The Bible understood as the Scriptures of the church

Once again, the effort to take seriously the confession of a canon offers another alternative in respect to the inspiration of Scripture. The doctrine of inspiration is an attempt to deal adequately with the medium of revelation. The mistake of employing such a concept as inerrancy, among other things, was in its defining of the medium apart from its canonical context. In our opinion, the claim for the inspiration of Scripture is the claim for the uniqueness of the canonical context of the church through which the Holy Spirit works. Although there are innumerable other contexts in which to place the Bible—this is part of the humanity of the witness—divine inspiration is a way of claiming a special prerogative for this one context. The Bible, when understood as the Scriptures of the church, functions as the vehicle for God’s special communicating of himself to his church and the world. This understanding of the Scripture’s uniqueness remains a statement of faith. It neither requires a hidden apologetic nor must it be reformulated to accommodate itself to every new phase of the scholarly debate.

Brevard Childs, Biblical Theology in Crisis (p. 104)

The canonical shape of Colossians

Although many critical commentators have correctly seen both the elements of similarity and differences in respect to the undisputed Pauline letters, the canonical implications for understanding the function of Colossians within the Pauline corpus have seldom been addressed. Simply to focus on ideological differences between so-called ‘genuine’ and ‘deutero-Pauline’ letters is to overlook the effect of the New Testament canon. Rather, the shape of the letter to the Colossians provides a Pauline warrant for translating his theology into a different idiom which is faithful to the gospel. The letter establishes the parameters within which the continuing theological task is carried on. The fact that the corpus of Pauline letters contain material whose shape shows evidence of a process of expanding and adapting Paul’s thought to a new and different situation indicates that Paul’s letters were not regarded as a static deposit of unchanging doctrine, but as a living voice of apostolic instruction, supported by the authority of the exalted Christ, which was given to guide the church continually toward the obedient life. The final instruction of the epistle to have the letter read in other churches (4.16) already indicates the beginning of the canonical process at work. The letter functions as authority for Christians who do not share in the original historical situation of those at Colossae, but whose context within the community of faith is nevertheless addressed with a continuing word from God through his apostle.

Brevard Childs, The New Testament as Canon: An Introduction (p. 348)

The destiny of men is in the hands of God

Image: Charles Hodge (1797-1878)

The fact that the destiny of men is in the hands of God (that it is not of him that willeth, or him that runneth,) is not inconsistent with the necessity of the use of means. The fact that the character of the harvest depends on the sovereign pleasure of God, does not render the labor of the husbandman of no account. The same God who says, “I will have mercy on whom I will,” says also, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” The sovereignty of God and the necessity of human efforts are both clearly taught in the Scriptures. At times the former, as in this chapter, at times the latter doctrine is most insisted upon. Neither should be forgotten or neglected, as both combine to produce the right impression on the mind, and to lead us to God in the way of his own appointment, ver. 16.

Charles Hodge, A Commentary on Romans (Chapter 9)