It would be wrong to say that the Bible was ultimately created by the Church, or that the Church somehow stands in authority alongside or over the Bible in determining its canon. The canon is God’s canon. He is its ultimate cause, having set the boundaries of the Bible no less than He has set the limits of the sea (Proverbs 8:29).

Earlier this month, a group of art experts in Amsterdam dropped an art world bombshell: “Rijksmuseum Researchers Discover New Painting by Rembrandt van Rijn.” The painting in question, Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, had been rejected by scholars as inauthentic since 1960. After recently finding the painting in a private collection, the museum began a lengthy process that proved the work genuine. The press release states:

“This two-year study has revealed that all the paints used for the Vision of Zacharias in the Temple are found in other Rembrandt van Rijn works from the same period. The painting technique and the build-up of paint layers are also comparable to other early works by Rembrandt… Research into the signature shows that it is original, and dendrochronological analysis of the wooden panel confirms that the date of 1633 on the painting is correct.”

The labor of the research team impacts how we understand and enjoy the Dutch master, which is pretty exciting. All the same, their significant work contributed nothing to the authenticity of the Vision. The painting was Rembrandt’s from the moment it left his brush; the art world has simply recognized and received the painting for what it has always been.

The discovery of Rembrandt’s “lost” painting helps illustrate an important principle when it comes to our understanding of the Bible and the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (“Scripture Alone”). The Bible, as the Word of God, is authentic from the moment God sets it down. As with any Rembrandt, we do well to investigate the Bible to discover the many “incomparable excellencies” that evidence it to be what it is (WCF I.5). Yet none of that “discovery” confers any status or standing to the Bible. God’s Word is and always has been authentic, and therefore the authoritative rule for faith and life.

“But how do I know I have a genuine work?”

The question that kept Dutch art historians up for 66 years can also bother Bible believers. Even if we affirm Sola Scriptura, at some point we may begin to wonder whether a book or two (or seven) might still be out there… or whether one of the books we currently possess is actually an imposter. How can I know?

To begin addressing that question, it might be best to turn to a story from the Bible itself.

Authority: Here They Stood

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul expresses his gratitude for this young and thriving church, partly owing to the church’s immediate reception of his teaching as “what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). The Thessalonians recognized that this word, though proclaimed by men, was not merely “the word of men.” God had spoken, and the Thessalonians knew they were obligated to hear and heed His authority.

We could say (if anachronistically) that the Thessalonians followed a policy of Sola Scriptura.^[1] They rightly understood that only God’s Word can and must have the final authority in matters of life and faith.

Contrary to a popular misconception, Sola Scriptura does not mean “Scripture and nothing else” (Solo Scriptura). There are certainly other authorities that we ought to heed. I may consult Betty Crocker if I want to cook a meal, or Haynes if I want to perform some maintenance to my car (hopefully not the other way around). Likewise, when it comes to matters of faith and life, it would be ill-advised for me to ignore church teaching as expressed in the Creeds, confessions, and catechisms. Even the words of pastors, teachers, and other recognized and trusted authorities in the church today and throughout time should be taken with weight. Otherwise, you should probably stop reading this article.

Nevertheless, every other authority is a lesser authority, and must be tested against the Word of God. All Church authority is based on and derived from the Bible. This means that the Church’s authority is ministerial, while the Bible’s authority is magisterial. Or, as Michael Horton put it, “Scripture is the master; the church is the minister.”

The Thessalonians knew this, and staked their lives on it (cf. Deut. 8:3). Nothing less would be worth the suffering and rejection they encountered in pursuing a life pleasing to God (1 Thess. 2:14). Like Martin Luther fifteen centuries later, the Thessalonians had a conscience captive to the Word. They stood thus, and could do no other.

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