Wouldn’t it be great if every time we shared the gospel of Jesus Christ, those who heard it wanted to know more? This hasn’t always been the case with my own attempts to tell others about Jesus, and it certainly was not for the Apostle Paul either.
This is why I love the story of the Bereans in the Bible. They reacted to Paul’s message in such an extraordinary way that thousands of years later, we still refer to their example as one to follow.
What Made the Bereans Stand Out in Scripture?
The account of the Bereans in the Bible came on the heels of Paul’s difficult visit to Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. His usual custom as he went from town to town took him first to the synagogue. There Paul taught about Jesus the Messiah. He explained how Christ had fulfilled the Scriptures through his death and resurrection from the dead.
Some in Thessalonica believed. Among them numbered God-fearing Greeks and prominent women. This, however, did not sit well with many Jews of the city. Their leaders felt threatened, and envy undercut the message of Paul. They caused an uproar in the city, inciting a violent mob to attack the house of a believer named Jason. They dragged some of the believers out into the crowd.
But they didn’t find Paul. Thessalonian believers helped him, together with his co-worker Silas, to escape. They fled Thessalonica at night ending up in Berea, about 50 miles away.
When they arrived in the city of Berea, today known as Veria, in northern Greece, they found a different sort of reception. The Bereans in the Bible, although spoken about in only a few verses, stood apart from the Jews of Thessalonica, both in character and action.
“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” (Acts 17:11 ESV).
The messengers to Thessalonica and Berea were the same. The proclamation in Berea mirrored the proclamation in Thessalonica. The method of communicating in the synagogue was consistent in both. But the recipients of Thessalonica and Berea heard the gospel with different ears and investigated it with different hearts.
Why Did the Bereans Question Paul’s Teachings?
The Bereans wanted to dig into Scripture first and examine it before embracing what would have been considered Paul's radical teachings. They needed to be sure that salvation in Jesus lined up with Old Testament teachings. Without the full New Testament at their fingertips, as we have today, they compared Paul’s “new gospel” with God’s prophecies and promises of a coming Messiah given long before.
The Bereans in the Bible listened to Paul’s teaching, then searched diligently to find if it aligned with truth. Their questioning did not reflect rejection of truth but rather open-hearted eagerness to learn. They tested what they heard through the grid of what God had already proclaimed. And within the Old Testament they discovered the gospel of Christ.
This response deems them as, “open-minded” to the gospel, or “more noble,” than the Thessalonians. Many in Berea believed, not only among the Jewish people, but also including renowned Greek women.
But those trouble-stirring, envious, Jewish-Thessalonians heard what was happening in Berea. So, some traveled to Berea to stir up unrest there as well. Persecuted once again, Paul left for Athens.
How Can We Develop a Berean-Like Attitude Today?
The Bereans in the Bible leave us an amazing example to follow. While being open to hear what Paul had to say, they also demonstrated a commitment to Scripture. They tested Paul and Silas’ words with God’s to see if they aligned. They displayed a noble character with attitudes that pursued the truth.
They honored and held the Scriptures in high authority. Today we, like the Bereans, are confronted by many different ideas, philosophies, and teachings. The example of the Bereans encourages us to also evaluate spiritual teaching, preaching, and literature through the lens of Scripture. It begs us to be spiritually discerning believers. Here are several ways we can emulate the Bereans:
1. To develop Berean-like attitudes, we must first be students of God’s Word.
Paul instructs us to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15 ESV)
In 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (ESV) Paul tells his readers to, “test everything; hold fast what is good.”
2. We develop Berean-like attitudes through humble hearts.
God desires us to know Him. He wants to reveal Himself through the Word He has given. The first step to a noble-minded attitude starts by humbly asking Him for correct understanding as we read Scripture. When we come to Him with humble hearts and eagerness to learn, He graciously speaks to us.
3. To develop Berean-like attitudes we must uphold Scripture as absolute truth.
The Bible teaches us. It changes how we think and act. It gives wisdom and discernment. It lights our path in everyday living.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 ESV).
4. To develop Berean-like attitudes we must learn to think critically.
John encourages his readers not to believe everything, “but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:1-2).
What Does It Mean to Be a Noble Christian Today?
Our approach to God’s Word shows how much we love and respect its Author. If we want to be noble Christians today, we must approach Scripture desiring a deepening relationship with the One Who wrote it. For the Bereans, Scripture was not a duty to check off, something blasé, or ho-hum.
Noble-minded Christians today approach Bible reading with curiosity through the bigger lens of its entirety. As our understanding is enriched by history, geography, significance in its language, and culture, we become like modern-day Bereans.
By examining context and gaining appreciation for the Bible’s original audience, our understanding opens. By noting for whom and by whom the books were written we begin to hear through their ears and see with their eyes. When we look to Scripture to interpret Scripture, we will find the Bible speaks for itself.
The Bereans approached Scripture willing to take the time and effort to dig and discover. When we open the pages of the Bible with the conviction that it is God’s final authority and truth, His words guide us in everything else we do.
The Bereans of the Bible approached Scripture together with daily diligence. God’s Word must hold priority in our lives. Consistent time in Bible reading helps us live it out. Studying in community with other believers help strengthen our faith and keeps us on the right track.
Approach Scripture desiring to know more of Him, for the purpose of loving Him better. The better we love Him, the more we want to know of Him.
I wish everyone I spoke to about Jesus came to faith in Him. Yet, I realize even great apostles of the faith experienced both eager reception and unkind rejection. I love the example of the Bereans in the Bible. I, too, want to nobly pursue Scriptural truth for deeper growth and understanding. I know that as I do, not only will I benefit, but I will be equipped to share the gospel of Jesus with others.
Further Reading
How to Enthusiastically Study the Bible Like the Bereans
Be Like the Bereans
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Her love for pasta and all things Italian stems from years of ministry abroad. She’d love to tell you about it over a steaming cup of cappuccino. Connect with Sylvia on her blog, When the House is Quiet, her Facebook page, or Twitter.
