Your position is precarious regarding the canon. SOMEONE had to determine the canon of Scripture. It did NOT fall out of the sky ready-made, with a handy index of the books near the front. If there were no councils to determine the canon, there would NOT be a canon at all, unless God Himself DIRECTLY intervened and told the whole world what that canon should be. He normally doesn't work that way, as there would be no need for faith in Him were such demonstrations of His existence and power were common in every contingency.
You're right when you say that "council's recognition of GOD's WORD did not make it GOD's WORD." The words were already God's words. The councils merely pointed to them, among other works which were of dubious inspiration, and said "THESE books, and no others among the collected candidates, are the inspired Word of God." That was the function of these councils and the papal ratifications of them. Get it right here. They did NOT "make" the NT books God's Word. They merely declared that those books ARE God's Word. Huge difference!
However, this all serves to underscore my point. Your system has no sensible way to point to the rationale for the canon without acknowledging the early Church Fathers. None. That you cannot even bring yourself to recognize their authority in at least this instance is most instructive to all of us. The Catholic Church, as I've said numerous times here, collected, vetted and canonized the Scriptures, the New Testament of which was written by eight of its members under the inspiration of Almighty God. It alone is the proper custodian and interpreter of the collection we call the Bible, and this office will properly remain with the Church till the end of time.