All religions have certain teachings by which their adherents are required to live. Most of them have their sacred writings to which their followers appeal and by which they regulate their lives.

Christianity also possesses a collection of holy books. These books are called canonical. As our Confession of Faith says in Article 4, "The Holy Scriptures are contained in two books, namely the Old and New Testaments which are canonical, against which nothing can be alleged."

The word canon comes from a Greek word meaning reed or measuring rod. Eventually the word came to mean stand­ard of judgment. The Church adopted this term and applied it to the Scriptures. The Bible, in other words, is our canon, our infallible standard or rule of faith and practice. Paul uses the term in that sense in Galatians 6:16 when he writes, "And as many as shall walk by this rule (canon), peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." Biblical canonicity, then, is an article of faith, resting upon a conviction of, and commitment to the sixty-six books of the Bible as the very Word of God.

The Old Testament was recognized by the Jews as canonical about a hundred years before Christ, and the New Testa­ment, together with the Old, was recognized as divinely inspired and therefore authoritative by the end of the fourth cen­tury A.D. It took the Church quite a long time to agree on which books should be included and which excluded from the Canon. Three guiding principles were used to determine this.

1. Inspiration
To win a place in the canon, a gospel or letter had to breathe sound doctrine and morals and be con­sistent with the rest of Scripture.

2. Apostolicity
To be accepted, a book had to be traceable to an apostle or a close associate of an apostle.

3. Universality
Among the many documents in circulation in the early Church, many were short-lived, or had only a local following. But canonical status depended on a book's ability to win universal and permanent approval by the Church.

What was the role of the Church in establishing the Canon of Scripture? Rome teaches that the canonicity of the Bible depends on the recognition of that canonicity by the Church. This implies that the authority of the Church is at least as great as that of the Bible, in fact, it is believed to be greater.

But this is based on a serious misconception. The fact of the matter is this: the Church did not give birth to the Bible, but actually the reverse is true. As Paul says, the Church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20).

Canonicity is something in the books of the Bible themselves, something that God has given it, not a dignity that the Church has conferred upon it. In other words, the Bible is holy, not because the Church says so, but because it bears the marks of divine inspiration. Actually all the Church did in the past was to recognize the books of the Old and New Testament as inspired by God.

This recognition on the part of the Church has to do with a special ministry of the Holy Spirit whereby He convinces believers that this Book made up of sixty-six volumes comes from God. As we read in Article 5 of our Confession of Faith,

We receive all these books, and these only, as holy and canonical, for the regulation, foundation, and confirmation of our faith; believing without any doubt, all things contained in them, not so much because the Church receives and approves them as such, but more especially because the Holy Spirit witnesses in our hearts (emphasis mine, C.P), that they are from God, whereof they carry the evidence in themselves.

So there are two reasons why we believe the Bible to be the Word of God:

1. Because the Church says so and has always said so. This is a very important point. When I believe that the Bible is God's inspired, infallible Word, this is not just an individual matter. It is not just my private opinion. No, I confess my faith in God's Word in fellowship with the Church of all ages. All the generations of believers before me have lived and died in that faith. This implies that when segments of the Church today, even whole denominations, no longer believe this, they proclaim in doing so that they are no longer united to the Church of all ages and have departed from the faith once delivered unto the saints.

2. But important as this is, the most compelling reason why I believe the Bible to be God's Word is that the Holy Spirit witnesses in my heart that these writings are from God.

What is this witness or testimony of the Spirit? Let me first say what it is not, because there is much confusion about this subject. It is not an audible voice coming from outside or from within, saying to us: this book is the Word of God. Rather, it is the Spirit's opening of our eyes for the majesty and authority of the Word, so that we have no doubt at all that in the Bible God is speaking to us.

By nature we do not see this. There is a blindness and darkness in our minds, which makes it impossible for us to discern the things of God. Paul says that the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4).

This does not mean that the unregenerate cannot have a high regard for the Bible. In fact, there are many who claim to believe in the infallible Word of God. If you ask them why they believe this, they cannot really tell you. They have always thought of the Bible that way and never questioned its authority and divine character.

This sounds good but it is not essentially different from what a Muslim will say about his Koran. Education and upbringing go a long way in persuading a person that his religion is the true one. When such people say that they accept the Bible as the Word of God, this is not necessarily the result of the Spirit's witness to their heart. It is simply to be ascribed to the common operations of the Holy Spirit and to historical faith.

The testimony of the Holy Spirit is part of His special ministry to believers. It is different from His common operations in that it produces two things in God's children which are never experienced by the unregenerate.

A child of God sees beauty in the Word of God. "Saving knowledge," says Buchanan, "is a knowledge of the truth in the light, lustre and glory of it." And not only does the Christian see beauty and glory in the Bible, God's Word also becomes sweet to his taste. David said: "O taste and see that the Lord is good!" And Paul speaks of "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

A nominal Christian may see the truth but he has no appreciation for its beauty. He hears it, but has no sense of its har­mony. God's Word may impress his mind, but it does not really affect his heart and will. The Gospel is not a joyful sound to him. It does not stir him to action.

With a child of God this is different. He or she is convinced that the Bible is God's Word, not only because it makes sense and they cannot escape its claims on their conscience, but also because they feel its power. The Word comes with majesty and produces fear and trembling. When the holy God speaks, man the sinner, can only humble himself and say with Job: "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees Thee. Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."

At such times there is no doubt what­soever that the voice that is speaking is God's voice. It may come via the lips of a man, the preacher, for instance, but as was the case with the Thessalonians, it is accepted not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the Word of God which is at work in those who believe.

This testimony of the Holy Spirit in believers is not equally lively and strong in all. Yet it is enough to convince them all of the truthfulness of the Word of God.

For a Christian, reading the Bible is like reading a letter from a loved one, someone he knows. The conviction that the Holy Scriptures have divine authority is based on the believer's prior knowledge of God. When you ask a Christian, what do you believe about the Bible, his reply will be: I believe this book is the Word of God, because I recognize in it the voice of God.

It is a matter of recognition and this implies a prior acquaintance. I know God and therefore I recognize His voice in Scripture. This is important. Our faith in the Word of God is based on our personal experience of God. Granted that this is a subjective argument which those who rely on human reasoning alone will never accept. But it is a conviction rooted in faith which arises out of a saving encounter with God.

It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of this point. Today there are many discussions going on about Scripture, its authority, the nature and extent of inspiration, its human factor and divine character and so on. Many theories are being proposed as to how we should view Scripture in light of modern science, etc.

What most of these theories come down to is this. We can no longer hold on to the idea that the Bible is without error. The fact that it was written by human beings necessarily means that they made mistakes and we should simply face that fact.

This kind of reasoning leaves out one crucial consideration: the testimony of the Holy Spirit. How can it be explained that even today there are many who feel the witness of the Spirit in their hearts that the Scriptures come from God?

Since the Confession of Faith was written much has changed. There has been a tremendous advance in knowledge of the original languages in which the Bible was written. Archaeological discoveries have thrown much light on what once were rather obscure passages of Scripture. Science has forced us to re-examine many things which for centuries were simply taken for granted. There are disturbing questions about the origin and age of the universe, the days of creation, etc., and we should not lightly dismiss all these questions as not worthy of our consideration.

Some of these questions are difficult to answer and many honest, sincere Christians continue to struggle with them. Yet, with all the changes that have taken place since the time of the Reformation, one thing has not changed: the Spirit's work in the hearts of believers. There are still many Christians today who believe just as Guido de Bres did, that the Bible is the very Word of God. I trust this is also true of us.

Sure, we may have our questions and may not always be able to say what it says in Article 5, namely that we believe without any doubt that the Bible is true in its entirety. There are the moments when we waver and disturbing questions force themselves upon us — I am thinking especially of young people who attend institu­tions of higher learning. But if we are true Christians, we know in our hearts that this Book is God's Word. Whatever unbelievers may say to the contrary, this conviction remains unshakeable. Then you may not be able to answer the challenges put to you, but you know in your heart of hearts, the Bible is true, no matter what even the most learned experts may say. The testimony of the Holy Spirit — O, how powerful that is and how comforting in times of doubt and temptation!

Here we have the real reason why so many are denying the authority of the Bible today. It is because they have not experienced any personal dealings between God and their soul. They have not met the God of the Bible. They have not been confronted with His holiness and been ex­posed to their sin and guilt by the search-light of the Spirit. Their unbelieving attitude to Scripture is rooted in their rebellion against God. They sit in judgment upon God's Word and accept only as much of Scripture as agrees with their human reason.

A Christian, on the other hand, submits his opinions and ideas to the Word of God, yes, he brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).

Have we done this yet? Have we met God in this personal way? We claim to believe the Bible is God's Word, but can we explain why? Is it merely because we have been brought up in a Christian environment or is it personal conviction, the result of the Spirit witnessing in our heart?

Without this inner Spirit-wrought conviction, the most orthodox views on Scripture and any other doctrine taught by Scripture cannot and will not last. We see this happening everywhere, also in Reformed circles. Many people who used to be staunch conservatives are becoming first, less conservative, then liberal, and finally nothing. It is a gradual but relentless process.

Those who have met God, on the other hand, stay with the truth as it is in Jesus. They are led by the Holy Spirit Who binds them to the Word which He Himself inspired and which He applies to their hearts, making it the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16).