To Be a Berean For Christ
"10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 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.
12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men."
Acts 17:10 - 12 (ESV)
As born-again believers, we should strive to be like the Bereans. When being a Berean, we must analyse and study scripture; this is of utmost importance. This is one of the most important ways to grow closer to God.
Paul, the disciple, is a good example of being a good Berean. He was not only knowledgeable of the life of Christ of the New Testament but also the books of the Old Testament. There are multiple individuals we can use as examples or models to imitate in knowing Scripture.
You might ask yourself, “I want to be a Berean, like Timothy, or Apollos, but I don’t know how?” It is okay to not know, but it is wise for us to search out how to study the Scripture. An in-depth study of the Bible takes knowledge and understanding of Hebrew and Greek, as these are the original languages and texts in which the Old and New Testaments were written. One could argue that Latin is also important, as the original texts were then translated into Latin in the Latin Vulgate, where they were then translated into most current translations. It also takes research in other works and books of history, for example: The Book of Enok, The Dead Sea Scrolls, and other books that the Bible references. There are also historians such as Numenius of Apamea, Herodotus, Flavius Josephus, and Thallus, all of whom are historians who speak and confirm events of the Bible. To re-emphasize, these books, works, and historians are not the Holy Scripture of God, so we must read them with caution.
Over the next few weeks, we will go over five fundamentals for studying the Bible.
Prayer
Observation
Interpretation
Reflection
Application
We must never just read a verse or just part of a verse; we must always at least read the chapter or the paragraph before and after the verse so that we can understand the context of the Scripture.
“10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch,Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:10 - 17 (ESV)
Stay the Course for The Kingdom
Austin