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Who decided which of these books was God’s Word?

Remember, the books that God wrote were inspired by the Holy Spirit. No person or persons decided
which books to include. No meeting was ever convened to vote on which books to include and which to
exclude. The books came together as they were RECOGNIZED by all that they were Scripture. God
determines whether a book is inspired and thus canonical—churches and councils do not. God gives
the books of the Bible their divine authority. God’s people recognize this authority, but they do not
determine its authority. As J. I. Packer has said, “The Church no more gave us the New Testament canon
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than Sir Isaac Newton gave us the force of gravity.” Newton recognized the force of gravity. God’s
people recognized those books that were inspired by God.
Theories of Inspiration
There are many views of how God inspired the book to be written. Here are a few:

1. Natural inspiration – There is no supernatural element. The Bible was written by great men, who
often erred.
2. Partial inspiration – The Bible contains God’s words but must be sorted out (“demythologized”)
to find them. Other parts are purely human and may be in error
3. Conceptual inspiration – The thoughts of scripture are inspired but the actual words used are
not. There is factual and scientific error.
4. Dictation theory of inspiration – The writers passively recorded God’s words without any
participation of their own styles or personalities.
5. Verbal, plenary inspiration – All of the actual words of the Bible are inspired and without error
(see definition). This fits the Bible’s description.

Defense for verbal, plenary inspiration
The Bible claims verbal, plenary inspiration in 2 Tim.3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work. The Bible it’s inspiration as “God-breathed writings (2
Tim.3:16), “Spirit-enabled” writings (2 Pet.1:20,21), and as God superintended the writers and writings
(2 Pet. 1:21).

The Scripture describes the “God-Spirit-Man” interaction of verbal inspiration in the following verses:
Zech.7:12 – “The words which the Lord of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former
prophets.”
Acts 4:24,25 – “God…who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David…did say.”

God used several methods of inspiration in writing the Scriptures. The first is called direct dictation
found in Deut. 9:10. Secondly God superintended human research (Luke 1:1-4). Third, God spoken
directly to the writer (Gal.1:12).

Verbal inspiration means that the very words are inspired. (1 Cor.2:12,13; Gal.3:16; Matt.22:31-32). God
superintended that every word choice, though the words of the authors, were exactly the words He
wanted published in the Scriptures.

17 God Speaks to Man: Understanding the Bible by Thomas Barrosse, p. 81

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