The Bible was written over a period of several thousand years. Consider this: Adam was created about 6,000 years ago, and the books of the New Testament were written about 2,000 years ago. Adam was the first to commit a portion to Scripture, but who ultimately concluded the whole and completed the Word of God?
Colossians 1
25 I became her (the ecclesia, verse 24) servant according to the inheritance of God, which is given to me for you, to complete the Word of God.
to make complete
The concept rendered here as make complete (Greek: plerosai) is rendered in the King James Version (SV) and the Revised King James Version (HSV) as fulfill—the same word used when prophecies are fulfilled. Prophecies are predictions, and when these come to pass, the prophecy is fulfilled, complete. Elsewhere this word is translated to finish (Luke 7:1, KJV) or to accomplish (Luke 9:31, KJV).
Paul
Paul was given the authority to reveal the secret hidden for eons and generations (Col. 1:26). Until then, it had not been revealed, but Paul was permitted to add the final element to God’s revelation.
This secret concerns—broadly speaking—the period in which Israel, as God’s chosen people, was set aside, while God gathered a people for Himself from the nations (Acts 15:14). Salvation was sent to the nations (Acts 28:28), and that is why Paul says: Christ among you, nations (Col. 1:27).
God gave the apostle Paul the authority to administer this final part of His revelation, and with it he completed the Word of God. He brought it to fullness by adding what was still lacking. Paul was the one to whom this mystery was revealed, and he speaks about it in several places, for example, in Romans 16:25 and Ephesians 3:3, 4, and 9.
Scripture
Although this mystery is a wonderful and comprehensive subject, it is not the focus of this blog. In the coming blogs, I want to show that Paul, in collaboration with others, such as Peter, gathered and completed the books we know as the New Testament into a single entity: Scripture. Paul not only added the final words to the Bible but also truly gathered the Scriptures into a complete whole.