III. The New Testament Canon
A. The New Testament is comprised of
the writings of the Christ’s Apostles as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring
to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
John 14:26
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you
into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever
He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine
and will disclose it to you.” John 16:13-14
B. Those who held the office of Apostle in the early church
claimed equality with the Old Testament prophets. This authority allowed them to speak and
write the very words of God.
1. Peter encourages his readers to remember “the words spoken beforehand by the holy
prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.” 2 Peter 3:2
2. To lie to the
Apostles was equivalent to lying to the Holy Spirit and to God.
“But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a
piece of property, and kept back some
of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a
portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan
filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While
it remained unsold, did it not
remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is
it that you have conceived this deed in
your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’" Acts 5:1-4
C. The New Testament itself affirms that it is Scripture.
1. The Apostle Peter clearly affirms that Paul’s epistles
are Scripture.
“. . . just as also our beloved brother
Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of
these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught
and unstable distort, as they do
also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own
destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15-16
The word translated “Scripture” here is
the Greek word graphe, a word that is
used
fifty-one times in the New Testament and
that refers to the Old Testament Scriptures in
every single instance. Thus, the word used equates Old Testament
writings and the
writings of Paul as Scripture.
2.
Paul
also connects the New Testament and the Old Testament as Scripture.
“The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor,
especially those who work hard at preaching and
teaching. For the Scripture says,
"YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS
THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."1 Timothy 5:17-18
The first reference Paul uses from Scripture
is from Deuteronomy 25:4 while the
second
is from Luke 10:7. Thus, Paul is
quoting Luke’s Gospel and recognizing it as Scripture.
D.
The
Five Characteristics of Scripture
1.
The
Authority of Scripture – By this we mean that all the words in Scripture
are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of
Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.
a. “All Scripture
is inspired by God . . .” 2 Timothy 3:16
b. “For no prophecy
was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke
from God.” 2 Peter 1:21
c. “Now all this took
place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet” Matthew 1:22
d. “If anyone thinks he
is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to
you are the Lord's commandment.” 1
Corinthians 14:37
e.
These
verses, and many others, attribute the source of the Scriptures to God. He spoke His very words through human agents
who spoke and wrote God’s words down as God intended us to receive them. Therefore, the Scripture is absolutely
authoritative as God’s words to us collected as God purposed in the closed
canon of Scripture.
2.
The
Inerrancy of Scripture – By this we mean that Scripture in the original
manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact.
a. This
definition does not mean that the Bible tells us every fact there is to know
about any one subject, but it affirms that what the Bible does say about any
subject is true.
b. “Every word of
God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Proverbs 30:5
c. Though
sin may taint the words of every man who speaks, God may speak through the
agency of men without any error whatsoever because He is God.
d. "God is not
a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent;” Numbers
23:19
e. The
Bible can be inerrant and still speak in the ordinary language of everyday
speech.
3. The
Clarity of Scripture – By this we mean that the Holy Spirit wrote the
Old and New Testaments through men in such a way that they may be understood by
ordinary believers. Everything needed
for our salvation and our Christian life and growth are very clearly set forth
in Scripture.
a. Anyone
who studies the Bible must admit that some parts of it are easy to understand
while other parts seem puzzling.
Faithful study brings clarity.
b.
“. . . just as also our beloved brother Paul, according
to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some
things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2
Peter 3:15-16
c. The primary reason for misunderstanding Scripture is poor
hermeneutical method. Without proper study technique (Observation,
Interpretation, and Application), it is impossible to rightly interpret the
Word of God.
4. The
Necessity of Scripture – By this we mean that the Bible is necessary for
knowing the Gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God’s
will.
a. "The secret
things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to
our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy
29:29
b. “How blessed are those whose way
is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD.”
Psalm 119:1
c. Scripture
is not necessary to know that God exists, nor to know something of God’s
character or moral laws.
d. “For since the
creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine
nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so
that they are without excuse.” Romans
1:20
5. The
Sufficiency of Scripture – By this we mean that Scripture contains all
the words of God intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive
history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation,
for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying Him perfectly.
a. This
definition means that God considers His Word to be enough for us to live in
holy obedience before Him.
b. “and that from childhood you have known the sacred
writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through
faith which is in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness;
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work.” 2 Timothy 3:15-17
c. The Sufficiency of Scripture should:
1. encourage
us to search out God’s Word to know what He says about every doctrine and area
of life.
2. caution us
that we are to add nothing to nor take away from Scripture, and that no other
writing is of equal value to the Word of God.
3. declare to us
that God does not require us to believe anything about Himself or His
redemptive work that is not found in Scripture.
4. demonstrate to us
that no modern revelations from God are to be place on the same level as the
authority of Scripture.
5. remind us that
our doctrinal and ethical teaching should emphasize what Scripture emphasizes
and teaches.
