BEREANS AND THE WORD OF GOD

 

 

The Berean synagogue was more godly than others in which Paul had preached. How? They checked everything they had heard against the ultimate standard—the Word of God:

• Acts 17:10–11 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

However, we often do not model ourselves after the noble Bereans who placed nothing above the Word of God—not their rabbis or their traditions. Instead, many churches place their conflicting traditions and the authority of their church on par with the Scriptures.

Instead, the Bereans examined “the Scriptures daily to see if” they validated Paul’s teachings. However, the Orthodox and the Catholic congregants do not do so. Instead, they have placed their faith in their organization, as do the various cults. Protestants can also be guilty of placing undo trust in the leaders and creeds. Instead, the However, the Scriptures warn us against placing unwarranted trust in our church or traditions:

•    Isaiah 2:22 Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

The Scriptures consistently warn us against placing our trust in anything apart from the Lord and His Words:

•    Jeremiah 17:5–7 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.”

Our faith must be based upon the Lord above all else:

•    Romans 14:22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.

This illustration reflects the problem of placing our trust in an organization or its traditions above God’s Word:

     😟  -------------> Organization,Traditions-----------> Word of Truth

The Christian is not in direct contact with God and His Word. Instead, we should draw from our teachers, church traditions, and commentaries to help us to understand the Word and not to shield us from it.
                                          
Organization <-----------           😀       -------------------> Word of Truth