June 21, 2026

A Series on Our Beliefs

Week 3: God Gave Us The Right Books

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Today we are going to address two questions about how God preserved His Word.

1. How was it determined what books make the cut and which ones did not?

2. Why are there so many translations and which one is the best?

1.      The Cannon of the Bible.

1.1.  Definition

Cannon - rule or measuring rod.

It refers to the collection of books which passed a test of authenticity and authority.

The church recognized the books that already carried God’s inspiration and authority.

1.2.  The Old Testament

Ezra compiled the OT in the 5th Century BC.

For the OT – The author had to be a lawgiver, prophet or leader of Israel.

The first church council to recognize the NT was the Council of Carthage in 397 AD.

The books of the Apocrypha were never accepted by the Jews or by our Lord on a par with the books of the Old Testament. They were respected but were not considered Scripture. The Roman Catholic church officially pronounced eleven of them canonical at the Council of Trent in 1546.

Romans 3:1–2

John 10:34–36

·       Jesus quoted OT Scripture when tempted.

·       Jesus said OT Scripture cannot be broken.

·       Jesus said the OT Scriptures testify about Him.

·       Jesus fulfilled what was written in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms.

1.3.  The New Testament

The NT canon is connected to the authority of Christ’s apostles.

Jesus authorized His apostles to speak for Him.

1. Apostleship

Apostleship was Christ’s gift to certain men in the early church, appointing them as His commissioned representatives to lay the church’s once-for-all foundation.

Matthew 16:16–18

      2. Qualifications for apostleship:

·       Be a physical eyewitness of the risen Christ.

·       Be personally appointed by the Lord.

·       Confirm apostleship through miraculous signs.

Ephesians 2:19–20

John 16:12–13

John 14:26

John 16:13

      3. Test for canonicity

·       It was written by an apostle.

·       It was written by someone closely connected to an apostle.

·       It agreed with the teachings and doctrine of Jesus and the apostles.

·       It was received broadly among the churches.

·       It bore the marks of divine authority and spiritual power.

2 Peter 3:15–16

1.4.  Church History

By the second century, churches were reading apostolic writings in worship alongside Israel’s Scriptures. Paul’s letters also circulated as a recognizable collection.

The first church council to recognize the NT was the Council of Carthage in 397 AD.

The church recognized the canon; it did not create it.

God preserved His Word for His people.

The church does not give power or authority to the Bible.

God’s Word is the power and authority of the church.

2.      Translations of the Bible

2.1.    The Old Testament

The OT of the Bible was originally written in the Hebrew language with a few sections written in the Aramaic language.

A Greek translation of the OT, called the Septuagint, was produced between 200 and 100 B.C. for the benefit of Greek-speaking Jews in Alexandria, Egypt.

2.2.    The New Testament

2.3.    The Vulgate

2.4.    History of English Bibles 

3.      Translation Philosophy

3.1.  Formal equivalence 

Word for word translation. 

3.2.  Dynamic equivalence

It is a thought for thought, translation and gives priority to what the text means.

3.3.  Paraphrase

      A loosely interpreted text relying greatly on the interpreter’s perspective.

Application:

One of Satan’s greatest strategies is ignorance. “You can believe in God, and you can even believe in the Bible…just don’t read it.”

Matthew 22:29

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

The Pharisees used the Scriptures as a weapon.

The Sadducees used the Scriptures to create uncertainty.

Do you know why we get into a screwed-up mess in our lives?

1. We don’t know the Scriptures therefore,

2. We don’t know the power of God.

Ephesians 4:14–16

Do you why you get blown over or wrecked when a crisis comes?

If you want to withstand the storms of life, you need to have deep roots in God’s Word.

Are you engaged into the Bible in order to change your life?

Are you reading the Bible to get it to affirm what you already believe or to change your life and belief system?