“And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.” Acts 17:11
Growing up, did you ever hear the words “because I said so?” Those were usually words from a parent or authority figure in your life and were most often preceded by the three-letter word “why.” Now I’m not saying that every time you asked the question “why” it was with good intention, but sometimes you’ve asked that question because you really wanted to know why.
I’m amazed by the things we accept at face value just because someone “said so.” I see this so often in religious circles, where we often times just accept, at face value, something we’re taught without searching the scriptures for ourselves. In fact, this practice can be dangerous and even stunt our spiritual growth.
This wasn’t the case for a community of Jews and Greeks in the area called Berea. They knew what they had been taught for generations, but when Paul presented them with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they didn’t just blindly reject what Paul was saying. Instead, they searched the Old Testament scriptures to see for themselves if in fact it was Jesus Christ that the text of old had been pointing to. What they discovered was the truth and, as a result, many believed and put their faith and trust in Jesus.
A sincere “why” is a sign of hunger. “Why” means I want to know more, and I want to know why I believe what I believe. Do we believe something because someone told us, or do we believe because we’ve searched it out for ourselves and are convinced based on the truths we’ve discovered in the quest to satisfy our hunger? This is what our Father wants. He wants us to dive deep into His Word and truths for ourselves and as we do, we will grow in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord Jesus.