THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE

2 PETER 3:10–18

His [Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do other Scriptures, to their own destruction

(2 Peter 3:16 niv).

If the Bible was indeed written by men and compiled by men, how do we know that the books in the canon of Scripture are the right ones? Many people reject the authority of Scripture because they are not confident that the Bible contains the letters and books that truly contain God’s Word.

A canon is a standard by which other things are judged. The canon of Scripture was compiled during the first four centuries through a number of councils. The 66 books that now comprise the Bible were finally established as the complete Canon in 397 A.D. at the Third Council of Carthage.

Prior to this date, even from the latter half of the first century, the various books of the New Testament were in circulation. It is not as if the Bible suddenly appeared in 397. These letters and books had been used by the church for years. However, there developed abuses and controversies over what books were sacred Scripture. And so, the church responded by establishing the final Canon.

When the councils met, there were more than 2,000 books in contention. Yet, only two books beyond the final Canon were seriously considered: Shepherd of Hermes and 1 Clement. These books were finally rejected and excluded because by their own testimony, the authors indicated a clear difference between themselves and the apostles. Some books questioned but finally included are Jude, 2 Peter, Hebrews, and the three letters of John.

While it may cause some to be uneasy knowing that the Bible was compiled by fallible men, we can put our confidence in God’s providence and in the methods of compilation employed by the early church councils. If God is able to preserve His Word through fallible authors, He can certainly preserve it through fallible compilers.

The councils used three criteria in forming the Canon: 1) the book had to be written or endorsed by an apostle; 2) the book had to have been received by the early church from the beginning; and 3) questionable books could not contradict any books of which there was no doubt—conformity was paramount. Through these means and the grace of God, we can trust that the right books have been included in the Bible and safeguarded through the ages.

CORAM DEO

Ecclesiastes 7–9

2 Corinthians 11:1–15

Consider the confidence the disciples put in the canonicity of the Old Testament (Read Luke 24:25–45). What does this say about God preserving His Word? Read Luke 24:13–27. What authority did Jesus give the Scriptures? Considering these passages and today’s verses, what confidence should you have in the Bible?

For further study: Prov. 30:5–6 • Rom. 15:1–4 • Rev. 22:18–21

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september