"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
John 20:31 · King James Bible
What it is
The New Testament is the second, shorter part of the Christian Bible — 27 books, written by about ten different authors over roughly sixty years (from around AD 45 to AD 95), all after the resurrection of Christ. Every book was written by an eyewitness of Jesus or a close companion of one.
How it is arranged
The four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John — the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Acts of the Apostles: the birth and spread of the Church.
Paul's Letters: 13 letters — Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1–2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon.
Hebrews and the General Letters: Hebrews, James, 1–2 Peter, 1–2–3 John, Jude.
Revelation: John's vision of the risen Christ and the end of history.
The story
The Gospels tell of Jesus. Acts tells how the news of Jesus went from Jerusalem to Rome in one generation. The letters explain what it means to live in that news — as a household, a church, a citizen. Revelation lifts the veil on where all history is heading.
Which books to read first
For a first pass: John (the person of Jesus), Mark (the shortest Gospel — the story in a hurry), Acts (the mission), Romans (the Gospel explained), and 1 John (a short letter every household can memorize almost by heart). That is about forty short chapters — a month of evenings.
Why it is called the New Testament
Testament is an old word for covenant — a solemn agreement. The prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31) foretold a new covenant that God would make with his people, written on their hearts rather than on tablets of stone. Jesus, at the Last Supper, took a cup and said, "This cup is the new testament in my blood." These 27 books are the record of that new covenant.