Jesus appointed eyewitnesses; by the Spirit He ensured that they would witness successfully; He prophesied the acceptance of this faithful witness; these witness-documents show signs of mutual affirmation under the authority of Jesus; and the witness ended with the last apostle. Church history shows that the church obeyed Jesus, fulfilling His prophecy and accepting the New Testament.

One of the most challenging ideas for my own Christian journey has been that of the biblical canon, especially the New Testament. Although a variety of arguments are used these days to substantiate the documents that we call the canon, real questions can arise. Much of this is because, however we describe the church’s acceptance, recognition, or affirmation of the New Testament, there is often a lingering sense that only God (or God-in-flesh) should be able to designate what is Scripture. Only God has the authority to tell us what belongs to the collection of his words.

This article will argue in brief that Jesus does this, although not in so many words.

To begin, consider a thought experiment. Imagine for a moment that you were told that your sibling—separated from you at birth, whom you did not know existed—would be coming to your door this afternoon. Your father had sent him, and you should let him stay with you. When a knock comes in the middle of the afternoon, you open the door and see a man who looks a good deal like your father, sounds like your father, and even has some of the same mannerisms. You would immediately deduce that he is your brother, even before he says so. The recognition and welcome would be instantaneous.

However, if the same man knocked unannounced, it would take a considerable amount of fact-checking and questions before you believed that he is your brother. You might even struggle to know what criteria to use, with all the identity theft that happens these days. And why did he show up unannounced?

The parallel should be obvious. Things that show up without announcement and claim our allegiance or support can rightly be met with suspicion—especially a group of documents claiming divine sanction (cf. 2 Thess 3:17). But what if Jesus commanded that something like our New Testament would happen, completing God’s witness about his Son to humanity? What if the church was meant to expect the documents we now call the canon?

This is the argument I want to pursue in the following nine theses, suggestive rather than exhaustive.

1. Jesus and the Old Testament

Jesus recognized the Old Testament as authoritative, God-given Scripture that points toward himself. When speaking to his disciples about divine witness to his death and resurrection, he mentions “the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44), which correspond to the Torah, Prophets, and Writings in the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, the things written there “must” (Gk. dei) happen by sovereign divine plan (24:46–47). The Hebrew Bible is a divine word (“Scripture”) that is about him (cf. John 5:37–39).

2. Jesus Himself Was the Word

The climax of God’s communication was Jesus himself (John 1:1, 17–18), his life, death, and resurrection. Repeatedly, the book of Acts tells us that Jesus’ resurrection is God’s vindication of him so that the world might recognize his divine and messianic claims (Acts 10:40–43; 13:30, 37–38; 17:31). If the resurrection is true, then the words of Jesus are true and authoritative.

3. Jesus Appointed Eye-Witnesses

Jesus was careful to appoint the apostles as eye-witnesses (marturos) of his life, death, and resurrection (Mark 3:13–19; Matt 16:16–19; John 14:26; 15:26–27). Witness in the New Testament is primarily judicial in nature. Moreover, the apostles (including Paul; cf. 1 Cor 14:37–38) self-consciously understood their own role as uniquely designated in this way, as the testimony of Acts makes clear (Acts 1:21–22; 4:33; 5:32; 8:25; 13:29–31; 18:5; 26:16).

4. Jesus Sent the Spirit to Ensure the Witness

Jesus taught that the Spirit would ensure true witness about himself. The Spirit would supernaturally remind the apostles of Jesus’ words to ensure accuracy (John 14:26), testify to them in order that they too might testify (15:26), and empower them for witness (Acts 1:8).

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