# What is the meaning of a closed canon?



## Leslie (May 28, 2011)

Does a closed canon imply that God is totally silent at the present time? If it does, how can one logically pray for wisdom and expect an answer? If God is not totally silent, does that mean that a closed canon is just that verbal revelation lacks the second step? The second step would be the inspired writing of verbal revelation. It seems to me that anyone who prays for wisdom with an ounce of faith is thereby negating a closed canon in the sense of a totally silent God. Where is my logic off-base in this?


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## Scott1 (May 28, 2011)

"Closed" maybe is not the best word- rather "completed" might be better.

It means that as the foundation of the church was laid by God through the prophets and apostles (Ephesians 1), and that it was "once delivered" to them (Jude 1), those unique offices established the special revelation of God for the church age.

They are not "added to" or in competition with other revelation. Not in any ordinary sense anyway.

God the Holy Spirit illuminates our understanding as we read or hear the special revelation (His Word). Indeed, it is an ordinary means for strengthening our faith.

I need it right now.


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## Leslie (May 28, 2011)

May God grant it to you right now. Example: The scriptures say not to judge and they also say not to throw pearls before swine. At some point one must judge that Joe Blow is a spiritual swine and stop dealing with him. But that involves judging. So one prays about which of these two passages applies under these particular circumstances. That is asking for extrabiblical revelation, is it not? So God gives wisdom. We are not permitted to record the account of our dealings with Joe Blow and tell which way the Lord led us to deal with him. It's not new scripture, but neither is God totally silent. If we need to make lists of why Joe is or is not hopeless and use our human reasoning to lean one way or the other, then perhaps He is silent. In that case one should save his or her breath and not pray for wisdom in the first place.


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## Scott1 (May 28, 2011)

Leslie said:


> May God grant it to you right now. Thank you. Example: The scriptures say not to judge and they also say not to throw pearls before swine. At some point one must judge that Joe Blow is a spiritual swine and stop dealing with him. But that involves judging.
> Not really.
> Scripture interprets Scripture. That context will often clarify.
> 
> ...


 
We pray because God tell us to. The same God who ordains the ends, ordains the means.
Prayer builds faith. It helps us focus on God, His Word and His Ways (revealed through His Word). God may use prayer as a means to change circumstances (and us).


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## Scott1 (May 29, 2011)

One of the debts of gratitude we owe our forefathers in the faith was their systematizing of the whole teaching of the Scripture. That is, letting the whole of the Bible interpret the whole of the Bible. Things that are unclear are interpreted in light of what is clear.

This prevents many errors that come by taking one Scripture out of context.

Where the Scripture is silent, we remain silent also, not speculating into the "secret" counsel of God. Or not, as limited creatures, demanding condescension from an omniscience, omnipotent, omnipresent God to our limited understanding.

Such is the "fear" of God- whose ways are not our ways, above our understanding, etc.

Praise God!


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## Peairtach (May 29, 2011)

The canon is closed

*E.g.*


> "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,* to seal up vision and prophecy* and to anoint the most holy. (Dan 9:24, NIV)



but the Holy Spirit has been illuminating it - giving insight into it - for circa 1900 years.

*E.g.*


> And this is my prayer: *that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,* so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God. (Phil 1:9-11, NIV)



God is constantly working in and through His Word to achieve the salvation of His people - including their sanctification - and the transformation of the World:



> Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." (Luke 13:20-21)



He is constantly in the process of "opening up" His Word. It's a process in history.


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## Leslie (May 29, 2011)

Does God illuminate us as we read the Bible, showing us where a particular passage or principle is applicable in our lives? If so, then He is not silent. There is non-canonical divine communication with our minds and hearts, guiding us into truth. This seems to be the assumption of even those who defend divine silence most vigorously. Pastors will both pray for God's enlightenment before preaching and deny there being any non-canonical divine communication. It doesn't compute.


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## Scott1 (May 29, 2011)

Leslie said:


> Does God illuminate us as we read the Bible, showing us where a particular passage or principle is applicable in our lives? If so, then He is not silent. There is non-canonical divine communication with our minds and hearts, guiding us into truth. This seems to be the assumption of even those who defend divine silence most vigorously. Pastors will both pray for God's enlightenment before preaching and deny there being any non-canonical divine communication. It doesn't compute.



The Holy Spirit illuminates our understanding (as believers) as we read God's Word.

That doesn't mean, in the same way, He illuminates our every application of the Word of God to a fact pattern we face. Not the same thing. 

The Word of God has a power all its own. We don't have the same thing (not to make light, but only an example) when choosing whether to buy a red dress or a blue dress.

There is no such thing as "Divine silence."

God speaks through His Word, in a sense through circumstances He controls, even, in a sense through general revelation.


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## Peairtach (May 29, 2011)

> Does God illuminate us as we read the Bible, showing us where a particular passage or principle is applicable in our lives? If so, then He is not silent. There is non-canonical divine communication with our minds and hearts, guiding us into truth. This seems to be the assumption of even those who defend divine silence most vigorously. Pastors will both pray for God's enlightenment before preaching and deny there being any non-canonical divine communication. It doesn't compute.



God is speaking through His already revealed Word. The insights of converted pastors and theologians must be tested by God's Word because although they have the Holy Spirit they are still sinners and not given inspired, infallible and inerrant prophecies.

When we say the canon is closed we mean that new prophetic inspired, infallible and inerrant revelation has ceased.

It computes fine once you understand it.



> I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Rev 22:18-19, ESV)


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## Semper Fidelis (May 29, 2011)

The question seems to carry with it the hidden assumption that the Word is not _living_ and _active_. Is the Word of God able to fully equip a man for every good work or no? Is the believer without any help as he studies the Word to make application of its precepts to search out his heart and to illumine reality around him?


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