Berean - People from Berea in Macedonia
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews” (Acts 17:10).
Berea is a city of Macedonia located about 50 miles southwest of Thessalonica and 190 miles north of Athens. Berea was “off the beaten path” and not on a main route. The city lies in a remote region on the western foot of the Vermio mountain range.
The first answer to the question, “What is a Berean?” is that they were people from a city called Berea in Macedonia in northern Greece. Like those who live in Wisconsin are called Wisconsinites, the people who lived in Berea were called Bereans. And the city of Berea still exists today, but under the name of Veria. The reason some ministries, such as ours, are named “Berean” is due to the ancient Bereans’ attitude toward the Scriptures: they had respect and love for God’s Word, and out of that love and respect, they searched and studied it.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind…” (Acts 17:11a).
Regarding our question, “What is a Berean?” here is the first of three answers, all beginning with the letter “R” to help you remember. First, a Berean is one who RECEIVES the Word with all READINESS of mind.
The Word of God” (Acts 18:11), “the Word of His grace” (20:32), “the Word of the Lord Jesus” (19:10), “the Word of the gospel” (15:7), “the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), “the Word of life” (Phil. 2:16) was taken up and received favorably. The Bereans did not lose their ears to the Word; they gave their ears to it, giving it an honest, interested hearing.
Their eager acceptance was like the psalmist in Psalm 119:33: “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.” There was an eager interest in the Word and readiness of mind to receive more truth. And the Holy Spirit ascribes nobility to this state of mind.
A Berean attitude is a humble understanding that there is always room for refinement and growth in one’s knowledge of the Word of God. Having a ready mind means allowing our minds to be open to understand what we didn’t understand before.
The Bereans further teach us that it doesn’t take a theologian, pastor, or teacher to interpret the Word of God for us. The Bereans believed they could open the Scriptures and read, study, understand, and discover the truth from the Bible for themselves. And God has given each of us the Holy Spirit to help us understand His Word and to apply it (1 Cor. 2:7-13).
…and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11b).
As we continue to answer the question, “What is a Berean?” first, a Berean is one who RECEIVES the Word with all READINESS of mind. Second, a Berean is one who RESEARCHES the Word.
The Bereans were eager to receive, but not gullible. They had an open mind but also a cautious heart, and they were not willing to accept what Paul said just because he said it. The reason that they researched the Word is that, for a Berean, the Scriptures are our first and final authority in all matters of the faith and practice.
Christian editor Dave Branon wrote, “‘A deadly jungle spider has migrated to the US and is killing people.’ This was the story sent to me and to others on my friend’s email list. The story sounded plausible—lots of scientific names and real-life situations. But when I checked it out on reliable websites, I found it was not true—it was an Internet hoax. Its truth could only be verified by consulting a trusted source.
The strength of the Bereans was that they kept close to the Word. When confronted with some doctrine they had not heard before, they gave it an interested hearing but then “searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
If the Scriptures agreed with what Paul taught, then it was accepted. But had they found anything in Paul’s message which contradicted the Scriptures, they would have immediately and wisely rejected it. This was how they operated, because the Bible was their only authority and guide; it is a book of truth and the arbiter by which it can be determined what is true and what is false.
The Bereans further teach us that it doesn’t take a theologian, pastor, or teacher to interpret the Word of God for us. The Bereans believed they could open the Scriptures and read, study, understand, and discover the truth from the Bible for themselves. And God has given each of us the Holy Spirit to help us understand His Word and to apply it (1 Cor. 2:7-13).
Likewise, every preacher should expect and want his teaching to be so examined, and he should thank God for those who do it. It is a troubling sign when a preacher resents the examination of his teaching by his hearers. Every preacher and teacher is fallible. Man is not the authority. God’s Word is our authority, and the Bereans show us not to blindly follow spiritual leaders who are very capable of making mistakes.
“Blindly following the leader can be dangerous. That’s why we must test everything by what the Bible says.”
The Greek word translated “searched” in verse 11 is a legal term. It means to interrogate, investigate, examine, question, scrutinize. The term gives you the sense of a witness on the stand in a court of law being cross-examined and put through a rigorous line of questioning. The same term was used of Pilate in his examination and questioning of the Lord. Luke 23:13-14 reads,
“And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, HAVING EXAMINED Him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse Him.”
“Having examined” is translated from the same Greek word as “searched” in Acts 17:11. Like the great detail and care that is given to judicial examinations, that is how thoroughly and carefully the Bereans pored over the Scriptures. Before the Bereans would render a final verdict on Paul’s preaching, they carefully sifted through the Scriptures, and examined, cross-checked, and compared what Paul had said against the teaching of the Word of God. All of us are encouraged to imitate these Bereans by being people of the Word who faithfully test the messages we hear against the truth of the Scriptures.
Not only did the Bereans search and examine the Scriptures, they did so “daily.” They were not only earnest in their desire to receive the Word, but they were diligent in their pursuit of verifying the truth. It was worth it to these people to work hard at it and investigate what the Word of God said, and how Paul’s teaching matched up with it. They did so because, again, they believed in the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. And like the Bereans and the Reformers, we are to be Sola Scriptura!
Another response characteristic of a Berean is what Paul challenges the church to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” The church today is filled with error and confusion. This is all the more reason that, like the Bereans, we must “prove all things,” or examine and evaluate everything we hear, carefully measuring all things by the standard and truth of God’s Word.
Once we’ve proved, tested, verified, and made sure things are in harmony with the teaching of Scripture, then it’s imperative that we carry out the next part of that verse: “hold fast that which is good.”
“Hold fast” means to keep firm possession of, to keep secure, to hold back from going away. When you find something that is true, you hold onto it and keep firm possession of it, and you don’t let go. It is the believer’s responsibility to test or examine everything in the light of the Word of God, and to hold to that good, stand for it, and live it out.
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews” (Acts 17:10).
Berea is a city of Macedonia located about 50 miles southwest of Thessalonica and 190 miles north of Athens. Berea was “off the beaten path” and not on a main route. The city lies in a remote region on the western foot of the Vermio mountain range.
The first answer to the question, “What is a Berean?” is that they were people from a city called Berea in Macedonia in northern Greece. Like those who live in Wisconsin are called Wisconsinites, the people who lived in Berea were called Bereans. And the city of Berea still exists today, but under the name of Veria. The reason some ministries, such as ours, are named “Berean” is due to the ancient Bereans’ attitude toward the Scriptures: they had respect and love for God’s Word, and out of that love and respect, they searched and studied it.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind…” (Acts 17:11a).
Regarding our question, “What is a Berean?” here is the first of three answers, all beginning with the letter “R” to help you remember. First, a Berean is one who RECEIVES the Word with all READINESS of mind.
The Word of God” (Acts 18:11), “the Word of His grace” (20:32), “the Word of the Lord Jesus” (19:10), “the Word of the gospel” (15:7), “the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), “the Word of life” (Phil. 2:16) was taken up and received favorably. The Bereans did not lose their ears to the Word; they gave their ears to it, giving it an honest, interested hearing.
Their eager acceptance was like the psalmist in Psalm 119:33: “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.” There was an eager interest in the Word and readiness of mind to receive more truth. And the Holy Spirit ascribes nobility to this state of mind.
A Berean attitude is a humble understanding that there is always room for refinement and growth in one’s knowledge of the Word of God. Having a ready mind means allowing our minds to be open to understand what we didn’t understand before.
The Bereans further teach us that it doesn’t take a theologian, pastor, or teacher to interpret the Word of God for us. The Bereans believed they could open the Scriptures and read, study, understand, and discover the truth from the Bible for themselves. And God has given each of us the Holy Spirit to help us understand His Word and to apply it (1 Cor. 2:7-13).
…and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11b).
As we continue to answer the question, “What is a Berean?” first, a Berean is one who RECEIVES the Word with all READINESS of mind. Second, a Berean is one who RESEARCHES the Word.
The Bereans were eager to receive, but not gullible. They had an open mind but also a cautious heart, and they were not willing to accept what Paul said just because he said it. The reason that they researched the Word is that, for a Berean, the Scriptures are our first and final authority in all matters of the faith and practice.
Christian editor Dave Branon wrote, “‘A deadly jungle spider has migrated to the US and is killing people.’ This was the story sent to me and to others on my friend’s email list. The story sounded plausible—lots of scientific names and real-life situations. But when I checked it out on reliable websites, I found it was not true—it was an Internet hoax. Its truth could only be verified by consulting a trusted source.
The strength of the Bereans was that they kept close to the Word. When confronted with some doctrine they had not heard before, they gave it an interested hearing but then “searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
If the Scriptures agreed with what Paul taught, then it was accepted. But had they found anything in Paul’s message which contradicted the Scriptures, they would have immediately and wisely rejected it. This was how they operated, because the Bible was their only authority and guide; it is a book of truth and the arbiter by which it can be determined what is true and what is false.
The Bereans further teach us that it doesn’t take a theologian, pastor, or teacher to interpret the Word of God for us. The Bereans believed they could open the Scriptures and read, study, understand, and discover the truth from the Bible for themselves. And God has given each of us the Holy Spirit to help us understand His Word and to apply it (1 Cor. 2:7-13).
Likewise, every preacher should expect and want his teaching to be so examined, and he should thank God for those who do it. It is a troubling sign when a preacher resents the examination of his teaching by his hearers. Every preacher and teacher is fallible. Man is not the authority. God’s Word is our authority, and the Bereans show us not to blindly follow spiritual leaders who are very capable of making mistakes.
“Blindly following the leader can be dangerous. That’s why we must test everything by what the Bible says.”
The Greek word translated “searched” in verse 11 is a legal term. It means to interrogate, investigate, examine, question, scrutinize. The term gives you the sense of a witness on the stand in a court of law being cross-examined and put through a rigorous line of questioning. The same term was used of Pilate in his examination and questioning of the Lord. Luke 23:13-14 reads,
“And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, HAVING EXAMINED Him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse Him.”
“Having examined” is translated from the same Greek word as “searched” in Acts 17:11. Like the great detail and care that is given to judicial examinations, that is how thoroughly and carefully the Bereans pored over the Scriptures. Before the Bereans would render a final verdict on Paul’s preaching, they carefully sifted through the Scriptures, and examined, cross-checked, and compared what Paul had said against the teaching of the Word of God. All of us are encouraged to imitate these Bereans by being people of the Word who faithfully test the messages we hear against the truth of the Scriptures.
Not only did the Bereans search and examine the Scriptures, they did so “daily.” They were not only earnest in their desire to receive the Word, but they were diligent in their pursuit of verifying the truth. It was worth it to these people to work hard at it and investigate what the Word of God said, and how Paul’s teaching matched up with it. They did so because, again, they believed in the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. And like the Bereans and the Reformers, we are to be Sola Scriptura!
Another response characteristic of a Berean is what Paul challenges the church to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” The church today is filled with error and confusion. This is all the more reason that, like the Bereans, we must “prove all things,” or examine and evaluate everything we hear, carefully measuring all things by the standard and truth of God’s Word.
Once we’ve proved, tested, verified, and made sure things are in harmony with the teaching of Scripture, then it’s imperative that we carry out the next part of that verse: “hold fast that which is good.”
“Hold fast” means to keep firm possession of, to keep secure, to hold back from going away. When you find something that is true, you hold onto it and keep firm possession of it, and you don’t let go. It is the believer’s responsibility to test or examine everything in the light of the Word of God, and to hold to that good, stand for it, and live it out.
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