New Testament Research Paper Topics

The New Testament is primarily about the life and death of Jesus Christ. The New Testament contains The Four Gospels, The Book of Acts, The Epistles and the Book of Revelation. People looking for ways to form a personal connection with Jesus Christ consult the New Testament for guidance. When choosing a New Testament research topic,it is helpful to make a list of New Testament passages or stories that are meaningful to you and then expand on that idea; for example, a favorite passage about forgiveness could turn into a research project detailing forgiveness and its relation to confession.

The Four Gospels record events such as Christ’s birth, crucifixion, death and burial and resurrection, with the writer of each book emphasizing different details or presenting the account in a different manner. Research topics could include the lives of the 12 disciples, the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, the disciples’ account of Christ’s ascension, or the role of Pontius Pilate in the crucifixion.

Luke wrote the Book of Acts while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Key events include worldwide plans for evangelism that begin in Jerusalem, the dramatic appearance of the Holy Spirit 10 days after Jesus' ascension, Peter’s evangelistic message after he healed a lame man and Paul’s continued proclamation of faith while imprisoned in Rome. Topics could include an account of Peter’s sermons to the Jewish crowds, God’s plan for the Jews to receive the Gospel, the meaning of repentance and modern-day strategies for evangelizing based on Peter’s trials.

The Epistles are letters written primarily by apostles to the new leaders of the Christian church of the first century. Topics could include Paul’s teaching on the universality of sin, Paul’s advisement of the Corinthian church, Jude’s use of non-biblical sources in his epistle and Peter’s account of the persecution of Christians by the Roman authorities and the debate surrounding the authenticity of the letters of Paul.

The meaning of the Book of Revelation is one of the most debated areas of the New Testament. Before the second coming of Christ, it predicts that the world will endure seven years of tribulation in which Christians will be persecuted for their faith in Christ. Topics could include events precipitating the opening of the seven seals (the seven plagues), the role of Israel during the end times, the relationship between Revelation and other ancient literature and how to interpret the timelines in Revelation.