The biblical canon is a human list identifying inspired books; God's inspiration and providence guarantee we have the right books, with the OT ratified by Jesus himself.

Winger distinguishes the canon (the actual inspired books) from the list (the human catalog of those books). He argues that believing God inspired scripture but did not preserve it is cognitive dissonance. The OT was ratified by Jesus who referenced 'the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings' — the standard Jewish threefold division of the 39 OT books. The NT was received quickly and universally; early church debates focused on apostolicity as the criterion. Catholic additions (Apocrypha) are mentioned but not addressed in detail. He argues: if you trust Jesus, you should trust we have the right Bible.