Biblical Canon of Scripture is the Basis for Authentic Christian Belief & Doctrine

Christian Answers of Austin

Special guest John M. Johnson Jr. of "RelationshipAndTruth" channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Relation... and author of "Sword: An Overview of the Transmission, Canonization, Contents, Doctrines, Textual Reliability, and Christ's View of the Bible" at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwuX.... The word "canon" comes from the rule of law that was used to determine if a book measured up to a standard. It is important to note that the writings of Scripture were canonical at the moment they were written. Scripture was Scripture when the pen touched the parchment. This is very important because Christianity does not start by defining God, or Jesus Christ, or salvation. The basis of Christianity is found in the authority of Scripture. If we cannot identify what Scripture is, then we cannot properly distinguish any theological truth from error. What measure or standard was used to determine which books should be classified as Scripture? A key verse to understanding the process and purpose, and perhaps the timing of the giving of Scripture, is Jude 3 which states that a Christian's faith "was once for all entrusted to the saints." Since our faith is defined by Scripture, Jude is essentially saying that Scripture was given once for the benefit of all Christians. Isn't it wonderful to know that there are no hidden or lost manuscripts yet to be found, there are no secret books only familiar to a select few, and there are no people alive who have special revelation requiring us to trek up a Himalayan mountain in order to be enlightened? We can be confident that God has not left us without a witness.