To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. – John 10:3-5
AMEN!
It is that presupposition which guides Christianity towards the truth. We are not left to our own devices. We are indwelled by the Holy Spirit who leads us every step of the way.
Do Christians still sin? Of course. And even the Christian's missteps are accomplished for his sanctification. We learn from both doing good and regretting error.
Great response. I'm taking it! ;0
Let me give you a different angle.
Jesus authenticated the Hebrew cannon when he said,
Luke 24:44 ...,"These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
So the question really would be why certain books are in the New Testament. As early as the first part of the 2nd century our Christian ancestors had resolved this without any dominant church in power. All the books were written during the Apostolic Era and were "peer reviewed" for accuracy during that period when witnesses to the actual events were still living. All the books were written by Apostles, or those that traveled with Apostles. Also, Apostles acknowledged the inspired writings of other Apostles as Scripture. For example, Peter states that Paul's writings are Scripture,
2Peter 3:16...as they do also the rest of the Scriptures
I see this "bubbling up" of the Scriptures as the Holy Spirit at work.
In addition to the formation of the Scriptures during this period what I find so exciting is how quickly Christianity grew. No missionary societies existed yet and no hierarchy. Yet by the early 2nd century at least 10-15% of the Roman Empire had become Christian and it was spread throughout all strata of the society.
When people ask me why the Bible consists of certain books but not other ancient manuscripts, I remind them of John 6:63 - the words of God are spirit and life. The words of men are neither spirit nor life. Thereby Christians know the difference.
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. – John 6:63
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AMEN! AMEN!