In The Margins

by Justan Borth

A few months ago, I was at a Chinese restaurant with a friend who was struggling with doubt. He had questions about faith, works, and repentance. As we talked, he brought up a verse I didn’t recognize. When I asked where it came from, he said, “The Book of Tobit.”

That moment raised a huge question: What belongs in the Bible, and what doesn’t?

Forget about Tobit for a second. Our Bibles contain 66 books, written by different authors over centuries. But why those books? Why not others? What makes them God’s Word?

The answer comes from something called the Canon of Scripture—the collection of writings recognized as God-breathed. This isn’t just an academic issue; it matters because God warns us not to add or subtract from His Word (Deut. 4:2). If we lose or add to Scripture, we risk losing obedience to God Himself.

So how did the early church know what belonged? Let’s break it down:

The Old Testament

Two big questions help us here:

1. Did God’s people preserve it? Scripture shows Israel carefully kept God’s words (Ex. 31:18; Deut. 4:13).
2. Did Jesus affirm it? In the New Testament, Jesus constantly quotes the Old Testament as Scripture. Not once does He reject it.

The New Testament

The early church used a few key tests:

• Authentic: Was it written by someone who knew Jesus or His close followers?
• Authoritative: Did it clearly teach God’s will?
• Inspired: Was it guided by the Holy Spirit?

When a book met these standards, Christians recognized it as part of God’s Word.

Why It Matters for You

We live in a world filled with voices telling us who we should be, what to believe, and how to live. The canon of Scripture gives us confidence that the Bible we hold isn’t random—it’s been trusted for centuries as God’s inspired Word.

So when you open your Bible, you can rest knowing these are the words God intended for you. They’re the foundation for faith, identity, and direction in a noisy world.

Reflective Questions:

-Why is it important to your Christian life to know which writings are God’s words and which are not?

-Have you had doubts or questions about the canonicity of any of the books of the Bible? What caused those questions? What should one do to resolve them?

Further Reading and Study: Hebrews 1:1-2