Should the Gospels Be Included with the Old Testament?

“Should the Gospels be included with the Old Testament?” someone inquired. The Gospel records contain information that precedes the establishment of the church in Acts 2. Furthermore, the Gospel records consist of historical and doctrinal material pertaining to Jesus Christ, Who lived and died while the Old Testament was still in effect. It is understandable, then, how one might ponder if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John belong in the Old Testament rather than in the New Testament.

However, there are reasons for which the Gospel records belong exactly where they are – in the New Testament collection of Bible books. First, note that there was 400 years of silence from the Godhead between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Though new revelation from God didn’t necessarily occur daily in any religious period when miracles were operative, 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament sufficiently sets them apart.

Secondly, the Gospel records were written well after the beginning of Christianity. They record historical information prior to and leading up to the establishment of the church and Christianity. No one knows precisely when each Gospel record was penned, but they successively fall in the range of about 30 to 60 years after the events they record. Hence, the Gospel records are where they belong, in the New Testament catalog of Bible books.