Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. – Acts 17:11
Before beginning his sermon, the pastor made this announcement to the congregation: “Today we will be reading from the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament. If you didn’t bring your Bible, please use one in the back of the pew in front of you. And if you don’t have a Bible, please take it home with you! It’s yours to keep. We believe everyone should have a Bible!”
Well, that was nice. But what he said next was even more encouraging. “If you don’t have a Bible, how are you going to know if there’s any truth to what I might say today?”
The “Bereans” were a group of people who were known for their honorable character. They had a desire for knowledge and a willingness to pursue the truth. We’re introduced to them in Acts 17:11-12, and interestingly enough that’s also where they bid us farewell. Only two verses!
Although very little is said about them, what is said about them carries so much significance!
It wasn’t their status or wealth or intelligence that earned them their reputation of being noble people. It was their approach to the message of the Gospel. The Bereans would eagerly listen to Paul teach, but they didn’t assume that he was speaking the truth. Instead, they examined the Scriptures daily to verify the accuracy of everything he was saying.
Now keep in mind this was back in roughly 55 A.D., when news traveled at about the speed of a messenger on a camel or a donkey. There might be opinions bandied about within certain groups in the community, but there wasn’t this overwhelming flood of information bombarding them from every conceivable direction like there is for us today. We hear so many competing voices, and all of them claiming to hold the truth. For us, it’s real easy to get swept up in what sounds good or whatever aligns with our existing beliefs. The Culture today is all about shaping people to align with the world’s viewpoint. And that especially includes the people of God.
The reason why Acts 17:11 is so vital for us Christians is because it reminds us of the importance of grounding our faith in God’s Word. The Bereans were eager to learn, but they also held every word of Paul’s teaching up to the light of what the Scripture said.
So their example shows us that seeking truth isn’t just a one-time event, but a continual, daily pursuit. God wants us to be diligent and discerning, so that we can be sure that what we believe is truly aligned with the Bible says. Paul was often admonishing the early churches to be on the lookout for false teachers, and warned his protege, Timothy, that he especially should pay close attention to these wolves in sheep’s clothing.
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. – 2 Timothy 4:3
So…. two questions the Bereans would ask us today:
- What is our approach to Scripture? Do we read with eagerness and diligence so that we can more clearly understand God’s Word?
- Do we regularly test what we’re hearing from the pulpit against the truth of God’s Word, or are we automatically relying on someone else to tell us what the Bible says?
We should all strive to be more like the Bereans – eager to know and receive the truth, but also committed to verifying it through the unchanging Word of God.
If we do these things, we are sure to grow in our spiritual wisdom and deepen our relationship with the Lord.
Former Blackout Artist 