Canonicity and Accuracy of the Bible

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The Canonicity and Accuracy of the Bible

Introduction: Last week we introduced some of the attacks that have been made against the scriptures. For example, Grady Robinson in an editorial stated:

“The Bible was written by human beings, copied by human beings, distributed by human beings and collected into one final canon by human beings – all of whom had their own agenda.”

He further stated:

“Your beliefs could be significantly strengthened through a better understanding of how the Bible was brought together almost 300 years after the time of Christ.”

We addressed some of these claims, but in this lesson we need to identify more carefully how it came to be that 27 books of the NT and 39 books of the OT were chose to be considered biblical. Were these books “distributed by humans and collected into one final canon by human beings— all of whom had their own agenda?” What did happen 300 years later that has given people the idea that leaders in the Roman church decided what books would be in the Bible? 

1. The Need for a Canon
   1. The word “canon” simply refers to a rod or ruler by which a measurement is taken. The rule becomes a standard. The word is used in Galatians 6:16 when Paul said, peace and mercy on all who walk by this “rule.” Therefore, the canon of scripture refers to those books of the Bible that should be considered from God and therefore a rule of faith. In this text, Paul revealed words from God that he expected Christians to consider a rule by which to live.
   2. As previously mentioned, it is commonly taught the idea that there were a council of Bishops 300 years after Christ who determined the canon is misleading. Christians were determining the canon in the first century the moment they received a letter from one of the apostles or prophets who were associated with the apostles. 
   3. In fact, even before the apostles wrote anything down that would be consider inspired, their verbal preaching was judged to be inspired from God in the same way it was judged after they wrote down what they spoke. Paul said,
      “We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people” (1 Cor. 2:13, CSB).
   4. So what was happening in the first century when the apostles taught? When Peter and the other apostles preached their first sermon after the resurrection of Jesus, their words were confirmed by the miracle of speaking in languages of 17 countries. In fact, they continued to do miracles (Acts 2:43) to confirm their preaching. Therefore, Acts 2:42 states, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching…” Why? Because that was the “canon.”
   5. The same determination was made by first century Christians when letters were received. The question was, is this letter truly from Paul, Peter, or one of the other apostles or prophets? Paul noted that in 2 Thes. 2:2, “Do not be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.” 
   6. In fact, at the end of 2 Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write” (3:17). This statement gave first century Christians a standard by which they could determine “Paul’s canonicity.” Further, by saying this, Paul admitted the need for Christians to determine what was to be in the canon and what was to be rejected. And Christians of the first and second centuries took this task very seriously. 
   7. Paul even had to give the Corinthians a similar test for his verbal teaching because false teachers came to Corinthian claiming to be apostles, who Paul called “false apostles” (2 Cor. 11:13). Therefore, Paul concluded, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and might works” (2 Cor. 12:12).
   8. The need to recognize a canon became more pressing in the mid-second century when Marcion, a Gnostic heretic, compiled his own canon. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Satan would produce false writings. He has always been the great imitator (magic tricks of the Egyptian magicians). In fact, we would be more suspicious if there weren’t any spurious writings! Is everything these Christians throw out there to be considered from God? 
   9. Now, were there councils in the fourth century that spelled out what books were considered to be in the canon? Yes, but not for the purpose of imposing on churches the books that should be considered biblical and the books that weren’t, but to simply acknowledge of what churches everywhere had come to know were the scriptures and had recognized from the first century.
2. Determining Canonicity
   1. The challenge of determining what God has said and what he has not said can be seen throughout scripture. The very first words of Satan in the Garden were, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat any tree of the garden?” At that moment, Eve had to determine the “canon” – what was the rule?
   2. Later, when God spoke through chosen prophets, he again gave caution so man could determine true and false prophets.
      1. Deut. 18:20-22 Does what he foretell come to pass?
      2. Deut. 13:1-3 Does he teach contrary to what God has already revealed through proven prophets (Moses).
      3. Jeremiah 23:25-29 Do the words of the prophet have the power that is known to be the way God speaks?
      4. 1 John 4:1-6 In the case of the NT, are these the words of the apostles or those who were closely associated with the apostles. (See also 1 John 2:20, 26-27).
      5. As for those closely associated with the apostles such as Mark and Luke, 
         1. We know from evidence of the apostolic fathers that Peter was closely associated with Mark and stood behind his gospel. Paul also wrote of Mark’s faithfulness. 
         2. In 1 Tim. 5:18, Paul states, “For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” The first quotation is from Deut. 25:4, the second is from Luke 10:7. Therefore, Paul referred to the writings of Luke (who was his close companion) as scripture.
   3. The above principles are exactly what Christians in the first three centuries used to determine the canon. Therefore, God expected humans to be able to determine what was and was not his words! And he gave us enough information to know the difference.
   4. And, just to illustrate how quickly the writings of the apostles were being copied and spread throughout the churches of the first century, consider Peter’s words in 2 Peter 3:15-16. Peter wrote no later than 64 AD.
3. Jesus, the Key to the Canon of Old and New
   1. Christ Himself is the One who establishes for us (as for all Christians of all times) the Old and New Testament canons. By appealing to the Gospel accounts some might accuse us of circular reasoning. But we do not need to appeal to these accounts as inspired in order to use them as historic resources. 
   2. Both Matthew and John claim to be eyewitnesses of the things of which they wrote. Luke claimed to have done extensive research having received what he learned from the original eyewitnesses. Thus, if we accept Jesus to be who He said He was, by examining these accounts we can discover the biblical canon.
   3. Consider the following words of Jesus:
      1. Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Lk. 24:25-27).
         1. Notice the phrase, “all that the prophets have spoken” which indicates Jesus believed the O.T. canon to be complete.
         2. Also notice, “He expounded to them in all the Scriptures” again indicating the canon was complete.
      2. Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” (Lk. 24:44-45). Jesus used the same division of the O.T. as in the Hebrew Bible, which are the same books we have.
   4. Jesus also confirmed the canon of the NT even though he ascended prior to its writing. In essence he foretold the NT canon.
      1. Jn. 16:12-13 Jesus promised the apostles they would be guided by the Spirit into all truth, beyond the things He was personally telling them.
      2. Eph. 3:3-5 Paul actually speaks of writing the things revealed to him and says that the whole revelation is given by the “apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”

Berry Kercheville