Did Man Decide or Did God Declare?
The Bible is not just a book — it’s a library of 66 books, written over 1,500 years by more than 40 authors.
But who decided which books made the cut?
Why these 66 — and not others?
Was the Bible voted on by men in smoke-filled rooms, or recognized by the people of God as divinely inspired?
Let’s explore how the Bible was not invented by the church, but identified by it — and why you can trust the canon of Scripture as God-ordained, not man-made.
1. What Does “Canon” Mean?
The term canon comes from a Greek word meaning “measuring rod” or “standard.”
The canon of Scripture refers to the list of books that are recognized as inspired by God and authoritative for faith and life.
The canon is not about what man chooses, but about what God has revealed — and what God’s people recognize as having divine fingerprints all over it.
2. The Old Testament Canon: Affirmed, Not Invented
By the time of Jesus, the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) was already well established. Jesus and the apostles quoted from:
- The Law (first 5 books of Moses)
- The Prophets (major and minor prophets)
- The Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.)
Jesus referred to the full canon in Luke 24:44:
“Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
— Luke 24:44 (ESV)
This 3-fold division matches the Jewish canon still recognized today.
The Old Testament was never voted on — it was received, copied, and revered for centuries.
3. The New Testament Canon: Recognized by the Early Church
The early church didn’t create the canon — they recognized the divine authority of the books that:
- Were written by apostles or their close associates
- Were consistent with the teachings of Jesus
- Were widely circulated and used in churches
- Bore evidence of spiritual power and inspiration
By the early 2nd century, most churches were already reading:
- The four Gospels
- Acts
- Paul’s letters
- Revelation
- Several general epistles
When the councils of Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD) officially listed the 27 New Testament books, they weren’t adding new ones — they were affirming what the churches were already using and trusting.
4. What About the Apocrypha?
The Apocryphal books (like 1 & 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith) are found in some versions of the Bible, especially Catholic Bibles.
However:
- Jesus and the apostles never quoted from them as Scripture.
- The early Jewish community did not include them in the Hebrew Bible.
- The Reformers considered them valuable history, but not divinely inspired.
That’s why most Protestant Bibles exclude the Apocrypha — not to take away from God’s Word, but to guard what truly belongs.
5. What Are the Odds the Right Books Were Chosen?
Let’s return to the series theme:
What are the odds?
- That 66 books written by 40+ authors over 1,500 years…
- Across multiple nations, cultures, and languages…
- Would tell one unified story of God’s redemption…
- And that the early believers, scattered across the world, would recognize the same books as inspired?
The odds?
Humanly impossible.
Divinely guaranteed.
6. The Bible Is Not Missing Anything
Some ask: “What if we’re missing a book?”
Jesus promised:
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
— Matthew 24:35 (ESV)
If we believe God is powerful enough to inspire His Word, we must also believe He is powerful enough to preserve it.
You are not holding a human committee’s best guess.
You are holding God’s chosen books, recognized by God’s people under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
7. Why It Matters
If the Bible contains only the books God inspired:
- You don’t need to search for “lost books.”
- You don’t need to doubt what’s included.
- You don’t need to fear manipulation or error.
You can build your life on the solid rock of Scripture, confident that every word is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), completely true (John 17:17), and utterly sufficient (2 Peter 1:3).
God Decided. The Church Discovered.
The Bible was not voted in.
It was not man-made.
It was God-breathed — and God’s people simply recognized His voice.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
— John 10:27 (ESV)
The canon of Scripture is complete, authoritative, and unchanging — because the Author never changes.
Next in the Series:
- Has the Bible Been Changed? (Coming Soon)