The Closed New Testament Canon

Greetings, readers! This is a research paper that I had to write for my one class at Eternity Bible College. In the paper, I discuss how the New Testament was formed and why no more Scripture can be added. Here are some of my thoughts having finished the paper:

Firstly, seeing the formation of the New Testament in the context of redemptive history was huge for me. God was clearly building up to the Messiah, Jesus. Revealing more Scripture after the apostolic writings would undermine the centrality of Christ in redemptive history.

Secondly, the truth that the Word became flesh struck me afresh (John 1:14). God has always desired to be in relationship with people. He entered into a covenant relationship with his chosen people in the Old Testament; and when they broke that covenant, he sends his Son. He sends his Word made flesh. The ultimate way that God communicated to mankind was to send his Word in human form, who then gave the apostles the authority to teach and write about Christ.

So with that said, here is the paper. I'm sure that it is not the best paper you'll ever read, but I hope it helps show the early church history of the formation of the New Testament and show why no more Scripture can be given.

The Closed New Testament Canon

My Jesus Story - A Video

One of my first posts was a telling of my Jesus story. The crazy thing about these stories is that they never get old; Revelation 12:11 shows that the accuser Satan will be silenced by the blood of Christ's sacrifice and the testimony of His followers. Stories have power and can change lives, and God has, through history, used the testimonies of Christians to draw others into a relationship with Christ.

With this in mind, I humbly present my Jesus story. Every Jesus story is a miracle which can only be explained by God's work in the lives of His followers. My hope is that this encourages and strengthens other brothers and sisters in Christ, and that God uses it to be a witness to those who don't know Christ.

This video is in a contest, which has been a great vehicle to spread this Jesus story. If you are encouraged by this video, click the "like" button on its YouTube site (you'll have to click the YouTube icon to view it on YouTube) and share it with your friends. Through this, others may be encouraged, and you could help me win a year's tuition at Eternity Bible College. The contest ends at the end of February, so use the pressure of the contest to further spread the story!

Blessed To Be A Blessing

Having returned from an amazing first semester at Eternity Bible College, I am overwhelmed with God's grace and blessings. John 1:16 has become one of my favorite verses: "From the fulness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another" (NIV).  In looking back at the ways God provided for me, sustained me, and gave me joy in serving, God's blessings can be clearly seen.

 A major truth I have learned during my time at EBC is that God's people are blessed to be a blessing. God tells Abraham in Genesis 12:2, "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing" (ESV).  Throughout the biblical history of God's chosen nation Israel, this verse was their main calling. God blessed Israel so that other nations would know that God is LORD. This calling continues from the Old Testament into the New Testament; followers of Jesus have been transformed by a relationship with God for the purpose of making His name known to others (Ezekiel 36:22ff, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

One of the greatest parts of my first semester at EBC was being able to live out this calling and have this mindset of being blessed to be a blessing in a secular workplace. During my time working at a McDonalds in Simi, I prayed that God would bless my work so that I would be a blessing to the restaurant.  And that prayer was answered.  I continually had a joy while working there because I knew I was serving God and being a blessing to those around me.  This mindset is completely strange to those who don't know God, but it is completely in agreement with biblical truth.

Looking ahead, I still do not know what I will be doing after my time at Eternity Bible College. However, I do know that I am where God wants me, that God is gracious and that he is blessing me to be a blessing. Being able to live this calling out during the past few months was amazing, fulfilling, and life-giving.  As I continue to learn at EBC, I know that this season in life will be preparation for a life characterized by being blessed to be a blessing.

Living With A Mission

I have been in California for a little over two weeks now. One thing I have been told several times is that there is much diversity here. I have been able to observe this, mainly among the believers. There are many different walks of life, which is a beautiful thing because we have all been adopted into God's family.

But one thing that has been bothering me is the same thing I wrote about in the spring. If someone who didn't know Christ sat in on my roomies' and my typical conversation, he probably wouldn't know that we claim to be ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I have been studying Colossians 2 and 3. Take a look at Colossians 3:1-3:

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

 Is this something that we as believers should occasionally do, or is this a daily charge? Shouldn't we always live like we are strangers to this world? The apostle Peter says that we should live like this because we have been redeemed "not with perishable things such as silver or gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18-19). This redemption should transform the way we think, speak, and live.

To put this in other terms, there is no such thing as a part-time Christian. Followers of Jesus are full-time ambassadors of Christ to the lost and broken. We need to view other believers as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to daily encourage each other (Hebrews 3:13) and remind each other that we're living with a mission. Jesus should permeate through our thoughts and conversations.

I am not exempt from my frustration; I am in need of God's grace in this area. Christians, let's live as the Body of Christ. Let's live with a mission. 

What SoCal And Milton's McDonalds Have In Common

This is something that I've been wanting to communicate for a while now but haven't had a chance. As most of you know, I am about to leave central PA and move to Southern California for college. The response I usually receive from people is excitement about me moving to SoCal. While Southern California is an exciting place to move, I haven't been sucked in to the hype of moving there.

The reason for that is because my motives for going there are the same as my motives for working at my town's McDonalds: God told me to go there. There weren't many people excited about my choice to work at the local McDonalds instead of a higher paying summer job. But I decided, with joy, to apply and work there because I knew that that is where God wanted me and that he was with me while I worked there. Most people would probably become sick of working at a McDonalds, but I find myself wishing I could stay and work longer there because I don't think God's work there is done.

So it's due to my motives for going that I am not filled with the hype of going to Southern California, although I am excited to be going where God has called me. The verse that comes to mind is Colossians 3:15, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." The word "rule" is a strong word, literally meaning to let Christ's peace govern your life. To let God be the Lord of your life. God has been the Lord of my life, and the same God who called me to Southern California to attend Eternity Bible College called me to work at Milton's McDonalds. God filled me with peace and joy (Romans 15:13) as I worked there, and I know he will fill me with that peace and joy as I move to California. So know that I am excited not to be moving to SoCal for it's location and popularity and fame, but to be going (again) where God has called me.

Strangers

I've been meditating (a fancy way of saying I've only been reading one thing over and over) on 1 Peter for the most part of this summer. Reading it several times has reminded me of one of my least favorite aspects of my eight months in Albania, which I will now share.

While Albania was a great experience, the one thing that always bothered me was how my team and I stuck out in the village and received a lot of attention, mostly unflattering. I loved it when we made trips to the city because I did not stick out as much. I like fitting in, but in the village there was no way I could fit in, even if I dressed like an Albanian or spoke in Albanian (both of which I did). I was a stranger to that village in Albania, and I couldn't change that because I couldn't change the fact that I was an American. I'm sure missionaries to Asia or Africa can relate even more to this aspect of mission life.

I also think followers of Jesus can relate to this aspect of life.

Two themes of 1 Peter are suffering for doing good and being strangers to the world. The verse that has stuck out to me is 1:17, "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." Peter calls the believers, in light of their salvation, to live like strangers, since they have become strangers to the world, "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (2:9).

Since followers of Jesus are "aliens and strangers in the world" (2:11), they will stand out, and it won't be easy for them (though it will be worth it). The world will press them to look like itself. I watched a Cornerstone podcast last night in which the pastor preached on Romans 12:1-2, and I felt that it fit well with the themes of 1 Peter. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing, and perfect will."

The world wants believers to be pressed into its mold, to look like itself. But those who have turned to Jesus are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We must, on a daily basis, recognize the war we are in and choose to die to ourselves and live for Jesus (Romans 6). We need people around us who are also new creations. We must remember Jesus' words in Matthew 16:25, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it," and that "in his great mercy he (God) has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." -1 Peter 2:11-12

Viewing God And Yourself

When spirituality becomes focused on feeling and experience rather than truth, everyone's view of God becomes valid. Sadly, we see this in our culture. Everyone has a view of who God is, but many have an inaccurate view. In America, many people have the viewpoint called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: there is a god who just wants you to be nice and will help you out when you need it but is ok with you being distant from him and living your own life. With this view of God, it's understandable why many Americans don't fear God. This was my viewpoint for most of my life.

Obviously, our view of God will impact how we respond to God. When I started following Jesus, the changes that took place were brought about from an accurate view of God. My view of God (and myself) changed, and I started changing. God used certain people and the Bible to give me an accurate view of God. The following is one of the things that got me to view God, and myself, more accurately.

A great teacher and pastor (Francis Chan) talks about how when people were (and will be) in the presence of God and his glory, they were terrified. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees the Lord on his throne and angelic beings who never stop praising God, and his response was utter terror. He says in verse 5, "'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.'"

It's interesting that Isaiah's response is, "I'm going to die, because I am unclean and I have seen God." It's a response we don't often see when talking about God. But that makes sense. If God really is like that (read Isaiah 6:1-7), then our response wouldn't be mere acknowledgement. If we compare ourselves with something that awesome and holy, we recognize our shortcomings and our unworthiness to be in his presence (Romans 3:23). This is what happened when I started following Jesus; I began seeing God for who he really is, and God used that to show me how hypocritical I was for saying that I knew God and was a Christian.

This should also happen when people interact with Christians. Our lives, which are shaped by knowing, loving, and following Christ, should point people to an accurate view of God and should cause them to question their inaccurate view of God.

People will not seek after God if they don't have an accurate view of him. They need Jesus followers around them, showing them God's love, giving them an accurate view of God (Romans 10:14-15), and then praying that God will show himself to them and draw them to himself. Getting an accurate view of God will change people, as it did me, because God is not the god of Monotheistic Therapeutic Deism, and Jesus was not just a good teacher or a prophet. Christians are Christians because they have an accurate view of God, which by God's grace moves them to trust in Christ and truly know and follow him.

Seeking God

This morning I commented to my sister about how Islam treats reading the Quran as a religious activity/duty (some professing Christians treat the Bible in this way too), whereas I genuinely desire to read the Bible so I can learn more about God, not to check it off a religious to-do list. I love God because he first loved me (1 John 4:19).  Reading more about this God who loves me increases my knowledge of him, and this has been changing my life considerably.

God says in Jeremiah, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). We know that God exists (the universe and the moral law that exists within us point to this), and the great thing is that he is not distant (it may feel like he is at points, but that's another topic) and that we can learn more about God.

A very important thing to note on seeking God is the attitude in which we seek him. We should not approach or seek God in arrogance or pride. Pride was what first separated us from God. God is not unapproachable, but we must remember who God is and who we are when seeking him. We cannot think that we know better than God. This is what Job thought, and after he was finished asking his questions to God, God responded by "putting him in his place." God humbled Job by reminding him that he is not God. 

In Isaiah, God says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). When seeking God, we can't assume that we are above God and know better than him. Remember that God created billions of galaxies, that he holds everything together (Colossians 1:17), and that he is Lord (ruler/king) of everything. 

Strangely enough, we will only seek God after we fear him, about which I will write more in my next post.

Remain Or Live

I have been following Jesus for about two and a half years now. Best two and a half years of my life. God doesn't speak just through the Bible, but He has been teaching me many things through it. Here's something that he showed me last week.

Don't read this post for the sake of entertainment, especially if you don't know Jesus.

While reading through John, I was struck again by a misconception people have about our natural standing with God since the Fall. I'll mention two passages that reminded me of this. The first verse really stuck out to me; It's from John the Baptist's Testimony about Jesus:

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." -John 3:36

The last part struck me: "God's wrath remains on him." That means that from birth, God's wrath is on us until we give our lives to Jesus. God, our Creator, gave mankind the choice to remain or die, and we chose to die. We chose life apart from God, which is death compared to life with God. Disobeying a perfect, holy God resulted in God's wrath, the consequence of sin: eternal death apart from him.

But the whole point of Jesus coming to earth was to provide a way back from death to life. Take a look at what Jesus says in John 5:24:

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

 Through Jesus we can cross from death to life. The only way to get back to God is through Jesus (John 14:6).

Now here is the misconception: Many people think that we start out innocent, or neutral. John Piper explained it with the analogy of the pendulum of a metronome. Many people think that we begin at the center, and we can swing toward the good side or the bad side. The truth, however, is that we are all completely on the bad side from the start, and there is no way we can change that or earn our way to the good side. Here is the Good News, from Romans 3:23-24:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Through Jesus alone, we can cross over from death to life. But the fact of the matter is this: we all are facing eternal death if we aren't living for Jesus. We have the choice to remain where we are, on the road to death, or to turn to Jesus (called repenting).

If you aren't living with Jesus, you are not on a good path. Don't read this passively. When we stand before our Creator, we won't have an excuse for not following Jesus. He has lovingly and graciously given us a way back to him, and to reject him is foolish and eternally costly.

 Looking back to my life before knowing Jesus, I can see that I was not innocent at all, even though for a long time I appeared to be a Christian, and I would have said I was. No matter how good we appear to be, we know how bent toward evil we are on the inside. We need to be fixed, to be changed, to return to God, and Jesus is the only one who can do it. Our choice is to remain or live. Repent and turn to Jesus, and live.

Changed And Changing

Last week was my final week at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center. I have been processing my time there since my return home, and one thing is certain: I have changed and I am continuing to change.

No, I am not talking about puberty; I am talking about Jesus' work in my life.

Since being back, a couple of people have told me that I have changed so much these past two years. When I hear people say this, I think of 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Now, the changes that have been happening are not surface level; they happen inwardly and work their way out. This, I suppose, is how Jesus works. People may want surface-level change, but Jesus starts at the inward-most point, the heart/spirit (see Ezekiel 36:26). So for me, this change first happened during my senior year of high school. Jesus gave me a new heart and his Spirit.

Looking back at the past two years, I have definitely been changing. The big word for this occurrence is sanctification. It means that Jesus' living in you causes noticeable changes in your life. Jesus has never been such a focus in my life as He has been these past two years, and the changes in my life have come from that focus, or that relationship, or that Jesus. Some things that I have learned from this past year are grace, the importance of John 15, the sovereignty of Jesus, and my passion for discipleship.

So as one season ends and a new one begins, I am excited to see how God will continue to change me, deepen my relationship with Him, and how He will impact others through me.