[03/27/19]
This may seem more an aside than a fundamental matter, but I do find it to be of critical import. If, in fact, the Scriptures are the Word of God, revealed by Him as His witness to His children, and if, in fact, this God Who thus revealed Himself is eternal, all powerful, and perfect in His Wisdom, then I should expect that this text we call the Bible has been governed by Him not only in its authoring, but also in its distribution and in its preservation. That is to say, the Scriptures are both governed and guarded by God.
What does this mean for us? In the first place, it simply reiterates the fact of the text being His authorized revelation, for He governed the authoring of what He authorized, and guarded His authors against error in what they wrote. To a lesser degree we can say the same as concerns the myriad scribes, translators, copyists and whatnot who have had a hand in the transmission of this text from one age to another and from one nation to another. We cannot but admit that some errors have crept in, but we must also observe that in no case have those errors been such as were able to render the record of Truth erroneous. The message has been preserved unchanged.
We can take this point another step and observe that, as concerns the establishing of the Biblical Canon, those men who formed the early councils of the Church were likewise governed and guarded by God, both in their calling and in their product. This pushes into matters of Providence, which is indeed a significant doctrine, but not necessarily foundational. But, God, in His Providence, oversees the ways of man. As such, whatever the natural, human causes may have been which led to those particular men being part of those particular councils, it remains true that the hand of God guided events to produce those councils, and those councils produce their results.
To speak to but one current bit of noise, Constantine may have had his reasons, and they were quite certainly corrupt, as are the reasons of any man. But, his corrupt purpose does not, could not prevent the purpose of God being accomplished. The councils, whatever man’s intent, were the product of God’s purposes. I should have to draw a line at some point, as to the value of those councils, for certainly there have been consular results which have been found to run counter to revealed religion. But even there, I would have to confess that God had His purposes, and those purposes stand. But, with that, I am veering far too greatly into matters of Providence rather than fundamentals in regard to Scripture. Perhaps that’s in evitable under this head, but let me try and return to my topic.
