will never change the heart. As a result, being a better person will not gain entrance into heaven. Despite popular opinion, heaven is not gained by being a basically good person. Heaven is only gained by being a perfect person. (Matthew 5:48) A single failure in one tiny point is fatal. (James 2:10) The only way any one will enter heaven is by being covered in the righteousness of Jesus. Moral behavior is not enough, only the eternal righteousness of Jesus applied to the heart is sufficient to bring one into heaven. (John 14:6)

For those who desire to do what is right, the question still remains, how do you make positive changes in your behavior? Changed behavior begins with the recognition that the Bible is sufficient for every habit and choice of life. This does not mean reading or learning a Bible verse will magically make you a better person. This means the instructions of the Bible, when rightly understood and obeyed, will lead you into behavior that is right and pleasing to God. To begin making positive changes, find out what the Bible says about how you are supposed to behave. When combatting a specific sin, learn from the Bible exactly what God thinks about that sin. Let the Bible teach you how to think about behavior. However, reading the Bible is not enough. True change is impossible for anyone to accomplish in his own ability. As mentioned above, external change will never change the heart, and unless the heart is changed the behavior will not genuinely be changed for the better. To change, you must depend on God to change you through His Holy Spirit. You must depend on God to give you the desire and ability to do what is right. (Ephesians 3:16) You must know what the Bible says about your behavior and you must rely on God to change the desires of your heart then you must work diligently to do what is right. Change does not happen only by reading and prayer, change happens by intentional work to do what God has said.

A practical example may serve to illustrate the principles. Geoff is an angry man. Geoff has finally recognized the damage his anger is doing to his relationships, his family, his work and his own health. Geoff resolves to conquer his wicked anger and so he turns to the Bible and begins to understand the Biblical truths about his anger. He realizes that he is like a city without any defenses (Proverbs 25:28), is a regular perpetrator of oracular homicide (Proverbs 18:21) and is in general a fool (Proverbs 14:29; 29:11). He discovers that his anger must be replaced with gentleness, kindness and other fruits of the Spirit. He cries out to God, confesses his sin and pleads for God to give him victory. He then sets out to fill his mind and heart with the BIble so he will think rightly in tense situations. He pauses before speaking to think about how his words will affect others. When he does get angry, he confesses his sin to God and those who were affected by his anger. He diligently works to do what he ought and relies on God to change his heart, attitude and actions. Change is produced by knowing the Word of God and being diligent to obey it in full reliance on His Spirit to make the change in you.

Every Christmas, we are confronted with images of a manger, a little baby, loving parents, a few miscellaneous men in the background, an angel or two and a collection of miscellaneous farm animals. Otherwise known as a nativity scene. Of course, the baby in the manger is the central character, but one other person gets nearly as much attention. The loving mother, the virgin Mary.

In our day of sexual freedom, being a virgin is not generally considered a praiseworthy thing. To identify someone as “the virgin Charlene” would most likely be viewed as an slur. So why do we call Mary “the virgin”?

The answer to this question is found in Biblical prophecy, angelic pronouncement and the character of Jesus. Over 700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah  wrote, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) The prophecy of a virgin birth is one of many included in the book of Isaiah that describe the coming Messiah. God promises through Isaiah that the sign of the Messiah will be a son born of a woman who had never enteree into sexual relations with a man.

About nine months before Jesus birth angels visited the loving parents from the nativity, Mary and Joseph. Luke 1 tells of the angelic visit to Mary. The angel declared to her that she was going to give birth to a son. To which declaration Mary asked a very pertinent question, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” “Know not” is Bible speech for never had sexual intercourse. Since Mary understood the process by which children are born, her question is very logical. Mary, being a virgin, knew she could not have a baby. Except, as the angel goes on to explain, by God’s power which would cause her to miraculously conceive a child without any male input.

Matthew 1 tells of the angelic visit to Joseph. When Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant he intended intent to put her away. Before he could act on his intention an angel came to him and declared that Mary was not pregnant through any immoral act on her part, but “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” The angels declared that Jesus was conceived in the womb of a virgin.

Most important to this question is the character of Jesus. Jesus was God who took upon Himself human nature. Jesus remained fully God while also becoming fully human. The one thing Jesus did not take to Himself is man’s sin nature. Romans 5 teaches sin has passed to all men from Adam. The implication is that the sin nature is passed from one generation to the next by the father. For Jesus to be born without a sin nature, he must have been born without a human father.

Mary’s virginity is important because it is the fulflillment of the promises of God. The virgin Mary is not important because of her own purity and goodness, but because through her God keeps His Word to give His people an unmistakeable sign of the coming of His Messiah. Mary is important because her lack of sexual contact makes plain that the child born of her was not Joseph’s or some other man’s. Mary’s viriginity leaves no room for the baby Jesus to be any but the Son of God.