The Canon of Scripture

(Article for publication week of 12-30-2009 AD)

By the "canon" of scripture we mean that list of books that are inspired of God and are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16). We mean those books which concern Christ (Luke 24:44). The Bible contains sixty-six books that are inspired of God. Our Lord and His apostles quoted from virtually all the Old Testament books and never questioned the authority of any of the scriptures that were received by the Old Testament Church. The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were received by the first century churches and were confirmed by the apostles and extraordinary signs and wonders. Church councils did not "canonize" the Bible; they simply confirmed that which had already been received by the Church (I Thessalonians 2:13).

There is a group of writings of human production known as the "Apocrypha". These books are not inspired of God and should be treated as all works of men. These books were erroneously and sadly included in some early printings of the Bible, and some of them are received as "canonical" by some groups that profess to be Christian. Christians need to be informed on this subject, so let us consider a few facts concerning the apocryphal books.

First of all, the papists did not "canonize" the apocrypha until the year 1546 with the Council of Trent. They no doubt "canonized" these books because they have references to purgatory, salvation by works, and praying for the dead. These vile doctrines do not consent with the other scriptures and do not testify of Christ so we know they are uninspired. By the way, Rome has never repealed the Council of Trent, and so it remains a vital part of their teaching. A reading of the Council of Trent will show you why true Protestants will never rejoin Rome.

Secondly, the early church theologians rejected the apocrypha. It is true that Jerome included it in his translation, but he denied its authority and counted it as any other uninspired writings, that is there are some historical use of the apocrypha, but no Divine Authority for it. Although Augustine gave some credence to the apocrypha in his earlier years, he later rejected it as being inspired of God. Nor did Josephus, the Jewish historian include the apocrypha in his list of canonical books.

Thirdly, the apocryphal books themselves make no claim for inspiration. You do not find the language of the prophets like "the burden of the Lord". The writer of the apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus (not to be confused with the inspired book of Ecclesiastes) plainly denies being inspired of God. Notice in the prologue to this apocryphal book there is a begging of the reader's pardon where he may find mistakes in this book. You have no such language in the sixty-six inspired books. To the contrary, the inspired writers speak as the oracle of God.

Whatever use we may find in the apocrypha for our study of history or philosophy, we are not to regard these books as inspired of God. They have no authority over us. Let us study the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments for they testify of our Lord Jesus Christ and are effectual in the salvation of our souls.

The Identity of the New Testament

(Article for publication week of 12-23-2009 AD)

"And account that the longsuffering of God is salvation; even as our beloved Brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (II Peter 3:15-16).

Last week we wrote to you concerning the identity, or (as some would say) the "canon" of scripture, the Old Testament particularly. This week we will take up the identity of the New Testament. We see in our text that Peter accepted the Pauline epistles as inspired, along with the "other scriptures." Thus we see the first way that we identify the canonicity of the New Testament, by Apostolic confirmation. The Twelve Apostles were given special authority by Christ Himself to write the New Testament and to oversee the New Testament Church in her founding era of the first century (John 14:26; John 16:12-15; II Thessalonians 2:15).

The scriptures were never "canonized" by a church council as some vainly imagine, but rather they were received by the early Church that was then endowed with extraordinary powers. Church councils simply recognized what was already true and already understood by God's people. The early church, as already pointed out was under the oversight of the Apostles (see also I Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 2:20). God gave the early church extraordinary gifts until the New Testament was completed, but after the church had the perfect and entire scriptures we would not need or have the extraordinary gifts any more (I Corinthians 13:10). But during this founding era of the New Testament Church the Lord confirmed the word by "signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost" (Hebrews 2:4).

One of the gifts of the Holy Ghost that was given to the early church was the gift of prophet. (Apostles, prophets and evangelists are not extant offices. The only extant offices in the church are elder and deacon.) The prophets were given to confirm the word of the apostles and their assistants. In I Corinthians 14:37 we read, "if any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." The prophets were endowed by the Holy Ghost with the power to recognize which writings of the apostles and their deputies were inspired of the Holy Ghost and to be accepted as the word of God.

Therefore when the early churches received an inspired epistle from Paul they were able to immediately recognize that it was the inspired word of God. Notice for example I Thessalonians 2:13, "for this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." When the church at Thessalonica received this epistle from Paul (which incidentally was probably the first of Paul's epistles), they did not have wait for a church council to "canonize" I Thessalonians. They knew it was the word of God by Apostolic confirmation and the Holy Ghost giving witness through signs and wonders. Later councils only recognized what was a given in the early church.

Don't you just love the Bible?!