The New Testament Canon

Text

What advantage has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. –Romans 3:1-2

I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. –1Timothy 3:15

“The word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. –1Peter 1.25.

Introduction

Before we plunge into the books of the NT, we should consider the NT canon. Upon what basis do we hold to the OT and NT as the Word of God (against the Jews), while holding only to OT and NT (against the Muslims and Mormons)? And how did the Church know what was and wasn’t Scripture? If it was the Church’s role to discern Scripture, does the Church then have authority over Scripture? Is the Church, like Scripture, infallible?

Lesson

The NT, unlike the Koran and the Bk of Mormon, was anticipated by the OT.

God promised to raise up a prophet “like Moses” (Dt 18.18-19).

– God spoke to Moses “face to face, as . . . to a friend” (Dt 33.11; 34.10).

– The OT was inaugurated through Moses (Ex 24.7-8).

– Israel was “baptized into Moses” (1Co 10.2).

– The Pentateuch was given through Moses (Dt 31.24-26).

Daniel links that prophet to the Messiah, whose ministry would occur c. 1^st Century AD (Dn 9.24-27).

Jesus was the Messiah, the Prophet “like Moses” (Act 3.13-23).

– Jesus was God’s Word in the flesh (Jn 1.14).

– Jesus inaugurated the NT (Lk 22.20; Hb 9.15-16).

– The Church is baptized into Jesus (Rm 6.3; Ga 3.27).

– The NT Scriptures were given through Jesus (Jn 14.26; cf. 1Pe 1.10-11).

Jesus, unlike Mohammed or J. Smith, was proven to be a true prophet (Dt 18.20-22). Jesus staked his prophetic credentials on the violent destruction of the Temple within the lifetimes of those to whom he spoke (Mt 24.1-2, 34; 26.63-65).

Jesus was the capstone of the prophets and the perfecter of the prophetic word (Hb 1.1-3). This rules out the Koran and the Bk of Mormon.

Jesus promised that the Spirit would infallibly inspire the Apostles (Jn 14.26). By implication, this meant the Spirit would inspire them to both speak and write Jesus’ words and deeds, for that was the established pattern of the OT.

The Apostles writings were immediately recognized as Scripture (1Pt 1.25; 2Pt 3.15-16).

The Apostles distinguished between their own word and the divine Word given through them (1Co 7.10-12, 25, 40).

Just as God sovereignly led fallible Israel to infallibly recognize and preserve the OT Scriptures, even so God sovereignly led the fallible Church to infallibly recognize and preserve the NT Scriptures (Rm 3.1-4; 1Ti 3.15). The process was one of recognition by the Church, not determination by the Church, and the criterion was Apostolic authorship (or by those closely associated with them). This recognition process was by the testimony of the Spirit through the witness of the Church Catholic over time (not the decree of the Catholic Church at one point in time).

Conclusion

Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. –2 Tm 1.14.

I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. –Acts 20.32.