FHBC Sermon Notes

The critic might say that the church made the bible, that that is the reason that it has authority. But the bible in truth is the opposite. It is God's revelation of himself to us. We didn't find God, he instead sought and found us.

Canon - the word means "reed" as it was used it ancient times as a measuring stick. It is a metaphor for the "rule of faith and practice", the standard of doctrine for all that we believe and do. As such our beliefs are not just our own. What we believe must always be measured in light of what God has revealed about himself in scripture.

Criteria for Canonical Books
The theological answer would be that the Holy Spirit has placed the revelation upon men to produce what we have now.
Additionally, the historical criteria would be as follows:
1) Conformity to the rule of faith: constant with the OT and the apostolic gospel.
2) Apostolic Authority: behind each book what an apostle or a direct apostolic source. (i.e. The gospel of Mark, where Mark's source is Peter. Or for Luke, there is Paul)
3) Widespread and continuous usage by churches everywhere (i.e. geographic distribution)

Chronological Order of the NT
Pauline epistles 49-64 AD
Petrine epistles 60-64
James (pre-70s)
Synoptic Gospels (Mark first) and Acts (mid 60-80s)
Hebrew/Jude 80s
Johannine literature 90s

Process of Canonization
1. NT document written
2. Documents received and organized as authoritative (public reading)
Jim just read some from the gospel of Philip and some others to demonstrate how different they are from scripture. He points out that if one is unsure of the authority of scripture, one should simply start by just reading scripture.
3. Circulation of documents.
4. Collection of documents together
By 115 AD there are references of the four gospels bundled together and simply referred to as the Gospel. 2 Peter references one of Paul's letters, referring to them as scripture.
By the year 200, we have some of the first collections of the NT as a whole.
5. The influence of heresy and persecution
6. Eusebius three categories of "authoritative" books
7. Athanasius "Easter Letter" 367 AD: first document to identify all 27 NT books as canon.
8. Church Councils: Synod of Hippo, 3rd Council of Carthage. Critics like to point to these as where the canon came from, but the councils were trying.