The role of the people of God was decisive in the recognition of the Word of God. God determined the authority of the books of the canon, but the people of God were called upon to discover which books were authoritative and which were not. To assist them in this discovery were these five tests of canonicity. We should not imagine a committee of church Fathers with a large pile of books and these five guiding principles before them when we speak of the process of canonization. The process was far more natural and dynamic.
Some principles are only implicit in the process.
Although all five characteristics are present in each inspired writing, not all of the rules of recognition are apparent in the decision on each canonical book. In any event, all five characteristics were involved in discovering each canonical book, although some were used only implicitly. Some principles operate negatively in the process. Some of the rules for recognition operate more negatively than others. For instance, the principles of authenticity would more readily eliminate noncanonical books than indicate which books are canonical.