The Open Canon Error

Before I explain why it's important to believe in a closed canon, I need to describe what it is. The Bible contains sixty-six books which have been examined by scholars and approved as being divinely co-written. And while the Catholic Bible has the seven apocraful books from the time between the book of Malachai and the New Testiment, scholars have questioned the canonicity of those writings.

And with that explanation out of the way, here is why we must never allow supposedly divine writings to be given canonical status. We read in 2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) that, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

Since this is so, any writing which contradicts any of it is therefore heretical and mustn't be considered as coming from God. Otherwise any crackpot ramblings could be used as justification for all sorts of sinful activities.

In reference to the scriptures, Hebrews 4:12 KJV) explains, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

It alone has that Holy-Spirit-breathed power to convict and convert sinful people. While other writings which people believe to be divine may have profound observations of the human condition, only God's Word possesses the power God breathed into it.

And studying the supposed divine writings of other belief systems shows how absurd they are. The Quran, Book of Mormon, and many others are filled with contradictions whereas the Bible is consistent. Though forty or more authors wrote God's Word down, they all agree with one another. These men lived in different lands and at different times, yet the Bible is consistent. Any assumed contradictions are the misunderstandings of people, not flaws in Holy Scripture.

I'll be writing much more about this in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? If the Bible is a mere book of Jewish history and rambling prophecies, our whole belief system crumbles. This is why we must keep God's Word as the infallible and inerrant source.

My next post will expose the insanity of one form of charismatic lunacy. Please stay tuned for that.

Who Made You an Expert?

Folks often ask this question when they don't accept a person's argument. Even so, it's a fair question when people present their views on God, heaven, and other spiritual matters.

In my case, my authority is the Word of God. It has continually proven itself correct in its prophecies, history, archeology, and it's power to convict us of sin.

The Bible's message is astonishingly consistent. Its sixty-six books were penned over a 1,500-year period by different authors from diverse lands. Furthermore, the texts from ancient fragments of bible books are consistent with what we have in our Bibles today. And unlike what I was taught by a false prophet in a cultic house church, the texts have remained almost totally unaltered  through the thousands of years they have existed.

Some folks might ask, "How do you know that your interpretation is correct?" First of all, Jesus Christ said the Holy Spirit will lead his disciples into all truth. I rely upon those spirit-led men to present the unadulterated revelation from God. When I become puzzled, reliable scholars such as John MacArthur and R. C. Sproul show me what abstruse scriptures mean.

Hermeneutics, the science of interpreting scripture with scripture, is a skill I've learned by way of exceptional Bible scholars. The Word of God must be treated literately, understanding the various genres of the books and of the times they were written in. Idioms are used in the Bible which make no sense when translated into English. Knowing their meaning clears up so many misunderstandings.

I've learned the hard way that not everybody calling himself or herself a Bible teacher is really teaching the scriptures properly. The cannon of scripture was closed in the first century. Any purported revelation since then has been proven false.

In my How I Was Razed testimony, I wrote about the outrageous nonsense which a false prophet taught me and how God led me to the truth. Contact me for details on how to obtain this wondrous memoir.