There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. How do we know that the right books are in our Bibles? How can we be sure that we don’t have too many or too few? Can we really trust that the 66 books in our Bibles are the ones that God wants us to have?
Many good books have been written on this subject and interested readers are encouraged to consult: How Do You Know the Bible Is from God? by Kyle Butt (for children); How We Got the Bible by Neil R. Lightfoot; A General Introduction to the Bible by Geisler and Nix. Also, explore ApologeticsPress.org.
Many skeptics are out there trying to undermine, dismantle and destroy faith in the Bible. If they can successfully plant seeds of doubt about the origin and the compiling of the Bible, then their work is practically done. So, what can be said about this in a short article?
Let me encourage you to read the Bible! Too many people do not know the Bible, so their faith can easily be shaken. Words that are inspired by God have an authoritative tone, a Divine clarity and a united consistency that is not (and cannot be) found in any human document or writing. Read it! People who usually think that the collected books of the Bible cannot be trusted have not read the Scriptures for themselves!
Let me encourage you to trust God! Remember (and believe!) that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16). God inspired certain men to write certain words. Was it within God’s power (and providence) to ensure that His inspired words were all collected in one volume, whose “sum…is truth” (Psa. 119:160)? Geisler and Nix put it this way: The accepting or rejecting of books into the Bible (as inspired books) “is determined or established authoritatively by God; it is merely discovered by man” (p. 221).
Let me encourage you to research reputable and authoritative sources. The easy thing to do is believe what a skeptic says, which might “sound right.” But, what about the actual evidence? If we actually study this thoroughly with an open mind, we will find that inspired books were accepted as “inspired books” as soon as they were written; they were collected and preserved by those who recognized their Divine origin and supreme value; then, they were compiled into what is now our Bible.
The recipients of the inspired writings recognized immediately the authoritative, prophetic and exact nature of God’s Word. They did not determine what was inspired (and worthy to be in the Bible); God’s Word set itself apart from all spurious writings. Man didn’t vote. A council didn’t decide. The church didn’t make the Bible. God did! Do we trust Him?