The shield of faith - its meaning and applications

Ephesians 6:16 "in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Introduction:

Today we consider once again the subject of the believer's spiritual armor. Earlier this year I wrote a post on the first pieces of the spiritual armor, and thus I invite the reader to review the thoughts that were written for sake of reference: http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-belt-of-truth-breastplate-of.html

Out of all the pieces of the spiritual armor mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-18, the shield of faith is the largest. Additionally, out of all the armaments listed in that text, the shield of faith functions most directly in defending the Christian soldier in the spiritual warfare of faith and life. Today's post aims to explore and apply what Paul means by "the shield of faith" in Ephesians 6:16.

The shield and enemy darts in times of war

So what purpose did the shield serve in times of ancient warfare? James M. Freeman writes in "Manners and Customs of the Bible", pages 462-463: "There were darts, however, sometimes used in ancient warfare that were literally 'fiery.' They were hollow reeds filled with naphtha or some other combustible material, and, being set on fire, were shot from slack bows. Whatever the arrows struck, the flames consumed. Water served to increase their violence; they could only be distinguished by being covered with earth. Large shields were used by the soldiers against whom these 'fiery darts' were thrown, and thus their persons were protected." Adam Clarke in his commentary on the shields and darts notes: It is probable that the apostle alludes to the darts called "flarkica", which were headed with lead, in or about which combustible stuff was placed that to fire in the passage of the arrow through the air, and often burnt up the enemy's engines, ships, etc; they were calculated also to stick in the shields and catch them on fire. Some think that poisoned arrows may be intended, which are called fiery from the burning heat produced in the bodies of those who were wounded by them. To quench or extinguish such fiery darts the shields were ordinarily covered with metal on the outside, and thus the fire was prevented from catching hold of the shield. 

As can be seen in the above photograph, the shields used by Roman soldiers would had provided ample and perhaps the only defense against the fiery darts mentioned in Ephesians 6:16 and pictured below:


The shield of faith as a theme through the Bible. Taking up the shield of faith means.....

Confidence in God
I find it interesting that the very first mention of the term "shield" in the Bible has to do with a spiritual context. In Genesis 15:1 we read God saying to Abraham, the father of faith: After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.” God as the believer's defense or "shield" is developed extensively in the scriptures. Psalm 56:3 reads - "When I am afraid,I will put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?" The Psalmist repeats this same refrain in Psalm 56:11 and then in Hebrews 13:6 we see these words echoed: "so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”' Hence when we speak of the shield of faith as being composed of "the faith", we are referring to the gifting of God given at salvation and continually given to believers that persuades them to trust God's revelation in Jesus Christ in the scriptures. Thus to take up the shield of faith first of all means we have confidence in God. 

Choosing the invisible over the visible
To take up the shield of faith in the scriptures secondly refers to choosing what is unseen vs what is seen. Faith by its very nature is the "substance of things hoped for, the certain of things not yet seen." (Hebrews 11:1) Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:7 - "For we walk by faith, not by sight." Colossians 3:4 states -  "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." In Hebrews 11:24-27 we read of Moses -  "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." The famous "faith chapter" of Hebrews 11 closes out with these words in Hebrews 11:34 - "quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight."

The great preacher of times past, D. Martin Lloyd Jones, in his book: Faith on Trial - studies in Psalm 73, points to how faith in what is "not seen" is not just a matter of the heart, but a way of understanding: "Let us never forget that the message of the Bible is addressed primarily to the mind, to the understanding. There is nothing about the Gospel that is more satisfying than this. It does not merely give me an experiences; it enables me to understand life. I have knowledge; I have understanding; I know. I can "give a reason" for the hope that is in me. I do not ,merely say that "whereas I was blind, now I see', without knowing why or how. I know; I can give reason for the hope that is within me." Jones is commenting on a disillusioned man by the name of Asaph who had been discouraged by what he "saw" with his physical eyes in Psalm 73. However it was not until he entered into the temple that his second set of spiritual eyes, the "eyes of faith" were readjusted to conclude that the wicked man's end was approaching quickly. Jones notes: "Thank God that this man when he went into the sanctuary of God found an explanation." 

So to take up the shield of faith means to have confidence in God and to choose the unseen over the seen. Then note finally the result....

Continuing victory
When you and I choose to take up and carry along the shield of faith versus trusting in our own understanding, we establish a track record of faithfulness and thus victory. Romans 8:37 - "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." Hebrews 11:33 plainly states - "who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions."  1 John 5:4-5 states - "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

Conclusion:
Today we consider the meaning and applications of the "shield of faith" in Ephesians 6:16. We looked at the idea of a shield in antiquity, and then laid out three spiritual applications from a survey of the Bible with regards to the meaning of "the shield of faith":
1. Confidence in God
2. Choosing the invisible over the visible
3. Continuing victory

How to retain inner peace with God - Psalm 131

Psalm 131:1-3 - "O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. 2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me. 3 O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever."

Introduction:

Today's post will begin with a great quote from great Baptist Preacher Charles Spurgeon in his "Treasury of David" on Psalm 131 (http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps131.htm): "It is both by David and of David: he is the author and the subject of it, and many incidents of his life may be employed to illustrate it. Comparing all the Psalms to gems, we should liken this to a pearl: how beautifully it will adorn the neck of patience. It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn. It speaks of a young child, but it contains the experience of a man in Christ. Lowliness and humility are here seen in connection with a sanctified heart, a will subdued to the mind of God, and a hope looking to the Lord alone happy is the man who can without falsehood use these words as his own; for he wears about him the likeness of his Lord, who said, "I am meek and lowly in heart." The Psalm is in advance of all the Songs of Degrees which have preceded it; for loveliness is one of the highest attainments in the divine life. There are also steps in this Song of Degrees: it is a short ladder, if we count the words; but yet it rises to a great height, reaching from deep humility to fixed confidence. Le Blanc thinks that this is a song of the Israelites who returned from Babylon with, humble hearts, weaned from their idols. At any rate, after any spiritual captivity let it be the expression of our hearts."

This Psalm is found in a collection of 15 Psalms spanning from Psalm 120-134 which are termed "Psalms of Ascent". The idea of these Psalms is to take the reader on a journey with the Lord from having been faraway and in exile to being reunited in fellowship with Him. Themes such as spiritual growth. maturity, struggle, worship and other ingredients found in the Christian's desire to walk closer to God are found in these Psalms. Unless you have been by grace through faith made right with God through Jesus Christ, there can be no peace in the soul. As Romans 5:1 reminds us - "Therefore, having been justified by faith,we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." In Psalm 131 we find three ways in which we can retain inner peace with God. Please notice....

1. Remember God (in the midst of busyness)

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 131:1  "O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me." Notice the first two words "O Lord". The name for God used here is the Covenant name "Yahweh". As the Psalmist list out the many things that could distract and lead his mind away from God, He makes sure He mentions God first. The name "Yahweh" evokes memories in scripture such as the time He first revealed this most personal of names to Moses in Exodus 3, or when God as Yahweh appeared to His people throughout the Old Testament in times of difficulty or making promises. Such thoughts could certainly be recalled to one's memory, which is why it is so vital to apply oneself to the study of scripture so as to rehearse all the great things Yahweh has done and desire to do. 

Whenever we keep the greatness of God (Yahweh) before us, everything else is placed in its proper perspective. We will recognize that there is no height or exploit greater than God, and thus avoid pride. There are matters that can be too difficult for us, but not God. Remembering God enables the child of God to retain inner peace with Him. But notice what the Psalmist writes next...

2. Depend on God. Psalm 131:2

Psalm 131:2 reads - "Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me." I can remember when each of our children went from the bottle to eating baby food. At first they would fight and fuss, wanting the bottle. But then there came a point when the fighting and fussing would cease, and the child would "settle down" and be content with eating solid food. The child found its rest in depending upon their parents and realizing that the food they had placed in front of them would fill their stomachs. Soon, after each of our children ate, nap time would come (for both baby and parent!)

This imagery of "weaning a child" speaks volumes on the necessary link between depending on God and spiritual maturity. The irony of spiritual maturity is that in dependence on God do I then achieve the ability to stand. Hebrews 5:14 states - "But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." Then we read in 1 Peter 5:6-7 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." So inner peace with God is found by remembering God and depending upon Him. Now notice lastly what the Psalmist has to say with regards to finding inner peace with God....

3. Hope in God. Psalm 131:3

We read in Psalm 131:3 - "O Israel,hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever." Do you see the progression of thought in this Psalm that enables inner peace with God: "Remember God"; "Depending on God" and "Hope in God"? All three are as a three-braided rope. Throughout scripture we are told to hope in God. (example: Psalm 42-43) Jesus Himself in Colossians 1:27 is described as being in the Christian: "Christ in you, the hope of glory". I'm reminded of the old hymn that goes: "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name."

Closing thoughts

Today we considered how to retain inner peace with God in Psalm 131. We considered the following three thoughts: Remember God (131:1); Depend on God (131:2) and Hope in God (131:3). 

P18 Conclusion to the Series: Why the Bible

2 Timothy 3:15-17 15 "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

Introduction:

Today we conclude this two and a half week series that we have entitled "Why the Bible". For the reader I have included links to every post in the series that can be used for reference and review. The hope is that this series has introduced the reader to what is a vast and important subject. The title "why the Bible" was chosen to be stated in either the form of a question to deal with opposing viewpoints or as a simple declaration to express what the Bible itself is. The opening text above is where we started in this series. The reader must never forget that the battle for the Bible is never over but must be waged by every pastor, teacher and person in the pew. To that end I simply point the reader to the links of every post with the hope of equipping and encouraging other Christians to declare and defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Why the Bible? Because our lives both here and for eternity depend upon it being the Word of God, pointing to God and being the written form of God's voice in today's world for the glory of Jesus Christ. 

Links to posts in the series: Why the Bible

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p1-why-bible-perilous-times-need-word.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p2-why-bible-is-unique-in-its-authority.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p3-why-bible-is-unique-in-its-authority.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p4-why-bible-is-unique-in-its-authority.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p5-why-bible-is-unique-in-its-authority.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p6-why-bible-is-worthy-of-our.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p7-why-bible-trustworthiness-of-words.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p8-why-bible-alone-is-trustworthy-word.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p9-why-bible-is-only-trustworthy-and.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p10-why-bible-proof-of-inspiration-dr.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p11-why-bible-alone-is-basis-for.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p12-why-bible-must-basis-for-preaching.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p13-why-bible-is-word-of-god-is-book-of.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p14-why-bible-is-word-of-god-are-any.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p15-why-bible-has-66-books-question-of.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p16-why-bible-has-66-books-defining-and.html

http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2015/02/p17-why-bible-has-66-books-and-no-lost.html

P17-Why the Bible has 66 Books and no lost books - Understanding the so-called "lost books" & "lost gospels"

Matthew 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Introduction:

This current series of posts is dedicated to introducing the reader to various subjects related to the significance, authority and history of the Bible. The question or phrase "why the Bible" is at the heart of this series and it is hoped that the reader has been not only informed but perhaps had developed a greater appreciation for the Bible as God's Word. In yesterday's post we dealt with the subject of the Apocrypha and their relationship to the 66 books of the Bible. Today we will briefly focus on another collection of books that some people mistakenly call "the lost books of the Bible" but are in the technical literature of Old and New Testament studies referred to as the "Pseudepigrapha" (meaning false writings). More will be said of these terms in a moment. 

Why the so-called "Lost Books of the Bible" are not lost books of the Bible

I remember when I first became a Christian I had a relative who had also converted at about the same time as myself. One day my family and I went to his home for a visit, and I noticed a curiously titled book in his collection called "The Lost Books of the Bible". As I began to thumb through that volume, I ran into "The Book of Adam and Eve" and the "Book of Abraham" and other books supposedly written by famous biblical characters.

It must be remembered: not one inspired Book of the Bible has ever been lost

Some people today are saying that there are other books other than the 66 books that should had made it into our Bibles. Has all the books that God the Holy Spirit inspired made it into the Bible? Are there "lost books" of the Bible? It will be the contention of this blog that due to the nature of these "so-called" lost books, the dates of their composition and their corrupt theology, that we can confidently say that not one inspired book of the Bible has ever been lost. After all, its hard to have so-called "lost books" that  were neither ever lost nor part of the canonical, inspired 66 books of the Bible from the beginning.

What are these "so-called" Lost Books of the Bible
We saw yesterday that in the time period between the Old and New Testaments, the Jewish people began to write non-inspired devotional and historical works that collectively are called "The Apocrypha". As one digs more into what the Jewish people were thinking during that time, many curious questions were being asked. Many folks speculated about details not spoken of in the Bible. Thus between 200 B.C to almost 200 A.D the Jews composed a collection of Books under the assumed names of Biblical people.

In the scholarly community the "Lost Books" of the Bible are known by the weird name "Pseude-pigrapha" (soo-de-pi-grafa), meaning "false-writings". Much like the Apocrypha, this collection of writings were immedately rejected as non-inspired. The number of these books number in the dozens, and below some of their names are mentioned for reference:

1. The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs (supposed writings by Jacob's Twelve Sons)

2. The Books of Adam, Eve and Noah (Alleged records written by Adam, Eve and Noah)

3. The Book of Enoch (A long book recording the supposed revelations of the pre-flood prophet Enoch)

4. The Book of Abraham (you guessed it, supposedly written by Abraham)

These books were in a sense, the fiction of their day. Though this may be a poor analogy, it serves to illustrate how the Jewish people may had regarded these works. People were speculating about things in the Bible that they did not understand. What these Pseudo-pigrapha did was to fill in a curiosity gap and an entertainment gap. But even more-so, the people of God had not heard a fresh revelation for 400 years. Thus they began to write these books in an attempt to deal with the pain of God's silence. Unfortunately, by assuming the names of Biblical characters, the Pseudo-pigrapha were written under false pretenses.

Though popular in their day, these books were never regarded as inspired by God
By the days of Jesus, the Jews would had been well aware of the existence of these books (much like today's New York Times Best Sellers or popular Christian Authors). However the doctrines being communicated by these books was even more radical than that of the Apocrypha. The extreme figurative language and at times non-sensical nature of these books made it easy to see their counterfeit nature. Furthermore, these books as a collection taught for instance that angels were not just merely created beings, but in some cases could do similar things to God. Also too, claiming to be written by biblical characters, when it was clear in many cases that they were not, demonstrates a lack of regard for the scriptures.

A quick word on the supposed "lost gospels" or New Testament Pseudepigrapha

From time to time the reader may hear in the news the supposed discovery of a "new gospel" that never made it into our New Testaments. In part we have mentioned the Gnostics and some of the writings they produced in the century following the passing of the apostles in the first century. Early church fathers such as Irenaeus of Lyons (180 A.D) made a catalogue of these false Gospels that were circulating around the Medditeranean world (such as the Gospel of Phillip, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Judas, etc). Consequently, these writings are sometimes also called "Pseudepigrapha due to their use of famous names of Apostles by their otherwise anonymous writers. I won't take the time here to detail these works but only mention them to alert the reader to the fact that these writings are not "new" (they have been known from the early days of the church) nor are they Gospels (they have no "good news" of salvation, only philosophical musings of the Gnostics). 

Why there are no "Lost Books of the Bible", just more books of men
As Jesus said in the opening verse of today's post, not one word of God will ever pass away. Not only did God the Holy Spirit work with the 40 human authors of scripture to produce each and every Bible book, He also guaranteed that not one would be lost. If we were to unearth an alleged book today written by The Apostle Paul, Peter or the Prophet Isaiah, we could say with utmost confidence that the book would be non-inspired. Why? Because God had fixed the number of books He chose to inspire, as well as the time periods in which they were written (Hebrews 1:1-2) God has even guaranteed His people that with the sending of the Holy Spirit, they would have the guidance they need to discern what is the truth of God versus the words of men. (John 16:13) Psalm 119:89 tells us plainly: "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." There are no "lost books of the Bible", whether we are talking about the works written in between the testaments or the Gnostic literature passing itself off as so-called "gospels". There are the books of God (i.e the 66 books of the Bible) and then there are books of men (The Pseudipigrapha, Apocrypha and any other piece of religious literature). May we be discerning as we answer the question: "Why the 66 books of the Bible?" with the affirmation: "because they alone are God's Word(s)". 

P16 Why the Bible has 66 books: Defining and understanding the Apocrypha

Revelation 22:18 "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book"

Introduction and review
Yesterday we considered the history of the canon of scripture and aimed to answer the question why the Bible has only 66 books. The main focus was more on the New Testament than the Old Testament. In today's post we want to consider a set of books that were originally written by the Jews in between the Old and New Testament eras called "The Apocrypha". As will be explained in a moment, much confusion and differences of opinion have ranged throughout the history of these books. To make it as simple as possible, though the "Apocrypha" were respected, they were never considered inspired books of the Old Testament nor considered part of the overall canon of scripture until relatively recently in church history. Today in our continuing series: "Why the Bible", we want to take a closer look at these 14 books called "The Apocrypha".

What are the Apocrypha?
When Malachi penned his book under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 400 years passed until God would once again speak a word to men like Matthew to pen inspired scripture.  In between the ending of Malachi and beginning of Matthew, history saw the rise and fall of four major world empires: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.  During that period, the Jews wrote 15 non-inspired books of history and devotional reflection that are referred to today as "The Apocrypha".  

The word "Apocrypha" means "that which is hidden" or "concealed".  You have perhaps heard about them or have seen them in an edition of the Roman Catholic Bible (Douay-Rheims, New American Bible) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).  For reference sake, the Apocrypha are as follows:

1. 1st Esdras

2. 2nd Esdras 

3. Tobit (a fictional account of a Jewish man by the name of Tobit)

4. Judith (an alledged addition to the Book of Daniel)

5. Bel and the Dragon (an alleged addition to the Book of Daniel)

6. The Song of the Three Holy Children (an alleged addtion to the Book of Daniel)

7. Additions to Esther (supposed extra verses for the biblical book of Esther)

8. Susanna

9. 1 Macabbees (historical record of the Jewish opposition to Rome)

10. 2 Macabbees (reflections on Jewish opposition to Rome)

11. Prayer of Mannasseh (supposed prayer of repentance prayed by the biblical King Mannasseh)

12. Wisdom of Solomon (also called Sirach)

13. Book of Baruch (an alledged addition to Jeremiah)

14. Ecclesiasticus (a Jewish Philsophical work trying to prove the Jewish faith from reason)

15. Letter of Jeremiah (normally attached as "chapter six" in the Book of Baruch, #13 above). 

Evaluating the value and place of the Apocrypha
Just as you would walk into a book store and find many non-inspired books reflecting on the contents of scripture or giving a history of the church, the Apocrypha functioned in much the same way for the Jewish people. In terms of understanding what went on between the testaments, the Apocrypha can provide some valuable insights into Jewish beliefs and history. 

As a collection, these 14 books were never regarded by the Jews as equal or inspired to the Old Testament Books.   Whenever one turns to a copy of the Hebrew Bible, none of the Apocrypha will be found. Even though we do see these books in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (The Septuagint), even then the Apocrypha never enjoyed the same level of status as the 39 Old Testament books we find in our English Bibles. In as much as the Apocrypha may had been respected and seen as valuable, they were never considered sacred scripture. As one reviews the history of these 14 books, it is evident as to why they cannot be deemed as inspired scripture like the 66 books of the Bible.

How did the Apocrypha end up in some Bibles?

The Apocrypha, though respected, yet were never originally acknowledged by the Jews and the first few centuries of the early Church as inspired scripture
Jewish Historians such as Josephus in his work "Antiquities of the Jews" and the Greek speaking Jew "Philo" both refer to the Old Testament in their writings.  Josephus in particular writes about how the Old Testament books were recognized, accepted and in full use before the close of the Old Testament.  In his work, there are listed the documents of the Old Testament that are found in our English Bibles. Interestingly Josephus does not mention the apocrypha, reflecting the widely held Jewish view of the non-inspired nature of the Apocrypha. 


As already mentioned, the early church also had this same general opinion.  Documents such as the Muritorian Canon (composed over 100 years after the death of the Apostles) and the work "The History of the Church" by the church father "Eusebius" (written in the 300's A.D) mention the books of the Old and New Testament as being inspired.  Yet the Apocrypha are not included in those lists.  The reason why the church came to this conclusion is mainly because we never see the Apocrypha quoted as scripture by the Apostles in the New Testament. 

The world's first Bible translation included the Apocrypha due to their popular use
As the Jewish people came to speak the Greek language in the time between the testaments, the need arose for a Greek translation of the Old Testament.  The project of translating the Hebrew Bible into Greek occured from 275 b.c up until almost the time when Jesus came on the scene.   The Hebrew Bible continued to be copied and interpreted by the Jewish Rabbi's (Teachers) and Scribes (people who hand-copy manuscripts), however the vast majority of the Jewish world came to use the Septuagint.  The Apocrypha, though not being recognized as inspired scripture, were included in the Greek Old Testament due to their wide use by the Jews. It would not be until nearly 400 years into the history of the church that the opinion toward the Apocrypha began to shift. The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, edited by Walter Elwell, notes the following about the Apocrypha:

"How did the Apocrypha secure a place in some of the English Bibles? The Jews uniformly denied canonical status to these books, and so they were not found in the Hebrew Bible; but the manuscripts of the Septuagint include them as an addendum to the canonical OT. In the second century A.D., the first Latin Bibles were translated from the Greek Bible and so included the Apocrypha. Jerome's Vulgate distinguished the books of the church (i.e the Apocrphya) from the books of the Canon (i.e our familiar 66 books), with the result that the Apocrypha were accorded secondary status. At the council of Carthage (397), however, which Augustine attended, it was decided to accept the Apocrypha, accepting 1-2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasses, as having unqualified canonical status."  


The Roman Catholic Church's continued use and gradual elevation of the Apocrypha
By the 400's A.D the church in the Western Roman Empire was speaking more Latin and less Greek.  A man by the name of Jerome translated the Old and New Testament into the Latin Version known as the Vulgate.  It would be this Bible that would be used by the Roman Catholic Church for the next 1,000 years.  Though Jerome in his writings never acknowledged the Apocrypha as inspired, they were included in his version due to their wide use.  A few in the church of the Middle Ages tried to push for Apocrypha as being on par with the canonical 66 books, however that decision by the Roman Catholic Church would not become official Church Doctrine until the 16th century (see below). The Roman Catholic Church would gradually come to value the Apocrypha more and more over the centuries as it saw the need to justify some of its beliefs not taught in the inspired books of the Bible.


The Roman Catholic Church deems the Apocrypha as equal to scripture in the 1500's
By the days of the sixteenth century (1500's), Martin Luther and others were calling for spiritual, moral and doctrinal reform in the Roman Catholic church.  In partial response to the Reformation movement, the Roman Catholic Church needed a way to defend doctrines that it knew were not in the Bible.  Since they already had been using the Apocrypha, the church convened a series of meetings called collectively "The Council of Trent" from 1545-1563. Among the many subjects discussed, the choice was made to adopt the Apocrypha officially as on equal par with the canonical 66 books of the Bible. Even in modern day editions of Roman Catholic Bibles, these books will be called "Deutero-canonical", meaning "second canon". The Roman Catholic Church as a rule does not term these books "Apocrypha", since they are accorded by them with equal status as the other 66 books.

Why the Apocrypha are not included in many Modern Non-Catholic English Bibles
After the Council of Trent was done, events transpired that led to the Church in England breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church, under the leading of King Henry VIII.  The Church of England, known as the Anglican Church, retained the Apocrypha in the various English translations, including the 1611 King James Bible.  In all editions of the King James Bible, the Apocrypha were inserted in between Malachi and Matthew until the 1700's.  By influence of the Reformation, Christian leaders, especially in America, recognized the original position of the early Christians and Jews, and from the 1800's onward, no edition of the King James Bible included the Apocrypha.  

In 1881 English Scholars did the English translation known as the "Authorized Standard Version".  This version, as well as most English versions produced today (other than Catholic Bibles and the New Revised Standard Version), do not include the Apocrypha. 

Pro's and con's about the Apocrypha
So how is the Bible believing Christian to regard the Apocrypha? To be as fair as possible, some of the books, such as 1 Macabbees, are valuable historical records of what the Jews were dealing with between the Old and New Testaments.  With that said, we must note at this point that even the authors of the Apocryphal books did not view their works as inspired scripture. For example, 1 Macabees 9:27 reminds us that there was no word from God in the times following Malachi, thus showing how the Apocryphal writers themselves viewed what they were doing - namely non-inspired work.  

The theology of the Apocrypha is in some places contrary to revealed scripture. For instance, in one of the books called "Tobit", salvation by works is clearly taught. Though there maybe some valuable historical and even at times devotional insight, yet the Apocrypha as a collection are uneven in their usefulness, and must be used with caution if they are consulted.  


Final thoughts: Focus on the 66 books revealed by God
To know what is authoritative for living the Christian life is crucially important for growing in Christ.  1 Peter 2:1-2 reminds us to crave the pure milk of the word, so that we may grow in our faith.  Knowing which books are inspired is important, since only by the written Word of God can anyone be converted to saving faith and grow in Christ. As we have labored again and again in this series of posts, only the 66 books of the Bible are revealed by God, and thus profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16) My prayer is that you, dear reader, have found today's blog helpful in understanding the value of knowing God's word, the 66 inspired books.

P15 Why the Bible has 66 books - the question of the canon

Proverbs 30:6 "Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar."

Revelation 22:18 "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book."

Introduction:

In this series we have entitled: "Why the Bible", the attempt has been made to introduce the reader to virtually every major subject and question raised about the Bible. In this series we have explored why the Bible is authoritative and trustworthy, as well as why the Bible is inspired and inerrant. In this series we have considered why the Bible is the basis for preaching and most recently, why the Bible alone is worthy of the title: "Word of God". 

Today's post considers a subject that is vital in any discussion about the Bible - namely the issue of canonicity. When we talk about the "canon of scripture", we're not talking about armaments used in physical warfare (however one could say the Biblical books are God's "canon" so-to-speak in fighting the Christian's spiritual warfare, see 2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Strictly speaking, the term "canon" comes from a word meaning "standard", "measuring rod" or "measuring stick". To say that the Bible is composed of "canonical writings" simply means that the 66 books, and no other set, constitute the "standard" or "measuring rod" of God's truth. The 66 books that are in our English Bibles (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament) are considered as a collection the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God. 

People who tried to "add" to God's Word or replace it

Throughout the history of the church there have been groups inside the church, as well as outside, who attempted to "add" to these 66. One group, called the "Gnostics", lived and taught in the 2nd and 3rd centuries (100-200 years after Jesus and the Apostles). We won't go into all the details surrounding what the Gnostics taught, but suffice it to say, they combined elements of pagan thought, Jewish mysticism, a smattering of Greek philosophy and vestiges of Christianity in their worldview. 

    Awareness of the Gnostics' attempts to attack early Christianity and the scriptures is an important piece to the fascinating story behind the canon of scripture. To spread their heresies, the Gnostics devised the clever strategy of attaching names of apostles or prophets to their writings and thus passing them off as genuine writings. More will be said about the Gnostics in a little bit. 

The question about canonicity aids in understanding whether or not there were so-called "lost books" of the Bible

    Were there extra books or "lost books" that didn't "make the cut" so-to-speak? Before we go any further to address that question, the first matter of importance is to understand the true history behind how the Old and New Testament books came to be regarded as God's Divine collection of books and thus, the Bible.  By understanding the story behind how the books of the Bible ended up being the Bible books, the reader will be better informed in discerning what is often said about the Bible's history.

So why does the Bible only have 66 books? A quick history about the canon of scripture

1. The truth about the development of the New Testament Canon

    So, did the early church wait nearly 300 years to pick its own books for the New Testament to the exclusion of the Gnostic gospels? When we read history and the Bible, we discover that canonicity was not something that the church decided to make up to suit its own political interests. Norman Geisler, an evangelical scholar writes in his book (co-edited with William Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible):

Inspiration determines canonicity. If a book was authoritative, it was so because God breathed it and made it so. How a book receives authority, then, is determined by God. How men recognize that authority is another matter altogether (see discussion in chap.13 ). As J. I. Packer notes, “The Church no more gave us the New Testament canon than Sir Isaac Newton gave us the force of gravity. God gave us gravity, by His work of creation, and similarly He gave us the New Testament canon, by inspiring the individual books that make it up.” [1]

    Since the New Testament books were immediately recognized by God’s people within or shortly after the apostolic age, then from a historical standpoint, the early church was already using many of the Books of the Bible even before the apostles died out. 

2. The earliest records that bear witness to the development of the New Testament Canon
    Church historian Everett Harrison cites the letters of Paul, Peter and John as the first immediate evidence of the early church’s recognition of the inspired texts of those apostles.[2]
With all of these New Testament texts dated between 50-90 A.D by even the most hardened critics, we can safely acknowledge that recognition of what constituted inspired text was a first act of the apostolic church.

    In fact the churches established by the apostles constituted the criteria by which the church recognized the number of books and the type of books as authoritative witnesses of the words of God. Harrison notes three tests used by the early church in determining which books were canonical:[3]

a). Was it of apostolic origin or authority?

b). Was it received by the earliest churches and in use?

c). Was it consistent with the teaching of the already established norm of the Old Testament?”

3. Questions surrounding the exact numbers of the books

    With the early church already acknowledging each of the New Testament books as individually inspired, the next step would involve recognizing the gospels and epistles in their respective groupings as canonical, with the end result being the entirety of our 27 book N.T. Many within the world of liberal, critical scholarship claim that the N.T Canon was invented or put together in 325 A.D at the Council of Nicaea under the watchful eye of Emperor Constantine. Yet testimony from the early church fathers and early lists of New Testament books state otherwise.

a). Papias was a student of Polycarp, who in turn had been a student of the apostle John. Eusebias, the first church historian, notes that Papias acknowledged the authority of the four gospels as early as 135 A.D, only 40 years after the apostolic age.[4]

b). As already mentioned, Polycarp, Papias mentor, had been himself a student of the apostle John. Polycarp in his book entitled “First Apology” asserts the authority of the four gospels and Pauline epistles while sharply distinguishing them from the then popular but apocryphal books of “The Shepherd of Hermas” and “Apocalypse of Peter”.[5]  Polycarp is dated 115 A.D, some 25 years after the close of the apostolic age.

c). Ireneus, Bishop of Lyons, wrote his work “Against Heresies” to record and critique the growing Gnostic threat that was attempting to undermine the orthodox, Bible believing church of his day. Irenaeus not only mentions almost all of the 27 books of the New Testament but effectively denounces all of the Gnostic gospels. Iranaeus wrote his work in 180 A.D, some 85 years after the apostolic age.

d). The Muratorian Fragment, the earliest list we have of the New Testament books outside the apostolic era, can be dated to 170 A.D. In it we have almost a complete record of all the New Testament books except two. This canonical list represents a good portion of the early church’s opinion of what constituted the New Testament.

4. The length of time it took for the early church to acknowledge the New Testament Canon?

    The point is that even though the Gnostic gospels had begun to be written by 150 A.D, yet a core of 22 of the 27 books were universally recognized and in use well beforehand, with 2nd Peter, 2nd and 3rd John, Jude, and Revelation recognized and in use by large segments of the church by the end of the second century. In a recent discussion I listened to between Professors Ben Laird of Liberty University and Greg Lanier of Reformed Theological Seminary, they noted how the New Testament books were used in sub-collections: The four Gospels, Paul's letters, the General Epistles in individual or sub-collections of their own, and John's Apocalypse (the whole discussion is at the link here Interview: Ben Laird and the modern state of NT canon studies  

    P.R Ackroyd, a New Testament scholar writes:[6]

“While there was some considerable dispute over some of the N.T books, the major writings were accepted by almost all Christians by the middle of the 2nd century (150 A.D).”

    Thus, despite the claims of radical critics of the Bible like Elaine Pagels and Bart Ehrman (two authors who have written material attempting to discredit the Bible and its history), the New Testament canon as we know it was well on its way by 150 A.D. By the time we arrive in the fourth century, various church fathers (like Athanasius of Alexandria) and certain church councils (Hippo in 393 A.D and Carthage in 397 A.D) did nothing more than affirm what was already generally acknowledged by all Christians everywhere – namely the canonicity of the 27 New Testament Books.

5. Constructing a Timeline for history’s account of the story of the N.T canon

    With the major evidence for the development of the N.T Canon considered, it is now time to see how all of this evidence lays out in a time line. This timeline gives a three part account of how our New Testament came to be recognized as the canon.

CHURCH HISTORY’S RECKONING OF THE N.T CANON 

 Part 1: Apostles, Post-Apostolic/Pre-Nicaean Church Fathers 

 1 & 2 Peter 3:14-16 & 1 Timothy 5:18 mention the early Christian's recognition of the a good portion of the New Testament books well within the days of the Apostles or about three-quarters of the way through the 1st century. The Muratorian Canon (170 A.D) mentions every New Testament book but three, indicating that the early church within a century after the passing of the Apostle John. By 200 A.D. the Latin church father Tertullian states his refusal to use any other gospels other than the four. This indicates his awareness of the Gnostic Gospels and the early Christians' immediate rejection of them.

50 -----100 A.D-------------------------150 A.D----------------200 A.D------------>>

Epistle of Barnabas (120 A.D), Papias (120 A.D), Irenaeus (180 A.D) quote or refer to almost all the 27 New Testament books.                

Part 2: Nicaean and Post-Nicaean Church Fathers (Nicaea refers to Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D)

<<-----300A.D-------------------------------------------------400 A.D

Athanasius “Festal Letter” Council of Carthage listing all 27 books 367 A.D recognizes canon

Part Three: Ancient New Testament Translations that testify of the recognition of the 27 N.T Books as being Canonical
Ancient translations Athanasius “Festal Letter” Council of Carthage of Greek originals listing all 27 books 367 A.D recognizes canon N.T writings (Itala, for whole church 397 Syriac, Coptic) verify unanimity of 27 books from 200-300 A.D

200 A.D-----------300 A.D-----------350 A.D------------------------400 A.D

Church is being persecuted. Council of Hippo agrees on 27 books 393 A.D, reaffirming what church generally had believed since shortly after the days of the Apostles.

    The above chart gives a realistic picture to the development of the canon. The problem among radical critics of the Bible today is their purposeful disregard of the testimony of history. No greater New Testament scholar than Kurt Aland has commented on this error of judgment among modern New Testament scholarship:

“These insights gained from the history of the canon are fundamental and of vital significance for the history of the text – New Testament textual criticism has traditionally neglected the findings of early church history, but only to its own detriment, because the transmission of the N.T text is certainly an integral part of that history”.[7]

Closing thoughts
    

    Today's post aimed to introduce the issues surrounding the canonicity of the Bible and how the books we have in our Bible's today were immediately recognized for what they were - the Word(s) of God. It must be remembered that the church did not create the Bible, but the scriptures the church. To God be the glory!

Endnotes:

[1] Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. 1996, c1989. A General Introduction to the Bible. Includes a short-title checklist of English translations of the Bible

[2] Harrison, Everett. Introduction to the New Testament.

He cites 1 Thess 5:27, Colossians 4:16; 1 Timothy 4:13; and passages throughout the Book of Revelation as evidence for there being at least a beginning point of a formation of the Canon.

[3] Ibid. 104-106

[4] Bettenson, Henry. Documents of the Christian Church.

[5] McDowell, Josh. Evidence that demands a verdict. Volume One. Page 37.

[6] Ackroyd, P.R and C.F Evans. The Cambridge History of the Bible

[7] Aland, Nestle and Barbara Aland. The Text of the New Testament.

P14 Why the Bible is the Word of God: Are any other religious books the Word of God?

2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness".

Introduction:

Yesterday we spent quite a bit of time comparing the Bible to the Book of Mormon and a few other statements made by the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), Joseph Smith. We used three tests to determine whether or not the Book of Mormon could be considered the Word of God as much as the Bible. Those tests were:

1. Is the past accurately described. Isaiah 41:21-22a

2. Is the future accurately predicted. Isaiah 41:22b-23

3. What does the book have to say about God. Deuteronomy 18:18-22

After scrutinizing the claims of both Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, it was discovered that no claims of revelation nor inspiration can be demonstrated. When the Bible was submitted to the same type of testing, it was found that it was confirmed and bears the marks of revelation and Divine inspiration, thus by default substantiating the reality of the True and Living God that revealed its words. 

With that process done, we now turn to an even more significant question: is the Bible the only book in the entire world worthy of the title "Word of God". Again, the Bible is not the only book in the world claiming this title. Other books of other religions claim some sort of Divine revelation and inspiration. However, just like the Book of Mormon, they too must past the tests above before we can believe their claims. Lets briefly survey some of them and see when compared to the Bible, whether or not they can be called "God's Word".

1. Is the past accurately described. Isaiah 41:21-22a
I won't reproduce Isaiah 41:21-22a here, since we discussed it at length yesterday. Suffice it to say, it states the first test in terms of determining a claim to Divine revelation and inspiration has to do with accuracy about the past. Some of the literature of the world's religions make claims about past events. 

Note: all the samples below are taken from the book: Sacred Texts of World Universal Anthology, Crossroad Publishers. 

To begin, in the texts of Hinduism, we see statements about the creation of the world. In the one volume of Hindu literature, copied from the Rgveda 10:129 , we read "The Gods are later than this world's production. Who knows then whence it first came into being?" The idea of a self-creating eternal universe seems to be in view, and yet in another Hindu narrative called: "Prajapati Creates Agnil Satapatha-Brahmana", we read the following: "Prajapti alone, indeed, existed here in the beginning." What is at stake is of course what does Hinduism have to say about the origin of all things: is the universe self-creating or did it emerge from an assortment of different deities? Hinduism is happy to retain conflicting narratives, and yet this begs the question: what is the nature of the beginning of history as we know it? Hinduism does not possess a unified answer.

When we turn to another religion, Islam, its sole holy book, the Quran, records in its chapter (called Surahs) 4:157 "And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah ." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain." According to Islam, the crucifixion of Jesus never took place. However, nearly one dozen independent lines of historic evidence assert the reality of Jesus' crucifixion, not to mention of course the Four Gospels of the New Testament.

These of course are but two examples, and yet they represent two major world religions that both claim to be religions of Divine revelation with texts inspired by their respective deities. Both evidence lack of agreement or lack of accuracy in the recording of the most fundamental and major events of history. The Bible on the other hand records in over 60 places that the universe began to exist, with the cause being the the same God who reveals the words of the Bible. Moreover, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, featured prominently in the New Testament and predicted in the Old Testament, satisfies the voluminous evidence we have for that event. Henceforth the Bible is the Word of God by virtue of its accuracy about the past. What of future events?

2. Is the future accurately predicted. Isaiah 41:22b-23
Whenever we survey the Quran (composed of 6,000 lines of text, slightly longer than the New Testament), the volumes of literature from Hinduism, the philosophy of Confusius, Buddhism, Indian relgions and other world religions, it may shock readers to discover that not one example of verified, fulfilled prophecy can be found. Yet, with the 66 books of the Bible we discover hundred of predictive prophecies, with dozens of them historically verified as fulfilled. The phenomena of fulfilled prophecy cannot be explained purely by appeal to naturalistic processes or mere reason. To accurately predict an event in detail at a later time than the stated prophecy cannot be done repeatedly by chance, coincidence or favorable odds. Unless the very God revealing the prophecy exists, there is no other explanation. Henceforth, as shown in past posts in this series, the Bible repeatedly demonstrates its Divine revelation and inspiration by virtue of repeated fulfilled prophecy.

3. What does the book have to say about God. Deuteronomy 18:18-22
As we have noted already before, if the given book pasts the first two tests, then by default the Deity claiming to reveal the words and message is shown to be real. Christian apologist Dean Hardy in his book: "Stand Your Ground: An Introductory Text for Apologetics Students", page 38, gives this remarkable insight: "(I)s there an actual supernatural deity and if so, who is he? Is there truly a deity that exists? If so, there are only three possibilities:

1. The supernatural deity in one of the supernatural beings expressed in one of the modern world religions

2. God exists, but he is not expressed in any world religion

3. The deity is a mixture of all these different deities that are expressed in all these various religions."

As we have discovered in subjecting the texts of the major world religions to the three tests for Divine inspiration, options #2 & #3 would be ruled out, since no other religious book has demonstrated traits of Divine inspiration. Only one book, featuring One God, has demonstrated itself to reveal and be revealed by the One true and living God - the Bible. 

Closing thoughts
Today's post aimed to briefly survey other relgious books claims of revelation and divine inspiration. It was discovered that no other book in the world can demonstrate its claim as revealed and divinely inspired like the Bible. The Bible alone is the Divinely inspired and revealed Word of God.