Questions about the canon
Can you tell me how it was decided what books to include in the New Testament? For example, Paul wrote letters to believers in Corinth, to Timothy, etc. These letters were kept somewhere, by someone, and many years later another "someone" was led to include them in the NT. Obviously the Holy Spirit did the guiding, and I'm not questioning the fact the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God. Rather, I am confused about the machinations involved/how/why were certain letters/books kept and assembled, and decided to be included? Additionally, how were questions like those associated the book of James resolved, and how was the book of Hebrews kept and decided to be included when we don't even know who wrote it? Sorry to be so long winded and rambling with this question.
Your questions address the topic of “biblical canonicity,” and much has been written on the subject. In short, let me emphasize the following points.
All the New Testament books had been written by the end of the first century A.D. The New Testament canon was complete because God had established it. When written, the New Testament books did not exist as a completed “set.” The gathering and collecting of New Testament books can be attributed to the apostles, who themselves wrote at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). The apostles were aware of each other’s writings (2 Peter 3:15-16) and looked for Christians to value those writings as God’s word (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27). The apostles alerted Christians to beware of writings that were purported to be from God but were not (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2; 3:17; 1 John 4:1).
As the early Christians discussed the New Testament canon and debated which writings were authoritative and which were not, they considered who the human author was, whether there was widespread and universal acceptance of the writing beyond the original recipients, whether or not the church used the writings in its public worship services (as it did with Old Testament writings), and if its content agreed with the Old Testament canon. But more than anything, it was the internal testimony of the New Testament writings that convinced Christians which books God had written through people (John 6:63; Hebrews 4:12).
The subject of biblical canonicity includes the history of people who spoke against or questioned certain books of the Bible. Hebrews and James, the books you cited, are two of the seven New Testament books that have a track record of being questioned or opposed by people throughout the years. When we keep in mind the original recipients of the book of James, its emphasis on a living faith is completely understandable, and in no way contradicts the Bible’s teaching of justification by faith alone, without deeds (Romans 3:28). The book of Hebrews is not alone in not having a human author definitively identified with it; there are other biblical books like that. In those cases, we simply have to say that God did not see it as being important for us to know who the human author was. Ultimately, God is the author of all the books of the Bible.
I cannot pretend to provide an exhaustive treatment on the canon with my response to your questions. For that reason, you would benefit from reading other resources on this topic. I can suggest Bible: God’s Inspired, Inerrant Word. It is available from Northwestern Publishing House. Free resources on this topic are available at the essay file of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary’s web site. The language in some of the essays could get technical, but there is a wealth of good information there.
The way in which God gave us his word and preserved it to this day is truly remarkable. We are thankful for that. Above all, we are thankful for the content of God’s word: it shows us the Savior we have in Jesus Christ.