By Declan Mears ’27

Scripture in a broad sense is a divine revelation that someone receives from God, or in some cases, speaking with the son of God. So, has god simply stopped sending divine messages down, are they getting lost in our spam folder, and if he hasn’t, why haven’t we kept adding these scriptures to the bible, as since they’re divine revelations, they should be spread to the wider Christian community for learning and teaching. And what criteria determined which books we include in the scriptures today? Well, that’s exactly what we’ll examine throughout this Blog post, so let’s take a short while to reflect on what is “canon”  

A key fact to consider is that the Bible, while having many authors, is believed to be inspired by God, and this fact alone largely constitutes what is considered canon.

To examine what counts as “canon” in the Bible, we first need to understand what canon means. It comes from the Greek word κανών, which means stick or rod. For our purposes, think of a measuring rod, as canon essentially acts as a way to determine which scripture, books, and teachings belong within the Bible and which are excluded. A key fact to consider is that the Bible, while having many authors, is believed to be inspired by God, and this fact alone largely constitutes what is considered canon.

For Lutherans, the only apostolic scriptures that are truly canon are the Old and New Testaments (Preus, 2003). However, Luther debated the canonicity of the Apocrypha, acknowledging that reading it would not be taboo but still not fully accepting it into the canon. Luther also questioned the status of Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation, labeling them as “disputed books” and placing them at the end of his translation of the New Testament. From this, we can infer that these books should be included but are secondary to the undisputed ones. This means they are canon only insofar as they align with the broader canon; what is agreeable in the greater is agreeable in the lesser.

Lutherans also follow a slightly different order of authority. Specifically, they prioritize as follows: 1) Jesus, 2) the proclamations of Jesus, and 3) the apostolic scriptures. This approach clarifies what was previously murkier—particularly because the Old Testament had long been accepted, but the New Testament was still debated until the 4th century. Even then, what constituted the canon hadn’t been finalized, and some debate persisted. Luther resolved this by implementing the line of authority into the canon and further organizing the books within his translations, placing disputed books at the back for clarity.

Different sects or denominations follow slight variations in what they include in their canon, but overwhelmingly, the majority recognize the Old and New Testaments as canon. Now that we have examined how the biblical canon has been constructed, we can consider a deeper, more interpretive question: If we can receive divine revelation through prayer and communication with the Holy Spirit, and seek to spread this knowledge, why aren’t these communications canon? 

Well, compared to someone like Schleiermacher, most Lutheran churches hold firmly to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, which translates roughly to “The Bible alone.” But what does Sola Scriptura mean in practice? Sola Scriptura, foundational to most Lutheran theology, asserts that the Bible alone serves as the sole medium of God’s revelation and is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. As one source explains:

“Sola Scriptura is about two aspects of God’s revelation to us—source and norm. It answers the questions: (1) What is the sole medium through which God has communicated his permanent special revelation? and then, (2) What is the sole, final authority in all matters of faith and practice?” (Reformed Classicalist)

In essence, Sola Scriptura establishes that Scripture, not personal revelation, is the ultimate authority on doctrine and spiritual matters.

Think of it like this: Anyone can step outside and describe the weather, but only a meteorologist has the authority to provide an authoritative forecast. Similarly, while we may experience divine revelation, the authority of Scripture is recognized as the final word on spiritual matters. This is why personal revelations, even if in accordance with the scriptures, can’t hold the same weight as Scripture and cannot be considered canon. 

In essence, Sola Scriptura establishes that Scripture, not personal revelation, is the ultimate authority on doctrine and spiritual matters.

So what does this leave us with? Reliance on scriptures based on events and a culture that is so different from ours? In a way, yes, but if we adjust our perspectives just a bit, we can see that the core essence of what is being revealed in the scriptures we’ve identified as canon, connects even to daily life now, in a radically different society. While all the examples might not resonate, and we certainly don’t live similar lives to those of the apostles, we share some of the same human struggles, which we can isolate from the cultural context of scripture and use to further our personal relationship with god. 

I hope this discussion has left you with a few questions—some you might turn to Google for, and others that will require searching the scriptures themselves. In the meantime, consider reflecting on these:

• Do you believe the Lutheran faith has the correct interpretation of what should be included in the canon of scripture?

• If you had to choose, what would you add or remove from the canon?

• Should revelation be modernized? Should newer accounts of divine revelation, in accordance with apostolic teachings, be incorporated into scripture?

Preus, Jacob A. O. “The New Testament Canon in the Lutheran Dogmatics.” Concordia Theological Seminary, 2003. https://ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/PreusTheNewTestamentCanonInTheLutheranDogmatics.pdf.

 Reformed Classicalist. “Sola Scriptura.” Reformed Classicalist. https://www.reformedclassicalist.com/home/sola-scriptura.

The views in the post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lutheran Center or St. Olaf College.