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The Historic Faith
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Question 6
The chapter argues that the church’s integrity is shown in canon decisions—questioning James while readily receiving Paul; what does that reveal about the early church’s priorities and fears, and how does it challenge the way modern Christians sometimes “use the Bible” to protect a system?
Another way to ask: What does it show about the early church that they questioned James but quickly accepted Paul? How does that challenge how people today sometimes use the Bible to defend their own system?

Direct Answer Bercot uses the James-versus-Paul example to argue the early church prioritized authenticity over convenience, even when a book seemed to support their own emphases. That challenges modern Christians to avoid treating Scripture like a tool for defending a preferred theological system.

Support from Transcript:

  • Early leaders “collected, preserved, and tested the genuineness of the writings we now call the New Testament.”
  • There were “numerous spurious gospels and apostolic letters,” even “more fake accounts… than genuine ones.”
  • If they wanted to depart, they could have accepted spurious books or altered genuine ones, yet Bercot argues their integrity showed in canon choices.
  • He says we would “naturally expect” them to emphasize James and resist Romans, but “just the opposite is true.”
  • “They questioned the authenticity of the very book that most strongly supported their doctrinal beliefs… [and] accepted without hesitation those books that might be interpreted as contradicting their beliefs.”
Discussion Follow-ups What passages do we tend to ignore because they complicate our system? How can we cultivate the same willingness to let Scripture challenge us rather than selecting texts to protect our assumptions?

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