The Story of Our Bible: Recognition, Not Invention

How do we know which books belong in our Bible? The answer is not a council vote or human invention. It's recognition of what God gave through His apostles. Jesus affirmed the Hebrew Scriptures as the Old Testament, and He authorized His apostles to write the New Testament. The early church received these writings as Scripture because they bore the marks of apostolic origin, doctrinal soundness, and widespread acceptance, and the Holy Spirit confirms this to believers' hearts today.