Getting Our Expectations Straight

From Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books by Michael Kruger, four reasons from Scripture for us to expect some disagreement over the canon in the early stages of Christianity:

1. The Scriptures warn of false teaching (and false teachers) in the church (2 Pet. 2:2; 1 John 2:19). If so, then it is reasonable to think that the church would also face false teaching about the status of canonical and apocryphal writings.
2. We should not overlook the fact that these are spiritual forces opposing the church (Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Pet. 5:8-10; Rev. 12:13-17). Thus we have greater reason to expect there would be controversy, opposition, and heresy in early Christianity.
3. People often resist the Spirit by their sin and disobedience (Acts 7:51; Eph. 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thess. 5:19). For this reason, the testimonium1was never understood by the Reformers as something that would lead to an absolute unity over the canonical books.
4. Not all groups who claim to be the “church” are really part of it. Some claim the name of Christ who are not really his followers (Matt. 7:21-23; John 2:23-25; Phil. 1:15-16; 1 John 2:19). Thus, the canons of these so-called Christian groups (Valentinians?) might differ significantly from those of true Christians. This can give the impression that there was more canonical diversity among early Christians than there actually was.2

Contrary to what some argue,  disagreements over the canon shouldn’t undermine our trust in the ability of the early church to identify the canonical books; but rather, the witness of scripture itself should lead us to expect some dissent.

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Other quotations  from this book:

• A Canon Based on Probability
• Canonical Bookends
• Like a Thermometer, Not a Thermostat

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1The testimonium is “the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit”—“not a private revelation of the Spirit or new information given to the believer—as if the list of canonical books were whispered in our ears—but it is a work of the Spirit that over comes the noetic effect of sin and produces the belief that the Scriptures are the word of God” (page 100).

2Page 198-199.