What Books of the Bible Should Form the Canon of Scripture and Why?
By John-Luke Muresan (MTS Tyndale University, Toronto, Canada)
What Are the Books of The Bible?
All that is in the Scripture is meant to testify concerning the true identity of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether it is a passage from the Old Testament or the New Testament. Over time confusion has arisen over the nature of the Bible and precisely what books or verses make up the Bible. This confusion is unavoidable; humans do not seek God because of our sinful nature. We are all born in sin and death comes to all of us, but through faith in Jesus we all can be made alive: “For since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be made alive.”1 There will always be many voices and many human beings claiming to speak on behalf of God, but only one Man has been authorized to do so: Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the beloved Son of God. To put it another way, Jesus Christ Himself is the living Word and the law of the Church, as He Himself said, “…the words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.”2 and “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness concerning Me.”3 Therefore, the books of the Bible are those books given by the Father to testify to the identity of Jesus Christ, and the testimony of the Lord Jesus seals them (see Revelation 22:18-19).
How Do We Discern What Books Should be Included in the Bible?
The question of: “What are the true books of the Bible?” can only be answered after you have given your life to the Lord Jesus and accepted Him as the only way to the Father. Through Jesus Christ, we understand who the Holy Spirit is and His role in our lives; through Jesus Christ, we know the Trinity of God. There is no one else able to do that for us but Him. Only through faith in Jesus Christ and guidance from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Christ living in us can we understand what books should be included in the Bible. All the Books of the Old Testament prophesy concerning the coming of Jesus, His identity, and His role. All the books of the New Testament declare and reveal what was hidden in the Old Testament by explaining the sufferings of Christ, namely the cross and the burden He bore carrying our sins in His body. As a general rule, any books, teachings, verses, or anything of any kind that: does not glorify Jesus Christ, relies on man (or reason) for its authority, does not through Jesus reveal the Three-In-One God, nor explain the sufferings of Christ, the necessity of repentance from sins, and the exclusive supremacy of the name of Jesus Christ is not Bible. And any Christian teaching that is not in conformity with this Canon of Scripture is not teaching according to Scripture, whether it cites Scripture or not. In light of this, by faith in Jesus Christ, we accept these sixty-six listed books to be the Books of the Bible (the Canon of Scripture):
- Old Testament Books:
- Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Joshua; Judges; Ruth; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles; Ezra; Nehemiah; Esther; Job; Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Song of Solomon; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel; Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi.
- New Testament Books:
- Matthew; Mark; Luke; John (including John 7:53-8:11); Acts.
- Romans; 1 Corinthians; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John; 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Revelation.
Endnotes
1 Corinthians 15:21-22
2 John 6:63b
3 John 5:39