The Canon Made the Church

When I was in college, studying within a Biblical course, I remember being asked the question, “If the Church decided what went into the Bible, what keeps the Church from adding to the Bible today? What keeps the Church from removing Scripture today? I mean, look at Martin Luther. He called the epistle of James and ‘epistle of straw!'”

Even then, I shook my head to this question and if I recall correctly, I replied, “people did not make the Scriptures, if that is what you are implying.” And indeed, that is what was being implied, even if, an evangelical Christian wouldn’t flat out say it.

Additionally, Martin Luther did not believe James should be removed from Scripture, but rather generated two tiers to Scripture. He said somethings were for the Church and some things were for the Jews, or not as applicable because of context. But this is not my point.

In this devotional, I want to make a point abundantly clear. The Church is made by the Canon of Scripture, the Canon of Scripture is not made by the Church. And Biblical “scholars,” note my quotation marks for sarcasm, argue, “Well no. The Canon was made by the Council of Rome in 382 C.E.!”

To this I reply, no. They organized it. They shuffled the Scriptural deck. They gave it some numbers.

God’s Word is eternal (Psalm 119:89). God’s Word spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1:1). God’s Word spoke the Church into existence. And by God’s Word, which became flesh, died, and was your Sacrifice, God’s Word made you eternal too (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

The Church did not make the Canon, the Canon made the Church, and every book that is in the Canon is there by God’s will.