Sermon Text: Various Passages

Below is a sermon manuscript from June 11, 2025. Watch the sermon here.

Introduction

Who gets to determine which books are in the Bible? There were competing factions, and one won and then suppressed the others. Here is the lost gospel that the church doesn’t want you to know exists. These are questions and ideas that people deal with often. In fact, sometimes these questions cause doubts and lead others astray. It was questions like these that a Christian apologist debated in an online forum. This led to amazing opportunities. I passed along the Joe Rogan and Wes Huff interview, which came about in part because of the debate, and they, too, covered some of these questions. A theologian put this in perspective by comparing the reach to the 1957 Billy Graham crusades in New York. During the 1957 campaign, Billy Graham’s message reached 2.3 million people. The interview with Joe Rogan was viewed almost 7 million times on one platform alone. He recently had another interview covering similar questions, and in three weeks, it is already well over 2 million views. This doesn’t include clips or excerpts, either. Now, I want to be clear, I am not equating digital to in-person. Nor am I saying that the task of apologetics is the same as gospel proclamation. But it should be said that these interviews include clear gospel presentations. What I do want to say is that these questions are not fringe issues, but things that are discussed mainstream. When it comes to our association, the historic phrase or motto associated with us is “Where stands it written?” What a beautiful and powerful statement. It gets at the importance and authority of God’s Word. But it also depends upon a written word. What is this written word, and who determines it? This is the question we address this morning.

God Decided the Books of the Bible (Canonical Writings)

We have discussed many aspects of the Bible throughout this series. We have talked about how the Bible is inspired, inerrant, sufficient, authoritative, clear, and necessary. There is a beauty and wonder to the truth that God communicates with his people. But in order for us to apply these truths, we need to know which are God’s Words and what are not God’s Words. There are many approaches that people have taken to the question: Who gets to determine the books of the Bible? Who has the right to say what is divine writing or not? 

Some say that the church can do this. The Bible arises from those within the church who are writing words, and it is received by the church, so the church has the authority to determine which is in and which is out. 

A second and related view to this is that basically, those in charge or the view that prevails. 

But I want to propose another view. A view that I believe is consistent with the witness of Scripture and takes seriously many of the attributes that we have discussed. It’s not a view that originates with me, but one that Christians have held to for a long time. It’s the idea that God is the one who determines the books of the Bible. Or to put it more precisely, God is the one who determines the canonical writings. 

The idea of Canon is the big idea of this message. Canon refers to the list of Divine writings. Don’t mistake this with canon with two ns, which is a big gun that shoots cannonballs.

As we consider the idea that God is the one who has given his people writings, think about God’s dealings with his people in history. When God calls his people, he brings them into covenant with himself and supplies them with a tangible record. We see this with the divine writing of the Ten Commandments that Moses receives and takes to the people. 

As we think of God giving his people the written word, we think of how important this is for us. A passage that we have used repeatedly in this series is 2 Timothy 3:14-17

¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

What’s amazing is that this is in reference to the Old Testament Scriptures that he was taught. Paul was affirming the goodness of the Old Testament in the life of the church. The New Covenant did not come with new leaders and new writings to the neglect of what came before, but instead it completed what came before.

The New Testament and Jesus affirmed the Old Testament Writings

When it comes to Old Testament writings, there was basic agreement, yet some disagreement among Jesus’ contemporaries. Some sought to limit the inspired text to some of the Pentateuch, others to only the Pentateuch. But throughout the New Testament, we quote from various sections of the Old Testament with phrases like “it is written” or “thus says the Lord.” Jesus himself refers to all three sections of writings, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, while teaching on the road to Emmaus. He says, in Luke 24:44-45

“Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,”

Israel was entrusted with the Oracles of God

We also know that Israel was entrusted with the oracles of God. Paul teaches this in Romans 3:2 by saying that

…the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.^[1]

Why is this important? Because there is a Jewish consensus on the books in the Old Testament. This consensus aligns with our understanding of the books that God has given us. Our Bibles have a different order and a different number of books because we separate the books of Samuel and the Kings, but the same content is there. This is different than other traditions that include additional books, often referred to as the Apocryphal books.

There are good reasons not to include the Apocryphal books in the canon

These books are Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch.

First, as we mentioned, the New Testament quotes the Old Testament all over, but it never authoritatively quotes the books of the Apocrypha.

Second, there has never been consensus on the apocryphal books throughout the history of the church. Jerome, the leading scholar of the early church, when translating the Bible into Latin, distinguished the books from the others. They were profitable but in a different category. Others would refer to them as Scripture, but in a lesser sense, good to encourage, but not to build doctrine from. Even up until the books were adopted as Deuterocanonical – meaning second canon by the Roman Catholic church in the Council of Trent, there was still debate. The Eastern Orthodox church distinguishes these books as of a lesser weight than others.

Third, there are historical errors. For instance, King Nebuchadnezzar is referred to as the King of Babylon in the book of Judith.

Fourth, there are theological issues. These include approval of magic and salvation by works. These books are beneficial to some Roman Catholic teachings, such as prayers for the dead and purgatory. 

Fifth, as we mentioned, the Jews did not accept them as canonical. This is extremely important, especially as we think about the New Testament writings. The covenant people of God recognized the covenant writings from God. This is true of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

The Church Recognizes the Books of the Bible (Canonical Writings)

The sheep hear the voice of Jesus

So what role do the people of God have then? The people of God recognize and receive the writings, but they don’t determine the writings. This is often referred to as the self-authenticating nature of Scripture. There is just something about the inspired writing of Scripture that testifies that it is not merely human. Maybe you have had this experience yourself, you read a wide variety of material but as you read the Bible there is something distinct, something special about it that you just can’t explain.

This is exactly what Jesus taught in John 10:27,

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.^[2]

Of course, this is not universally recognized. Secular critical scholars will say that this just a book like any other book. What do we do about that? First, we should acknowledge that Scripture often speaks in this manner. In 1 Corinthians 2:14, it says, 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.^[3]”

The Bible itself tells us that inspired words from God will be the wisdom of God for some and folly for others. The skeptic might respond, “Well, that’s pretty convenient. I don’t see the power of Scripture, and therefore my opinion doesn’t count.” But we have to think about how this works even in ordinary life. One person could look at a piece of computer code and see nothing more than symbols on a screen, while another sees the beauty and cohesion of the code. If the quality is judged by a coding ignorant, would that be a proper judgment? Or what about someone who is trained in classical music and able to appreciate the subtle art of a great musician? How does their opinion compare with those who are tone-deaf? Michael Kruger uses an example of a world-renowned violinist in Washington, DC, performing to no accolades and gathering no crowd.

Still, we might respond, Does this mean that some people are better than others? Does this mean they are able to assess, and others are not? My mentor, Nate Archer, gave a helpful example when it comes to recognizing the divine quality of Scripture. He equated it to a smoke detector. 

A person without the Holy Spirit is like a smoke detector without batteries or power. There might be smoke there, but you can’t detect what’s there. But with the Holy Spirit we can detect God’s presence in Scripture when it’s there.

Still, we might ask, couldn’t this go wrong? How can we be sure this is God’s voice and not our own? There are several external tests that people have used to help regulate this concept.

Apostolic

One test or check is a book’s connection to the apostles. In other words, was it written by an apostle or a close associate of an apostle? This principle carried through from the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament. Ephesians 2:20 tells us that the church is built up by the prophets and the apostles. It was the connection to the apostles that became an early indicator of the authority of the writings. This was also for those who were close companions to the apostles, like Mark and Luke. Additionally, we have the earthly siblings of Jesus, Jude and James. 

Universally Recognized

Paul says in Colossians 4:16,

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.

Within Scripture, we see the call for these letters to be read and circulated. Instead of being stored in a temple, they are to go to God’s people, the living temple, as they gather in various places. We also hear of another letter, the letter to the Laodiceans. Scholars debate what this means. Some say it is what we now have in the letter to the Colossians, a combination of the two letters. Others say it is the letter to Ephesians or the letter to Philemon. Others say it is lost. What is interesting is that later on, there is an Apocryphal book that is called the letter to the Laodiceans, which is quickly seen as a forgery. 

I love some of the commentary and sensationalizing that takes place with this sometimes. “Did you know there are other books to the Bible? Many followed these teachings religiously before, but the church suppressed them and didn’t want others following them.” It’s similar to saying, “Did you know that there are some people who think Star Trek and Star Wars are the same, but the power-hungry Trekkies don’t want you to think Star Wars is a part of the Canon of Star Trek. What? No. They are two distinct things and belong to two separate categories. It’s not that the church didn’t know about certain books or that they were suppressed in a power move. They were merely not recognized as Scripture. 

In fact, it is remarkable that ever since Athanasius’ letter in 367 about which books are included in the canon, there has been a universal agreement. Even up to today, the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, and the Protestant churches all hold to the 27 books of the New Testament.

Orthodox

Finally, the question is whether it is orthodox. In other words, does it align with the teaching of the apostles? Many in the early church refer to what is called the rule of faith. A basic summary of the Christian doctrines that was used by Christians. This would have been important as the books were still being circulated in the early church. But even this might raise questions? If this is not Scripture, then can it hold weight over Scripture in determining it? We can answer this in two ways: first, the apostles’ teaching in writing and speech could not be so easily divided while they were living. Second, the early church did have Scripture to evaluate both the orthodoxy of the rule of faith itself and other books. The New Testament church from the earliest stages, had the Old Testament. It is also likely that there were several writings that were quickly adopted based on evidence in the early church and in Scripture itself; this would be the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and Paul’s major letters. Think about even the letter of Romans and how it also gives credibility to the Old Testament, Romans 1:1-2 says, 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures^[4]

So other documents, as well as the rule of faith, could be evaluated based on what they did have. 

To give a fun and over-the-top example, the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas ends with these words: Simon Peter said to them, “Let Mary go away from us, for women are not worthy of life.” Jesus said, “Look, I will draw her in so as to make her male, so that she too may become a living male spirit, being similar to you.” (But I say to you), “Every woman, if she makes herself male, will enter the kingdom of heaven.”^[5]

Conclusion

Maybe you are thinking this is all nice, but what does that have to do with me? You think, I have the Bible, I believe the Bible, I recognize the books for what they are. That is good. It’s perfect. But the question is, why? Why do you see the books for what they are? Why do you recognize the beauty in them? Is it merely because you hope it’s true? Is it merely because someone told you that? No, this doctrine helps us see that we recognize the writings because God has determined which books they are, and his sheep hear his voice. Have you heard and responded to the voice of Jesus?

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 3:1–2.

^[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 10:27.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Co 2:14.

^[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 1:1–2.

^[5] Uwe-Karsten Plisch and Gesine Schenke Robinson, The Gospel of Thomas: Original Text with Commentary(Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008).