Bibliology - Part 2
Bibliology - Part 2
Friday, May 11, 2007
Having dealt with inspiration and revelation in part 1 of the section on Bibliology, we now turn to the extent of that revelation, namely canonicity. One can believe correctly in divine revelation, the what, and correctly in inspiration, the how, and yet err in exactly what comprises the inspired revelation God has given men.
So, that brings us to the next statement on the subject of Bibliology:
I believe the Bible is comprised of sixty-six books, thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. I believe the canon of Scripture is closed and that there is no new divine revelation being given today.
Why is this important? Why do we need to be so definitive about canon? Two major reasons present themselves:
1. There were a lot of writings in circulation when the Scriptures were being written. It is important to know which of these were considered canonical and which were not. What books were people willing to die for, and what books did the consider unworthy of being called Scripture? In examining the history of canonization, one finds that our current set of sixty-six books were the only ones accepted by the early church and by the Jewish rabbis (in the case of the Old Testament), as being divine in origin and hence worthy of inclusion into the Holy Scriptures.
2. We also need to know the complete body of revelation in order to form our theology and understanding of God. In fact, that is why many of the so-called “missing books” of the Bible were rejected by the early church. In many cases they presented a completely different, and in many instances, heretical view of God, Christ, man, and salvation. These were rejected as Holy Scripture because of their deviation with the rest of the canonical books of the Bible.
A complete study of canonization is beyond the scope of this blog entry, but if you would like more information on canonization as well as a list of historical canons, you can find them by clicking on the NT Survey button above.
The second point of the statement we are examining deals with the closure of the canon. One of the great debates in Christian circles today is over whether or not God still gives revelation. A quick scan of the currently available Christian literature in the average Christian bookstore has one example after another of men and women claiming they are receiving direct revelation from God. Some, like Kenneth Hagin, even claim to get complete sermons and sermon outlines directly from God!
So the question on whether or not God is giving additional revelation is important. I believe He is not, and my reasons are as follows:
1. Our current Bible is a consistent whole with no glaring omissions. It tells us where man came from and where man is going. It begins in eternity past and ends in eternity future. Every essential question of existence, every necessary point of doctrine about Salvation, is found in our Bible.
2. The Book of Revelation itself ends with a warning about adding to or taking away from the book of Revelation (Revelations 22:18-19). Some would say, “well, that is just referring to Revelation and not the Bible as a whole.” In answer to that challenge consider this, Revelation was the last book of the Bible chronologically to be written (ca. 96 A.D.). Therefore, if one adds to the Book of Revelation, one is adding to the rest of the Bible of which it is a part.
3. If God were giving new revelation today, we should be writing it down and adding new books and sections to our Bible.
4. If God were giving new revelation today, He would be giving it to godly men in line with the Apostles and Prophets, not to men who have an aberrant theology and defective doctrine of Christ.
5. If God were giving new revelation, it would be consistent with and supplemental to the current divine revelation we have. A quick examination in this area shows that the supposed new revelation is silly, bizarre, and in just about all cases, incongruous with what we know about God and with the already revealed Word of God, the Bible.
6. If God were giving new revelation, it would be validated by miracles. No such validation exists in those circles that claim new revelation.
So in summary, God has revealed Himself perfectly in the Bible as we have it today. The collection of our current sixty-six books, affirmed by the early church and multiple church councils, is complete. God is not revealing new truth today, but rather He is illuminating the truth already revealed by the Holy Spirit.
God’s Word is complete!
