The Holy Scriptures

  • Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.

    You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Anthony D'Arienzo

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2019
2,585
2,084
113
70
georgia
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
from the 1689 confession of faith
Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scriptures

1._____ The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.
( 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Isaiah 8:20; Luke 16:29, 31; Ephesians 2:20; Romans 1:19-21; Romans 2:14,15; Psalms 19:1-3; Hebrews 1:1; Proverbs 22:19-21; Romans 15:4; 2 Peter 1:19,20 )


THE PHILADELPHIA CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1742 Chapter 1 Of the Holy Scriptures 1. The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased. (2Tim. 3:15-17; Isa. 8:20; Luke 16:29, 31; Eph. 2:20; Rom. 1:19-21, 2:14,15; Psalm 19:1-3; Heb.1:1; Prov. 22:19-21; Rom. 15:4; 2 Pet. 1:19,20)

1646 Westminister confession of faith
Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter I Of the Holy Scripture I. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable;1 yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation.2 Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church;3 and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure 1 ROM 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. PSA 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. ROM 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2 1CO 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 3 HEB 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. 2 establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing;4 which makes the Holy Scripture to be most necessary;5 those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now ceased.6
 

Anthony D'Arienzo

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2019
2,585
2,084
113
70
georgia
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Is the Canon Closed? - The Gospel Coalition

DEFINITION
The 66 books of the Bible comprise the unique, authoritative word of God as taught in Scripture and affirmed throughout church history.

SUMMARY
Christians believe that the sixty-six books of the Bible constitute the Word of God. The Bible may also be referred to as “the canon,” meaning that it is the standard by which all other things in the Christian life are judged. However, can we say with confidence that the canon is now closed? In order to answer this question, one must consider what the Scriptures say about themselves and what the church has affirmed historically. Finally, it is also important to consider the sufficiency of Scripture for Christian living. Each of these tenets helps lay a confidence for the Christian that the canon is now closed. This now inspires the Christian to value God’s Word more deeply and press greater into the precious gift of his word.
 

Anthony D'Arienzo

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2019
2,585
2,084
113
70
georgia
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
The Canon of the Bible

The Canon of the Bible
“His [Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (v. 16b).

- 2 Peter 3:10-18
The English Bible is composed of 66 books. How do we know that these books and no others are the infallible and inerrant Word of God? The basic answer to this question is that when men wrote these books, they came to be aware that they had written the Word of God. Right away, the community of the faithful recognized that these books were the Word of God because the Spirit of God caused them to recognize the Master’s voice. Thus, right away, each new book was added to the collection that Moses had begun. This process went on during the Old Testament times and continued in the New Testament. We see this process in action in 2 Peter 3:16, where Peter refers to Paul’s letters as already part of the canon (list) of Scripture.

Still, how do we know today that some books have not been lost? How do we answer those who claim that the canon of the Bible did not come into existence until the fourth century a.d.? To answer these questions we must look at the early days of church history.

During the second century a.d., the heretic Marcion produced a list of his approved books of the Bible. Marcion held that the Old Testament God was an evil god of wrath, so he eliminated the Old Testament and those places in the New Testament that favorably referred to the God of the Old Testament. To answer Marcion, the church formulated once and for all the list of true books of the Bible.

For the most part, the church simply listed the books that had always been recognized as the Word of God. Questions were raised about a few short New Testament books, like Jude and the letters of John, but the church determined that these were truly Scripture because they had always been recognized as apostolic, and because there was nothing suspicious about their content. A couple of other books, such as the First Letter of Clement and the Shepherd of Hermas, were proposed for inclusion, but the church did not include them because the authors of these books themselves indicate a clear difference between their authority and the authority of the apostles. None of the other books in circulation were seriously considered because they were obvious frauds.



Coram Deo
While the church has had some disputes over exactly which books belonged in the Canon, it always agreed that the Canon was closed with the death of the last apostle. While no Christian today seeks to add to the Canon, there are those within the visible church who claim to have new, direct, binding words from God. Beware of this dangerous heresy in the modern church.

Passages for Further Study


1 Corinthians 2:1–10
Hebrews 1:1–3
Revelation 22:18–19
 
  • Like
Reactions: Waiting on him

Anthony D'Arienzo

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2019
2,585
2,084
113
70
georgia
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Prophecy and the Closed Canon, Part 1

There is no fresher or more intimate revelation than Scripture. God doesn't need to give us private revelation to help us in our walk with Him. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16 - 17; emphasis added). Scripture is sufficient. It offers all we need for every good work.

Christians on both sides of the charismatic fence must realize a vital truth: God's revelation is complete for now. The canon of Scripture is closed. As the apostle John penned the final words of the last book of the New Testament, he recorded this warning: "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and from the holy city, which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18-19). Then, the Holy Spirit added a doxology and closed the canon.

When the canon closed on the Old Testament after the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, there followed four hundred "silent years" when no prophet spoke God's revelation in any form.

That silence was broken by John the Baptist as God spoke once more prior to the New Testament age. God then moved various men to record the books of the New Testament, and the last of these was Revelation. By the second century A.D., the complete canon exactly as we have it today was popularly recognized. Church councils in the fourth century verified and made official what the church has universally affirmed, that the sixty-six books in our Bibles are the only true Scripture inspired by God. The canon is complete.
 

bbyrd009

Groper
Nov 30, 2016
33,943
12,081
113
Ute City, COLO
www.facebook.com
Faith
Christian
Country
United States Minor Outlying Islands
By the second century A.D., the complete canon exactly as we have it today was popularly recognized. Church councils in the fourth century verified and made official
i know the wolves will rush in as soon as i leave, not sparing the flock

guess pretty much the same bunch went on to give us a "popular" definition of Yah too, huh
 

Anthony D'Arienzo

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2019
2,585
2,084
113
70
georgia
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
i know the wolves will rush in as soon as i leave, not sparing the flock

guess pretty much the same bunch went on to give us a "popular" definition of Yah too, huh

Early on the church was drifting for sure and Paul's writing to the Ephesian elders was such a warning.
I am offering some historical Confessions to demonstrate how those not bound by Romes extra biblical traditions understood the biblical revelation.
Modern believers have not been exposed or examined this carefully.
I will add more later on. Enjoy.
 

DNB

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2019
4,199
1,370
113
Toronto
Faith
Christian
Country
Canada
@Anthony D'Arienzo I agree to a large part of the principle that the Canon has ended. Either due to the unavailability of apostolic inspiration, or the necessity to define parameters by God Himself (futility of a never ending Canon). Tradition due to its antiquity, to some degree, assures us that there are no lost books, which may have been a contention of mine (thank you for bringing this up).

Only part of your exposition that I didn't like, was the perceived credence and authority that you seem to ascribe to Church councils. I would never dare give them an ounce of credibility nor inspiration, any more than I do you or myself. Studied and experienced they were, but inspired or wise, I wouldn't even try to speculate, as it could go either way as far as I'm concerned. And personally, I would lean towards them being extremely unwise and misguided. I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any stretch, but undeniably, politics and power infiltrated the hierarchy of all the creedal based churches. ...not to mention, I disagree to some part or another with almost all the Confessions of the 16th and 17th centuries. And definitely, with all the ecumenical councils, again, as far as having any approbation from Christ or God Himself.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stan B

Jane_Doe22

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2018
5,247
3,444
113
116
Mid-west USA
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Early on the church was drifting for sure and Paul's writing to the Ephesian elders was such a warning.
I am offering some historical Confessions to demonstrate how those not bound by Romes extra biblical traditions understood the biblical revelation.
Modern believers have not been exposed or examined this carefully.
I will add more later on. Enjoy.
The irony of this thread is real.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rita