The 27 New Testament Books in Order

The New Testament contains 27 books. The order below is the order you will find in our printed editions. It is a contents list, not a claim that the books were written in this sequence or a rule for where a new reader must begin.

The complete list

1. Matthew
2. Mark
3. Luke
4. John
5. Acts
6. Romans
7. 1 Corinthians
8. 2 Corinthians
9. Galatians
10. Ephesians
11. Philippians
12. Colossians
13. 1 Thessalonians
14. 2 Thessalonians
15. 1 Timothy
16. 2 Timothy
17. Titus
18. Philemon
19. Hebrews
20. James
21. 1 Peter
22. 2 Peter
23. 1 John
24. 2 John
25. 3 John
26. Jude
27. Revelation

Four useful groups

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the four Gospels. They tell of Jesus’ life, teaching, death and resurrection. Acts follows them and describes the spread of the early Christian movement. The letters run from Romans through Jude. Revelation closes the collection with visions and messages to churches.

These groups help you navigate without memorizing every position. If you are looking for Philippians, go to the letters rather than searching through the Gospels. If you want the story of the lost son, look in Luke, not in one of the letters.

Numbers in a title are not chapter numbers

The “1” in 1 John belongs to the book’s name. It distinguishes that letter from 2 John and 3 John. John, without a number, is the Gospel. A reference such as 1 John 2:3 therefore means the first letter of John, chapter 2, verse 3.

Printed order and reading order

You can read from Matthew straight through, but you do not have to. Starting with one Gospel lets you follow a continuous account before moving to another kind of writing. Keep this list as a reference and use a bookmark for your reading place.

The Black and White editions include all 27 books on this list. They do not include the Old Testament. If you need Genesis or Psalms in the same volume, check the contents before buying.