For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Ezekiel Kimosop - Pastor & Bible Scholar
This is a very apt and frank response from Bro Robinson. I have found it very scholarly and yet articulate and simple. We need to defend our Scriptures from divisive attacks sponsored by Satan.
The Word in its original autograph is true and inherent and what we have has been accepted by the Protestant Church as conveying the revealed will of God and the instrument by which righteous living can be experienced while we wait for the manifested of Christ.
The debate about canonicity has sometimes been virulent and needlessly divisive but if we recognize the superintendence of the Holy Spirit over the Church we shall not have any difficulty accepting the Scriptures as authentic and the final standard for the resolution of all matters of our faith.
Of course there is evidence from Scripture itself that there other letters written by the apostles such as what would have passed for 3 Corinthians and several other Pauline letters which were lost. No one could doubt their canonicity of they were available to the church fathers who sat through compiling the Scriptures for us because the author was inspired by the Spirit of God.
Nonetheless, what we have is sufficient for our proper instruction in holy living and it is instructive for every believer to focus on the truths that these timeless cannons provide and be grateful to God for the privilege of such divine instructions.
Chris Goppert
Geisler and Nix suggest that the canon was determined by God, only discovered by man. In other words the original autographs (ms) bear the characteristics of being "auto-pisteis" (or self authenticating).