What is God’s Word?

Everyone knows the answer to that one. God's Word is the Holy Bible, the Scriptures, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. So why should this be controversial?

Well, maybe a little controversial. Some denominations, such as the Catholics, add a few more books to the accepted canon of Scripture. We generally call these the Apocryphal or Deuterocanonical Books. They would expand the canon to about 84 books (though some can hardly be called books, as they are quite small, like the 151st Psalm, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon). Most of these Apocryphal books are pretty much in agreement with Scripture and do show some signs of being “inspired” though perhaps not as inspired as the 66 books we all know and love.

Then of course there are the Gnostic writings, secret, esoteric “teachings of Jesus” supposedly written by the apostles James, Thomas, John, and others. Few today would accept them as Scripture, as there are numerous direct contradictions to Scripture and they include some pretty far out stuff.

I’m sure you see where I’m going, here. The (now closed) canon of the 66 books in the Old and New Testaments is without question the most authoritative, and anything else is judged on the basis of how well it agrees with the accepted canon. God does not contradict Himself, so if He has inspired someone with His Word, it had bloody well better line up with all that He inspired previously.

“Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you and you be proved a liar.” (Prov 30:5) The Word of God we have received has been tested and proven to bring life. We can rest our faith upon it. And if someone adds some other word, some other way, some other gospel which perverts the purity of God’s Word, according to this verse, God Himself will reprove him as a liar.

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