The New Testament of the Bible contains 27 books that are divided into specific divisions (or groupings). These major divisions of the New Testament books contain Holy Scriptures that record the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the birth of the church, instructions on living out the Christian faith, and prophecy during a time period under the New Covenant of Grace with God (which is still in existence today).
Below, you will find a complete overview of the main divisions of the New Testament, their purpose, and the individual books included in each section (or classification).
Divisions of the New Testament
There are 4 major divisions of the New Testament: the Gospels, the History, the Epistles, and Apocalyptic Prophecy. These sections of the New Testament group books of the Bible together according to their genres.
Major Divisions of the New Testament Chart
| The Gospels | History | Epistles | Prophecy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Mark Luke John | Acts | Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude | Revelation |
Note: The Epistles section of the New Testament in the Bible can be further divided into two classifications: the Pauline Epistles and General Epistles. As a result, some Biblical reference guides label the 5 divisions of the New Testament as the Gospels, History, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, and Apocalyptic Prophecy.
The Gospels
The Gospels make up the first four books of the New Testament. The word “Gospel” comes from the Greek word euangelion which refers to a messenger bringing good tidings or good news. In the context of the Bible, the Gospels are labeled this way because these books share the good news of Jesus Christ.
The Gospels include these books:
Historical Book
The Historical section of the New Testament division contains only one book: Acts, which is also referred to as the Acts of the Apostles. This book chronicles the history of the church immediately after Jesus’s ascension. The narrative recounts the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ during the festival of Pentecost and the expansion of the gospel to the Roman empire.
Epistles (Or Letters)
The Epistles division in the New Testament are letters written by the Apostles to churches or individuals to provide instructions for the correct way of life and faith for Christians. There are twenty-one Epistles in the New Testament that are categorized by the author and the intended audience: the Pauline Epistles and the General Epistles. This results in one major division in the New Testament that is divided into two classifications.
Thirteen of the Epistles were written by the Apostle Paul to a specific church or person. The other eight letters were written to a general audience of Christians.
Pauline Epistles
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
General Epistles
Apocalyptic Prophecy
The final section of the New Testament of the Bible is Apocalyptic Prophecy, which consists of a single book: Revelation. This book was written by the Apostle John in Koine Greek (also known as Hellenistic Greek) and gets its title from the first word of the text: apokalypsis, meaning “unveiling” or “revelation”. The purpose of the book is to give hope to Christians that God has a future plan for the church and eternal life.
Learn About the Old Testament Divisions of the Bible
Now that you understand how the New Testament books are divided into different divisions, you may also be interested in learning about the sections in the Old Testament. See this related guide on the Divisions of the Old Testament for a deeper dive into that topic or visit the main Divisions of the Bible page for a general overview of how all books of the Bible are classified.
Summary for the Divisions of the New Testament Books
We hope you enjoyed this guide on the main divisions of the New Testament books in the Bible.
As you discovered, there are 4 major divisions of the New Testament that contain specific groupings of books based on their genre: the Gospels, the History, the Epistles, and Apocalyptic Prophecy. The Epistles can be further divided into two sections (Pauline Epistles and General Epistles), making a total of 5 sections in the New Testament. We encourage you to read through each division to fully understand why the Bible was organized in this way. As a result, you can gain a deeper understanding of the New Covenant the Lord has with believers through Jesus Christ.
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