KBM How We Got The Bible 2

I would like to begin this lesson with my deepest and most profound gratitude for all the prayers that have gone up for my family and I over the last several months. Whether it was my hospitalization with Covid first and then pneumonia or my mom’s hospitalization and then passing I have been beyond blessed to have so many demonstrate their love toward us. So thank you all again for all of the support and prayers. Today we are going to continue that which we started a few months back on “How We Got The Bible.” In that first lesson we covered the “mechanics” if you will, wherein we examined materials, and manuscript types. If you haven’t had a chance to study that yet, I encourage you to go back and do that when you get a moment. Today we are going to be looking at the “formation” of the bible. The word “canon” means “measuring rod, a rule.” When the bible is called “The Sacred Canon” or “The Sacred Canon of Scripture” it is being said that this collection of books or letters is recognized as inspired by God and complete. Now the question then remains, “how do we know we have all the inspired word of God” and “what about the controversial books like the Apocrypha. The “test” for whether a writing is of God or man breaks down into four categories. The first is whether or not the writing is said to be of divine authorship. Is there evidence that this writing was written by a prophet, apostle, or other inspired writer of God? Is there evidence that it was divinely written? Remember what God said through Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

There should be an “air” of divinity with the writing and plenty of evidence to back that up which brings me to the next test, the determination of genuineness. In other words, can we figure out if it is true. Does it tell the truth or lie, does is it factual or does it give a lot of opinions, is there a cloud of suspicion around its authenticity, or can it be traced back to the original writer? In writing to Theophilus Luke writes this…

Luke 1:4 (ESV)

4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

There should be a reality of genuineness with the writing. Thirdly, the “determination of recognition.” I know that’s a mouthful to say but all it means is “did the vast majority of the main-stream believers view the book” as from God or from man. For example the Old Testament writings were read repeatedly in the synagogues and the New Testament writings were read from church to church.

Colossians 4:16 ESV

16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

Were these letters that were read from church to church said to be from God or not. Fourthly, The “determination by close examination of the content.” In other words, do the writings “harmonize” with each other. As we have talked about in the past, a contradiction is that which is found that has no possibility of harmonization. There are a lot of critics of the bible who try and “point out contradictions” but they are yet to find any that do not have some or multiple ways of harmonizing. This cannot be said of the Apocrypha books however and that is why they are not inspired by God. Each one does have contradictions within them. That isn’t to say there isn’t any truth in them, but rather they were not inspired by God. As you can see there is much that went into putting the bible together and it can, indeed, be found trustworthy.