The New Testament Canon
As we consider How to Study the Bible we are beginning with a consideration of the canon of Scripture. While as followers of Jesus we might be content with the affirmation, “the Bible is the Word of God,” we recognize that the unbelieving world does not accept such an affirmation and, in fact, seeks to undercut the inspired nature of Scripture. Consequently we want to have some knowledge of why the Bible is trustworthy, of why it is to be received as the inspired, inerrant Word of God.
Having first considered the Old Testament canon, we now turn our attention of the canon of the New Testament. In this study we see how God gave the Old Testament books as a witness to his original covenant and then link the expectation of God’s new covenant to the expectation for new authoritative Scriptures. We examine the internal witnesses of the New Testament to the inspired nature of its contents and conclude by hearing the external witness of the early church, both what the church fathers said about the sacred writings of the New Testament and the timing of the reception of the books of the New Testament.