How To Examine The Scriptures For Accuracy - Part One
Jesus gave Paul the assignment of traveling into cities to tell people the good news that Jesus was the Christ and through faith in him one receives the forgiveness of sins (Acts 20:23-24; 26:15-18).
One of the cities Paul traveled to was Berea.
Luke records this in Acts 17:10-12
As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 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. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
Notice the Berean people neither rejected nor accepted what Paul taught without first examining the Scriptures.
This is the great apostle Paul teaching...one of the greatest teachers the world has ever known.
Yet the Bereans first checked out the Scriptures to see if what Paul was teaching was accurate.
Only then did they believe what Paul taught.
This is a great principle for us to apply when we hear someone teaching.
Before we reject or accept what someone is teaching, we need to first examine the Scriptures to see if what this person is teaching is accurate.
No matter who this person may be, we must first examine the Scriptures for accuracy.
It’s very easy to reject or accept what someone is teaching because we may like or not like a certain teacher or we may like or not like what they are teaching.
This is dangerous and can become callous or cultish.
Callous means to reject what someone is teaching because we do not like the teacher or have never heard what they are teaching; therefore, we conclude they are wrong.
Callous also means to reject what someone is teaching because it does not align with what our favorite teacher teaches.
Cultish means to accept what a person teaches because this person is a favorite teacher, no questions asked.
While in a group, I remember a time when I questioned what John Piper taught.
Those in the group said, “Who are we to question John Piper?”
That is dangerous...cultish.
No teacher is above being questioned.
No teaching is above being examined.
Fill in the blank – “Who are we to question ______________?”
There is no name that should be put into the blank.
I encourage all of us not to be calloused or cultish to a teacher or teaching, no matter who they are.
Even when the great Apostle Paul taught the Bereans, neither he or his teachings were above being questioned and examined.
With this in mind, let’s be Bereans who were neither calloused or cultish; rather they were cautious.
Let’s first examine the Scriptures to determine if what a teacher is teaching is to be accepted or rejected.
Let’s be Bereans.
For Part Two of How To Examine The Scriptures For Accuracy, click below.
