Day 39: The Canon of Scripture, A Settled Word

Scripture
“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.’” Luke 24:44 ESV

“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.” Romans 3:2 ESV

Confessional Summary
The doctrine of the canon is about boundaries. It identifies which books are the breath of God and which are merely the thoughts of men.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1.3) draws this firm boundary. “The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture, and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.”

The French Confession (Art. 5) emphasizes the finality of this collection. “We believe that the Word contained in these books has proceeded from God, and receives its authority from Him alone, and not from men. And inasmuch as it is the rule of all truth, containing all that is necessary for the service of God and for our salvation, it is not lawful for men, nor even for angels, to add to it, to take away from it, or to change it.”

The Reformers insisted that the canon is not a list of books the church chose, but a defined deposit from God that the church simply recognized and received.

Reflection
In Luke 24, Jesus does not leave the definition of Scripture up for debate. He points to the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. He is naming a settled, recognized body of truth that points directly to Him. He treats these books as a completed witness that must be fulfilled, not a draft that needs a sequel.

Paul takes this further in Romans by calling these Scriptures the oracles of God. The word describes a divine declaration, not a human reflection. Notice the stewardship: Israel was entrusted with these words. They did not author the truth; they guarded it. They did not sit over the Word as editors; they sat under it as servants.

A closed canon is the only thing that stabilizes the conscience. If God is still writing the terms of salvation, then your hope is on a sliding scale. But because the canon is settled, the gospel is safe. The church is not a laboratory for new revelations or religious trends. It is a fortress built on an apostolic foundation that cannot be moved.

The boundary around these sixty-six books is not a cage that limits us, but a wall that protects us from the chaos of human opinion. God has spoken, and He has said enough.

Application
Stop looking for a direct message from God that lives outside the pages of your Bible. If a message adds to Scripture, competes with it, or tries to correct it, reject it immediately. It does not matter how intense the experience is or how confident the messenger sounds. If it is new, it is not true. The canon is closed.

Trust that God has already given you everything necessary for faith and godliness. When you feel the urge to seek out secret knowledge or a word from the Lord, return to the text. Read the Word in context, compare it with itself, and rest in the fact that the deposit is finished.

Prayer
Lord of Truth, thank You for a settled Word. I praise You for preserving Your oracles through the ages and for giving me a complete and sufficient Scripture. Forgive my craving for novelty and my temptation to treat Your Word as a starting point rather than the final destination. Give me a steadfast confidence in what You have spoken, and grant me the humility to live under its authority with joy. Through Jesus Christ, Amen.