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Word of the Week: Canon (Special Revelation)

The “canon” of Scripture is a term related to special revelation. For the next several posts, the term will come underneath the subject of special revelation. Stay tuned for terms like inspiration, inerrancy, authority, sufficiency.

As a reminder, special revelation is God’s specific revelation of himself to us. The Bible is the product of God’s special revelation. In one sense, special revelation preceded the written word. Consider God speaking with Abraham and Moses. Those conversations were special revelation. That they were recorded in the Old Testament now makes them special revelation written down for generations afterward to read. Jesus Christ is also God’s special revelation of himself to us. How we know anything about God specifically comes through the words God gave us in the Bible.

So, what is the Bible? We are going to try to answer this question over the course of this post and subsequent posts.

The Bible is the Word of God, special revelation, that addresses God, us, and redemption. It is made up of 66 books over 1500 years with 40 different authors. 

The term “canon” means “straight rod.” Canon carries with it the idea of the “rule of faith.” This means that the canon of the Bible (66 books in total, 39 in OT and and 27 in NT) provide the rule of faith that guides our practice as followers of Jesus. 

In one sense there are 2 canons—the Old Testament and the New Testaement. The Old Testament was the rule of faith under God’s original covenant with Abraham. As the Word of God, it still holds validity and importance. We cannot ignore or modify the words of God according to our wants and wishes.

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

God, through Moses in Deuteronomy 4:2

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” 

Jesus, in Matthew 5:17

However, because of the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus, the OT does not function as our primary “rule of faith.” That belongs to the NT. We are to interpret the OT in light of the NT. In so doing, we discover the importance of the law, prophets, and writings as foreshadowing Jesus and the gospel and filling in important aspects of God’s character and nature.

The OT canon came down from Hebrew Scriptures, translated into the Septuagint (the OT in Greek language), and was used and adopted by the earliest Christians. As early as 170 AD (outside of the NT testimony), Melito of Sardis wrote about the OT list of books. Other early Christians like Origen, Athanasius, and Augustine had similar lists (occasionally referring to an additional book or including an OT book within another one: Ezra/Nehemiah, Jeremiah/Lamentations).

The NT canon was adopted prior to the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Criteria for NT books being included in the canon are as follows:

Apostolic authority. Authorship must be an apostle or someone writing from the perspective of an apostle. This criteria also relates to dates within the first century. Writings claimed to be written by an apostle, but obvioulsy written in the second century and beyond were never accepted by the church at large.

Orthodoxy. The books must conform to orthodox positions regarding Christ and God. Some writings claimed authorship by apostles, but their views were not orthodox. Heretical views, such as advocated in Gnosticism or other heresies were excluded from the canon.

Catholicity. The books of the NT had to be accepted by the church universal: in time, geography, and people. Obviously, this criterion does not require every single congregation in the early church to affirm canonicity, but it does require universal or general acceptance. For example, a single congregation’s acceptance of a letter/book would not be sufficient for inclusion in the canon. The 27 books of the NT were being used as a “rule of faith” for the church prior to Nicea. At Nicea, the council affirmed what the church had already accepted. 

These criteria guided the early church to canonize the 27 books of our NT. Some may question the process of canonization. But if God can inspire Scripture (2 Timothy 3:15), then he can certainly guide the process of canonization. We will explore the doctrine of inspiration in subsequent posts.

In the canon of Scripture, we have the foundation documents of Christianity, the charter of the church, the title-deeds of faith. For no other literature can such a claim be made. And when the claim is made, it is made not merely for a collection of ancient writings. In the words of Scripture, the voice of the Spirit of God continues to be heard. Repeatedly, new spiritual movements have been launched by the rediscovery of the living power which resides in the canon of Scripture—a living power which strengthens and liberates.

F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture, 283.

F. F. Bruce connects canonicity to a foundational truth. The Bible is powerful and authoritative. It is life-changing and redemptive. This does not surprise the Christian, for if the Bible is the Word of God, it should be life-changing and redemptive.

What does it mean to have a canon of Scripture for believers today? Here are several takeaways for todays’ word of the week:

  • We don’t get to adjust the Bible; we must adjust to the Bible. (Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18)
  • If we can trust that the Bible is inspired and the canon came from God, we can trust the Bible. 
  • If we can trust the Bible, then the Bible is our authority for life and practice. 

One of the primary reasons for these theological word of the week posts is to connect theological truths to daily Christian living. If the Bible is God’s special revelation of himself to us, then it is authoritative in our lives. We must learn from it, submit to it, and apply it.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Am I Willing?

Nearly every sermon I preach God convicts or corrects me. And this week’s sermon was no different. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter connected suffering to glory. Specifically, Peter noted that when we share in Christ’s sufferings we share in his glory.

In preparing this sermon, I referenced a statement in Jerry Bridges’ book The Joy of Fearing God.

Lord, I am willing 
To receive what You give; 
To lack what You withhold; 
To relinquish what You take; 
To suffer what You inflict; 
To be what You require; 
And to do what You send me to do.

Jerry Bridges, The Joy of Fearing God, p. 246.

As I read that statement in each sermon this week, I thought about it. After the sermon, I reflected on it. And after reflection, God is using this statement to question me about my spiritual life.

Am I willing to receive whatever God gives, good or bad? Job suffered and received from the Lord good and bad. Job questioned, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:9)

Am I willing to lack what God doesn’t give? Paul was content with little or with much, in all circumstances (Philippians 4:11).

Am I willing to let go of what God takes, even if that means provision or certainty? God took Joseph away from his family and allowed him to become a slave and prisoner in Egypt for redemptive purposes (Genesis 50:20).

Am I willing experience suffering and difficulty at the hand of the Lord? Christ suffered for our salvation and understood it to be the declaration of God’s glory (John 17:5).

Am I willing to be transformed and made obedient to Christ? The aim of God’s work in our lives is to make us obedient and transform us into the very image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

Am I willing to go where God sends me on mission? God’s mission for his people is that we would make disciples of our neighbors and the nations (Matthew 18:18-20).

God has used this statement and these questions to reaffirm my purpose for living. I am not to live for myself, for my comfort, or for my sake. I do not exist for me. As a follower of Jesus, I should accept God’s good gifts as well as his difficult ones. As a follower of Jesus, I should be content with little or much. As a follower of Jesus, I should relinquish what God may take from me. As a follower of Jesus, I should embrace suffering and difficulty as a means of sharing in the wonders of God’s glory. As a follower of Jesus, I should seek transformation into the image of Christ. As a follower of Jesus, I should go to my neighbors and the nations seeking to lead them to become followers of Jesus.

I exist for God and for his glory.

The simple fact is, you are not the point of your life. You are not the star of your show. If you live for yourself, your own comfort, your own glory, your own fame, you will miss out on your very purpose. God created you to bring glory to him.

Tim Challies, Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity, p. 11.

The application of my own sermon this week for me is this:

  • I am going to live in submission to God. He’s in charge, not me. So I’m going to bow my will, seek him first, obey his commands, and trust his sovereignty in my life.
  • I am going to live on his mission for his glory seeking to lead others to follow Jesus. So I’m going to be intentional in my prayers, conversations, plans, and trips to lead others to follow Jesus.