Why do we need four Gospels?  At the heart of Christianity is the person and work of Jesus Christ. So we would expect the Christian Scriptures to include an account of Jesus' life. But why do we have four -- the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Isn't this redundant? 

On the contrary, our knowledge of Jesus Christ would be incomplete if we had only one Gospel. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each told the story from a different perspective, because each had a different audience in mind. 

Rediscover the Gospels: Matthew Matthew's Gospel is a call to take Jesus seriously and to follow him. It is not enough to mouth the name of Jesus; we must be his disciples, just as the people of his day had to. Just knowing about him is not enough. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father in heaven" (7:21).

Mark  In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tells us that true greatness comes in serving others. Do we believe him? Or are we more like James and John?

Luke  Jesus brought good news to everyone, including the poor and oppressed, to all groups who were despised and marginalized by society in first-century Israel. Through the church, he brings the same good news for our society today. Luke's Gospel emphasizes that through Jesus Christ, salvation is available to all, freely and without prejudice.

John  Although John's Gospel is written in simple Greek, its plain words carry profound meaning. It contains theological concepts that are not easy to master in a short time. These concepts challenge even the most mature Christian. Yet, its reassurance of God's love for us can be understood by anyone. 

Can we trust the gospels?  Has modern New Testament scholarship undermined the historical reliability of the Gospels? Can the Scriptures be taken seriously as historical records? It is only fair that the historical reliability of the Bible should be tested by the same criteria that are used to test all historical documents. In his definitive work, Introduction to Research in English Literary History, Professor Charles Sanders explains three basic principles involved in evaluating the reliability of historical documents. They are the bibliographic test (have the original manuscripts been handed down faithfully?), the internal evidence test (what the books tell us about themselves) and the external evidence test (an examination of other sources that shed light - such as contemporary ancient literature). How do the Gospels rate according to these tests?

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