AN EVANGELICAL POSITION OF THE AUTHORSHIP OF THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW IN THE LIGHT OF CANONICITY AND INSPIRATION (original) (raw)

There are no internal or external reasons why Levi, the former tax-collector also called Matthew, could not have written or did not write this gospel. Therefore, in affirmation of the doctrine of inspiration of the Scriptures and a conservative view of the formation of the canon, the evangelical’s best conclusion is that Matthew wrote our first gospel. Thus it appears that Matthew is the author and wrote his gospel between A.D. 50 and A.D. 65 to a Jewish audience in need of a Messiah whom they had rejected in mass. God decides what the canon is by choosing whom He will inspire to write Scripture. Inspiration determines true canonicity. Only the apostles and New Testament prophets were inspired to write Scripture and God closed the canon. Writings that were after the apostolic period are not inspired and not Scripture. Because of the connection between inspiration, canonicity, the apostles, and New Testament prophets, this issue is important. If it is not canonical and inspired, then this document would be equal in value to the gospel of Thomas and Bel and the Dragon. If the true church has been wrong about the canon for two thousand years, all the creeds, statements of faith, and confessions have all been in error also. This would include the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

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