J.I. Packer, F.F. Bruce, R.C. Sproul and one Really Big Question

The Anglican, J.I. Packer was one of my heros back when I was a protestant. My dad gave me a copy of his book "Knowing God" back in 1982. I ate it up. I became a huge fan. I loved it when his essays would appear in the pages of Christianity Today. Whenever a copy of the magazine would arrive I would look first to see it Packer had anything in it.

It was Packer who introduced me to the The Westminster Confession of Faith and its majestic-sounding words regarding the Bible:

"The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. (Chapter 1, para 4)"

I don't think I'd heard about Sola Scriptura at that point, I was only 13, but I had been reading about the baptists' "Battle for the Bible". Anyway, I agreed with it and it became a part of me, and I professed with confidence until 2001.

In 2001, after Scott Hahn and Peter Kreeft had broadsided me and done an unbelieveable amount of damage to my Protestant understanding of the Bible and the Church, I looked to J.I. Packer again. And I found lots of really great stuff about the inspiration and reliability of the Bible. But nothing that answered this question: "How do we know we have the right books in the Bible?"

I went to a local evangelical protestant bookstore, told the girl behind the counter what question I needed answered and she directed me to The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce. (I'd read some of his commentaries so I knew he was a heavy-weight.) But Bruce did not answer the question. In fact, he lead me to belive that Kreeft and Hahn were right! My protestant identity was on the ropes. Sola Scriptura was laid out on the canvass and the referee was counting to ten. I but before the ref could call the fight I thought I would read some R.C. Sproul. Spoul is kinda famous for defending the Solas of the Reformation so I figured he must have an answer to this question. And there, in part 1 of "The Essential Truths of the Christian Faith" I saw them... The 9 words that would forever drive me from Protestantism: "The canon is a fallible collection of infallible books."

Now I must admit that in one of Kreeft's or Hahn's books I came across this quote that was attributed to Sproul. But I figured it must have been attributed in error. Why? Because I hoped it was an error. But then I saw it for myself, and when I read Sproul's whole argument (The essence of the argument is this: The collection can't be infallible because that would mean the church is infallible, and we know that can't be true.) I realized that I could no longer be a protestant. I could no longer believe in Sola Scriptura. I did not share with the protestants their low view of the Church.

So, at that point I knew what I did not belive (e.g. sola scriptura). And I knew what I believed (e.g. that the Bible is true.) But I didn't know where the Church was. But thanks be to God, for by His providence there was a Collection of Schaff's Books in the PBCC library. In those books I met St. Ireneus of Lyons, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Cyprian of Carthage, and many other Church Fathers (and a few heretics!). And those Saints lead me down the road that eventully delivered me into the arms of the Church which not only recognizes , discovers, or catalogues Holy Scriptures but which truely wrote the Holy Scriptures.