Not Bestowing Authority

From 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible by Robert L. Plummer, a point that’s been made here before, but bears repeating:

For Protestant Christians, the canon is not an authorized collection of writings (in that the church conferred its authority or approval upon a list of books). Rather, the canon is a collection of authoritative writings. The biblical writing have an inherent authority as works uniquely inspired by God. Canonization is the process of recognizing that inherent authority, not bestowing it from an outside source.