What does it mean to be a Berean?

Hello! Good to see you here! I've decided to start a blog, since most of my thoughts on Facebook are a tad on the short side. Having a blog allows me to go a little more at length than a quick post or tweet ever could. Nonetheless, this will hardly be comprehensive. Maybe once in a while I'll do something that's a little more researched, but most of the time I'll just be doing short pieces on whatever random topic is on my mind at the time.

For my first post, I'd like to write a little about my mindset. Often I get criticized for my standpoint on issues, that I take too much of a hard-nosed stance on specific points. From my point of view, I would bounce this back to say that its a problem with the Church of today that sees this as an issue. Our post-modern mindset wants to allow all points of view to have equal validity; everyone could potentially be correct, and everyone could potentially be wrong as well. It also has pushed love to the point that love has become God, rather than the other way around. At times, it seems love is God's only attribute, or at best, his most supreme attribute. Love is used as a reason to not disagree, to not rebuke others, to not state, You are wrong, I am right. The fact is, we can know Scripture. So I present to you my mind.

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:10-11)

My mind, as I see it, is that of a Berean. Maybe you've heard this word before, used of someone who studies hard and is a student of the Word. This passage is where that term came from. The people from Berea, upon hearing the Gospel from Paul, scoured the Scripture to check the veracity of Paul's words. 

To see whether these things were so. Think about those words. They validate two facts:

1. Scripture can be known, there can be correct interpretations and incorrect ones, and they can be discerned. 
2. They had the ability, by Scripture, to prove a person to be correct or incorrect.

In this day and age, the idea of calling someone else out on a doctrine, or an action based on interpretation is frowned upon. What? Tell someone they're wrong? That's unloving! Not according to the Bereans. As a matter of fact, they are called noble-minded. They are the perfect example of Prov 27:17, As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. They studied, they searched, they examined (with great eagerness) the Scriptures in order to validate Paul's words. Let's forget the fact that this is Paul we're talking about, probably the greatest theologian who ever lived.

We live in a day where we should never question anyone, never tell someone they're wrong, never bring up a person's doctrinal errors. It can be stated very directly that this is not the picture Scripture gives us of how we are to operate. Timothy says,

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

 When we hear someone speak about Scripture, we are to look at Scripture to check the truth of what has been said. When something incorrect has been stated, we are to correct them, so that the man of God may be adequate. We do these things for their benefit, not to slam them, humiliate them, or on our side, to puff ourselves up with pride, or to draw glory to ourselves. Nonetheless, to correct someone is to help them. It is to straighten them, so that once they are corrected, they will be better equipped from that point forward.

So, to borrow my brother's phrase, this is my mind. I believe in studying Scripture. I believe in dwelling on it. Overthinking it. I believe that theology is as important to the layperson as it is to the Pastor, to the Missionary, to the Seminarian. I firmly believe that when a person understands Scripture more perfectly, it impacts their life (both their Spiritual life and their normal life) in ways that no other feeling or emotion could ever accomplish. Scripture is something to be known, and then applied. In some cases, Scripture is something to defend, and defend with. It is our foundation upon which we stand, and if we cannot be sure of the things we believe, then the Bible is a sand castle on the shores of modern culture.

To close my first post, I urge you to be a Berean. Study the Scripture as if you were working out your muscles- wanting to push yourself daily so that you will grow. Reaching for topics that are slightly out of your comprehension, that the Holy Spirit may stretch you to further knowledge. And don't be afraid to question people's interpretations. But when you do, check your heart to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons.

In Him,

Mike