This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.

Galatians 1:1

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
Galatians 4:4-5

• Paul establishes his authority as God-given, not humanly derived. This immediately introduces the central theme of the entire lesson: the Source of the New Testament's authority is not the writers or the church, but God Himself.
• The trustworthiness of the New Testament rests on this foundational truth: It is God’s Word delivered by God’s appointed agents.
• The reliability of Scripture flows directly from its nature as divinely inspired revelation.
• Inspiration: The primary Protestant doctrine is the inspiration of Scripture.
• 2 Timothy 3:16 states: "All Scripture is breathed out by God" (theopneustos). God is the ultimate author, breathing His truth through human instruments.
• This means that while the writers (Paul, Peter, John, etc.) used their unique personalities, styles, and vocabularies, the resulting words are precisely what God intended to communicate.
• Apostolic Authority (Galatians 1:1): The New Testament primarily records the teachings of Christ or the Apostles (those personally commissioned by Christ).
• Paul asserts he was commissioned "through Jesus Christ," giving his letters the same authority as the words of Jesus. The reliability of the books is tied directly to the authority of the messenger.
• Ramification (Sola Scriptura): Because the New Testament is God-breathed, it is the supreme and final authority for faith and life (Sola Scriptura—Scripture Alone).
• The trustworthiness of the New Testament is confirmed by an abundance of physical and historical evidence.
• The New Testament is the best-attested book from the ancient world.
• We have over 5,800 Greek manuscripts (handwritten copies) in existence.
• Most ancient works (like the writings of Plato or Caesar) rely on only a handful of manuscripts, often separated from the original by 1,000 years or more.
• The gap between the original writings (1st century A.D.) and the earliest copies we possess (2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.) is remarkably small.
• This close proximity minimizes the time available for serious errors or corruption to creep into the text.
• Textual critics confirm that the New Testament text is 99% pure, with variants primarily consisting of minor spelling differences or word order changes that do not affect any major doctrine. This confirms the exceptional care taken by early Christian scribes in transmitting the text.
• The Canon is the officially recognized list of books that belong in the Bible. It describes which books have God's authority.
• The word "canon" means a "rule" or "measuring rod." The church did not create the authority of the Canon; it recognized the divine authority already inherent in the inspired writings.
• For a book to be accepted into the New Testament Canon (completed by the 4th century A.D.), it had to meet specific, Apostolic-era standards:
• Apostolic Origin: Was it written by an Apostle (like Matthew, John, Paul) or a close associate under Apostolic supervision (like Mark, Luke, James).
• Universal Acceptance: Was the book widely recognized and used by all major, established churches across the Roman world?
• Orthodoxy: Did its teaching conform to the established Christian doctrines already accepted (like the deity of Christ, the Trinity, and the resurrection)?
• Divine Quality: Did the book bear the internal, spiritual quality of inspired Scripture?
• The Canon is closed because the foundation laid by the Apostles (Ephesians 2:20) is complete. We trust that God preserved exactly the books needed for our faith.
• The New Testament is trustworthy because its authority is rooted in God's divine inspiration, proven by the overwhelming evidence of manuscript transmission, and recognized through the careful, historical process of the Canon formation.
• We stand on Paul's claim: the message is "through Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:1), making it the infallible rule for our lives.

The Bible is God’s Word. The Bible is true. The Bible is reliable. The Bible is authoritative. 

Given the established authority and reliability of the New Testament, are we applying its teachings as the ultimate, non-negotiable rule for our own beliefs and conduct?