How Did We Get Our Bible? A Clear and Simple Explanation
If you have ever wondered, How Did We Get Our Bible, you are not alone. Many people ask why there are 66 books and not more or less. Others question who decided which books belonged.
Understanding How Did We Get Our Bible helps strengthen your confidence in Scripture. The short answer is this: the church did not create the Bible. Instead, they recognized and confirmed the books God had already inspired.
Let’s walk through how that happened.
The Bible: 66 Books, But Why?
The Bible contains:
- 39 books in the Old Testament
- 27 books in the New Testament
Together, they form the 66 books Christians recognize today.
Importantly, church leaders did not randomly select these books. They followed a careful process. They asked specific questions to determine which writings were truly inspired by God.
One key moment in this process happened at the Council of Carthage in AD 397. At this council, church leaders formally affirmed the 66 books we have today. However, they were recognizing what believers had already been using for centuries.
The Old Testament: Affirmed by Jesus
Long before Jesus was born, the Jewish community had already recognized the 39 books of the Old Testament as Scripture.
Then Jesus came.
Jesus quoted from these books. He taught from them in synagogues. He referenced people and events from them. In doing so, He affirmed their authority.
Because Jesus validated these writings, early church leaders confidently accepted the Old Testament as the Word of God.
The New Testament: Four Key Questions
When it came to the New Testament, church leaders asked four major questions.
1. Was the Book Written by an Apostle or Prophet?
This question mattered greatly.
Apostles were chosen directly by Jesus. Prophets and apostles often performed signs, wonders, and miracles. Their ability to do this confirmed that God empowered them.
Jesus even predicted that people would believe through the message of the apostles (see Gospel of John 17:20).
Also, many New Testament writers were eyewitnesses. They wrote about events they personally saw. That gave their message strong credibility.
If a book came from an apostle or someone closely connected to one, it carried significant authority.
2. Does the Book Tell the Truth About God?
Next, leaders asked whether the content aligned with what God had already revealed.
If a writing contradicted the character of God or the teachings of Jesus, they rejected it.
A famous example is the Gospel of Thomas.
This text included statements that clearly contradicted Jesus’ teachings and God’s nature. Because it failed the consistency test, church leaders rejected it.
The message of Scripture must agree with the rest of God’s revealed truth. If it does not, it cannot be inspired.
3. Is the Book Consistent With Other Accepted Scripture?
Consistency was critical.
God does not contradict Himself. Therefore, any inspired book must align with previously recognized Scripture.
Church leaders compared new writings against accepted books. If a text introduced ideas that clashed with core doctrine, they dismissed it.
This process protected the integrity of the Bible.
4. Was the Book Widely Accepted by the Early Church?
Finally, leaders examined whether believers had already embraced the book.
They asked:
- Did churches read it publicly?
- Did leaders preach from it?
- Did believers sense God’s power through it?
- Did it transform lives?
If the answer was yes, and it passed the other tests, the church recognized it as inspired.
This recognition was not about popularity. It was about spiritual authority and consistency.
Faith and the Formation of Scripture
At some point, every believer must exercise faith.
Just as it takes faith to trust in a God we cannot see, it also takes faith to trust that God guided the process of forming Scripture.
God used flawed and imperfect people. Yet He is powerful enough to preserve His Word. He oversees history. He governs the process.
It would contradict God’s character to allow His people to base their lives on a corrupted or misleading revelation.
So when we ask, How Did We Get Our Bible, the answer includes both historical evidence and confident faith in God’s sovereignty.
Why This Matters Today
Understanding how the Bible was formed strengthens your confidence in it.
You can trust that:
- The books were carefully examined.
- False writings were rejected.
- The process took centuries of discernment.
- God guided the outcome.
The Bible was not thrown together randomly. It was recognized through prayer, testing, and spiritual discernment.
And today, it continues to change lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Did the church decide which books were inspired?
No. The church did not decide inspiration. They recognized the books God had already inspired.
2. Why are there only 66 books in the Bible?
Because those 66 books passed strict tests: apostolic authority, doctrinal consistency, truthfulness about God, and widespread acceptance among early believers.
3. What about books like the Gospel of Thomas?
The Gospel of Thomas was rejected because its teachings contradicted Jesus and the rest of Scripture.
4. When was the Bible officially recognized?
The 66-book canon was formally affirmed at the Council of Carthage in AD 397, although most books were already widely accepted before that time.
5. Does it require faith to trust the Bible?
Yes. Historical evidence supports Scripture, but faith plays a role. Christians trust that God preserved His Word through history.