Be a Berean...BUT

“Be a Berean…But!”

I love being a part of a church where God’s word is not compromised but is taught with conviction and completion. I love that we are exhorted even from the pulpit to ‘check out’ what we are being taught, comparing each sermon to scripture to make sure what we are learning is biblical. Paul found that the men and women of Berea were more noble than those from Thessalonica, because (as Doctor Luke put it in the book of Acts), “they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). These Bereans received the word of God both with satisfaction and sobriety.

Just this morning I turned on the television to find a television evangelist promoting his new “miracle water” that “guaranteed” healing. Of course, there was a hefty love offering involved and his ministry “desperately needed” my support. With so many winds of doctrine around, how can we truly know what is straight and what is…crooked?

The answer is to “Be a Berean”. God wants us to search the scriptures, to look into His word, and not merely receive a message blindly. One of the marks of a growing believer is his or her ability to discern truth from error, and biblically know how to back up the what he or she knows is right. We should be listening intently to understand and rightly handle the word of truth.

God wants us to “Be a Berean”, but how far does that go? Many people are caught in Berea and can’t listen to a message without trying to “uncover” some error. God isn’t leading us to go on heresy “witch hunts”, or to correct the pastor when there is something we don’t agree with. Paul said in 2 Timothy, “Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen” (2 Timothy 2:14). Just a few verses later, Paul adds this to the young pastor: Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:23-26)

Satan loves division, and since the beginning has challenged God and His word. We must not become captive to Satan’s will, to quarrel and argue about the nonessentials. We must strive to keep “the main thing” the main thing, and not major in the minors. If there is blatant heretical doctrine that undermines the nature of God, the deity/humanity of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, or any other essential of the faith, we should head to Berea. But if we find ourselves camped out there, judging EVERY book or EVERY sermon or EVERY word, we will cause division in the body of Christ, and will thwart the work of God. May we be Bereans, not boxers!

-Pilgrim