CANON OF SCRIPTURE & BIBLE VERSIONS (PART I)

“Stick to Scripture, and You Won’t Fall into Error”

By Akin Ojumu

Scripture is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith, doctrine, and conduct. The LORD God is a God of order and not of confusion. The Holy Spirit is the Author of Scripture. He inspired men to write what He put in their hearts to write. 

2 Peter 1:20-21

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Scripture is the inspired written Word of God given to us so that we may know Him, His will, and purpose. Scripture is the final authoritative source of the TRUTHS of God and about God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

EVERYTHING we need to know about God is already written in Scripture. EVERYTHING God wants us to know about spiritual matters and the spiritual realms are contained within the pages of Scripture.

2 Peter 1:3-4

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

And yes, God has tied Himself to the pages of Scripture. He does not speak to us today outside of Scripture. You cannot know God outside of what is already written in the pages of the Bible. To know God, you must immerse yourself in Scripture. Any claim to the contrary is at, best, pure speculation, or, at worst, mysticism and sorcery.

Those who go after or promote “truths” outside of what’s written in Scripture, either by claiming God spoke to them in dreams, visions, or by any other means, are pursuing and perpetrating the lies of Satan. What they are seeing and hearing in their dreams and visions are the whisperings of demons. 

The Bible warns us NOT to go beyond what is written: 

1 Corinthians 4:6

“I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.” 

Whenever anyone claims to speak words from God that God has not spoken, such a person adds to and removes from the written Word of God, i.e., Scriptures.

Anyone who adds to, subtracts from, or distorts the Scriptures is eternally damned.

Revelations 22:18-19

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and  if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

It breaks my heart to tell you that the vast majority of people who call themselves Christians today are unwary and unwitting travelers on the broad road that leads to destruction. Because they would not endure the TRUTH, God has given them over to delusion and to believe in the lies they are being fed by people who go about with their lying wonders and deceptive schemes.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

What brings confusion, chaos, and conflict in the Church is the failure of many self-professed believers to stick to Scripture. In their unrelenting pursuit of esoteric supernatural encounters, they buy into doctrine of demons. Drawn by their lust for power, they fall into all sorts of spiritual gobbledygook that corrupts the soul.

Romans 16:17

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.”

My prayer is that God will clear the cobweb of deception from the eyes of those who have wittingly or unwittingly fallen into the pit of strong delusion.

We’ll take it from here next time.