Eric Bechler's sermon focuses on the Holy Scriptures, emphasizing their completeness, sufficiency, certainty, and infallibility for all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. He discusses the division of the 66 books of the Bible into the Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books). Bechler explains that the church's role was not to select these books but to recognize those inspired by God, using criteria similar to those for other ancient writings. He highlights internal criteria such as language and style, and external criteria like contemporary testimonies and historical corroboration. The sermon references how Jesus and the apostles validated the Old Testament, and how early Christian writers and translations support the New Testament's authenticity. Despite initial debates over certain books, discernment led to the final canon. Bechler stresses that all scripture is 'God-breathed,' underscoring its divine origin and role as the ultimate rule of faith and life. He concludes by urging the faithful not to take the scriptures for granted but to study every part of the Bible.

Last week we focused on the Holy Scriptures, a closed system of truth, complete, sufficient, certain, and infallible for all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. They are not to be added to nor diminished. They contain all the spiritual truth God intended to reveal. This week we focus on the actual list of books contained in the Holy Scriptures. To summarize this paragraph, the Word of God is contained within these books and is given by the inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life.

The Word of God in 66 books is broken into two parts. The Old Testament 39 books and the New Testament 27 books. But how was it that these 66 books were received into the canon of Scripture. From the Institutes of the Christian Religion Calvin states, nothing therefore can be more absurd than the fiction that the power of judging Scripture is in the church and that on her nod its certainty depends. When the church receives it and gives it the stamp of her authority, she does not make that authentic, which was otherwise doubtful or controverted, but acknowledging it as the truth of God.

She, as in duty bounds, shows her reverence by an unhesitating assent. As to the question, how shall we be persuaded that it came from God without recurring to a decree of the Church? It is just the same as if it were asked, how shall we learn to distinguish light from darkness, white from black, sweet from bitter? Scripture bears upon the face of it as clear evidence of its truth, as white and black do of their color, sweet and bitter of their taste." I really like that. So, the church did not select these books but rather acknowledged the ones that God had inspired.

So what was the criteria to recognize or acknowledge that God had inspired one of these books? What evidences do we examine? It is the same kind of historical and critical proof to establish the genuineness and authenticity of any ancient writing, whether scripture, Plato, or Herodotus. We have internal criteria such as language, style, character of content. We have external criteria such as testimony of contemporary writers, universal consent of contemporary readers, and corroborating history drawn from independent credible sources.

If we look at Scripture regarding the genuineness of the 39 books of the Old Testament canon, we see Christ himself references the separate books of the Word of God from Luke chapter 24 verse 44, and he said to them, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. We see Christ quoting the Word of God to rebuke the Jews for disobeying. In Matthew 22 verse 29, Jesus answered and said to them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. We see in John 8 47, he that is of God heareth God's words, yet therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. We see the apostles quoting them as the word of God in Acts 1 16, Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

In 2 Timothy 3.15, In that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. According to a website that I found truth according to scripture.com The writers of the New Testament included approximately 250 express Old Testament quotes. And if we include any indirect or partial quotes, the number jumps to more than a thousand quotes. This includes, from this site, this includes all the Old Testament books with the exception of Obadiah, which is not something we should be too concerned about. The minor prophets were actually all included in one particular scroll, so I think we can tie in Obadiah that way as well.

Other websites and other researchers have linkages to all the different books in the Old Testament. We have the New Testament writers, the Septuagint from 285 BC. We have Josephus, a historian in the 37 to 100 time period, the testimony of early Christian writers, the Jews themselves, they all agree perfectly as to the genuineness and the authenticity of every book that we include in the Old Testament. Regarding the genuineness of the 27 books in the New Testament canon, the early Christian writers agree in quoting as of apostolic authority the books we receive, while they quote all other contemporaneous writings only for illustration. The early Church Fathers provided a number of catalogs of the books received by them as apostolical, which agree in general with our canon of today.

The early translations of Scripture prove that at the time they were written, the books they contained were recognized as scripture. The early Paschida Syriac translation from about 460 AD agrees almost entirely with ours. The Vulgate, based on the Italic or early Latin version, agrees. And the consistency of language, style, and character of content across these books, the harmony of the essentials, the elevated spirituality and doctrinal consistency, and their practical power over the consciences and hearts of all men lead to the acceptance of the authenticity of these 27 books of the New Testament as being part of the canon of scripture. Some books in the canon were not admitted so quickly.

James, Jude, 2nd Peter, 2nd and 3rd John, Hebrews, and Revelation had some discussions about them with James. There was uncertainty with the author. With Jude, the citation of 1 Enoch gave some difficulty. 1 Enoch was part of the Apocrypha. In 2 Peter, there were several pseudo-writings in the name of Peter in that era.

Also there's controversy rising from the differences in the Greek between 1st and 2nd Peter. It was 2nd and 3rd John, some people had paused just because of the shortness of those letters, 13 and 14 verses only. The author of Hebrews did not identify himself, thus causing some disagreements as to the author. Finally, the book of Revelation with its dragons and its beasts and being very Apocalyptic gave pause to some. In that time there were many apocalyptic books circulating and that were supposedly written by the apostles but were found to be fraudulent and deceptive.

So there was a lot of discernment that was an effort towards discernment to figure out what was authentic and what was not. Going back to the summary of our paragraph for this morning, the Word of God is contained within these books and is given by the inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life. The second part of this statement states that these books were written by the inspiration of God. Luke read from 2 Timothy 3.16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. I prefer the ESV version to the King James for this particular passage because of the use of the word inspiration.

In our culture today, we can get the impression that if we have inspiration, we can write things or we can do things. If we're writers, it can imply that the words we write are our words, even though we're inspired. It's not what it's meant here. Scripture is given by the inspiration of God. These books were written not of man's words, but of God's words.

They were God breathe, emphasizing those words that were and the source of them. In the ESV, the same verse reads, all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness. So the point is these words are God's words. They're not man's words that they came up and so anyway I just want to stress that point. Many of the passages in the Old Testament we can go through claim to be inspired.

In 2nd Samuel 23 verse 2, the Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. 1st King 21 19, thus saith the Lord, Jeremiah 9 12, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken. The inspiration of the Old Testament is expressly affirmed in the New Testament from Luke 1 verse 70 as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began. Hebrews 1 1 God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets first Peter 1 10 through 12 Which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. 2nd Peter 1 21, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Christ and his apostles also quote the Old Testament as infallible, that which must be fulfilled. For Matthew 5 18, for verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass not one jot nor tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled in Luke 24 44 and he said unto them these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me and finally in Matthew 2 15 and was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, out of Egypt I have called my son. The New Testament writers claim to have the Spirit in Acts 2 33, therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has shed forth this which you now see and hear. From Acts 15-28, For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.

1st Thessalonians 1 5, for our gospel came not unto you in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake." 1 Thessalonians 4, 8. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us His Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 2 13, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Scripture directly tells us that it is inspired by God. It is the Word of God.

It is God breathed and God leaves no room for confusion. We know that the Word of God is sufficient, it is certain, it is the infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience. We know that these 66 books were God-breathed, that there are no others, there are no books missing. They were all given by the inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life. And I praise to God that he would give to us His holy word and the words that lead to eternal life.

I pray that we would not take for granted this amazing gift Nor would we neglect the reading and study Not only of the easy parts, but every single book in the Bible. Every book is special. Amen.