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Hebrews 4:12
“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Recognition of the full canon of Scripture took place over time, but this does not mean that the church ever entertained significant doubt about which books are canonical. Jesus Himself held to the thirty-nine books of the Protestant Old Testament canon (Luke 24:44), so while some churches have added books to the Old Testament, they have done so contrary to the example of Jesus Himself. The vast majority of the New Testament books were universally recognized as canonical by the end of the first century, with some in the church having questions about only Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. In the end, however, the link of these books to an Apostle, their widespread use in the church, and their orthodoxy—right doctrine—helped God’s people to recognize that they are divinely inspired.
Nevertheless, we would be mistaken to think that any of the objective factors such as Apostolicity are the final reason that the church receives a book as canonical. If that were so, we would be saying that something other than the Lord is what makes a book part of the canon of Scripture. We would be granting the authority for determining what is revelation to something other than the Revealer Himself. For instance, if we finally accept the canon because the church says that it is canon, then we have said that the church somehow makes Scripture the Word of God. If the church makes Scripture the Word of God, however, then Scripture no longer has inherent divine authority. It has no power to command belief and duty outside the say-so of the church. Scripture testifies to its own inherent authority.
The final reason, then, that we receive a book as canonical can be only that the Holy Spirit convinces us that it is. We refer to this as the internal witness (or persuasion) of the Spirit. Objective markers of canonicity are important lest we fall into purely irrational subjectivism. Still, these objective markers cannot convince us that the canonical books are the Word of God. Only the Author of Scripture, God the Holy Spirit, working in our hearts and minds, can persuade us that the Bible is His special revelation.
Scripture speaks of its power to persuade in several places, including Hebrews 4:12. The author describes Scripture’s ability to get to the very core of our hearts. Scripture alone, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can reveal to us that it is the true Word of God and that we must attend to it as such.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
John Calvin writes that “Scripture, carrying its own evidence along with it, deigns not to submit to proofs and arguments, but owes the full conviction with which we ought to receive it to the testimony of the Spirit.” Arguments for the divine authority of Scripture have their place, but they cannot finally convince us. Only the Holy Spirit can do that, and we should ask Him to convince those who have not yet received the Bible as His Word.
For further study
- Genesis 12:1–9
- Isaiah 6:8
- John 10:27
- 1 Corinthians 2:6–16
The bible in a year
- Exodus 4–6
- Matthew 16