Examine and Re-examine Every Teaching and Doctrine You Believe: The Biblical Example of the Berean Christians

Examine and Re-examine Every Teaching and Doctrine You Believe: The Biblical Example of the Berean Christians

Copyright © 10 December 2022 By Dr. Leesi Ebenezer Mitee
Bible Teacher & Lawyer

Scriptures: Acts 17:1-12 (New Living Translation of The Holy Bible)

Paul Preaches in Thessalonica

1 Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

5 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. 6 Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. 7 And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”

8 The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. 9 So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.

Paul and Silas in Berea

10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 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. 12 As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. [Empasis added]

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You are Accountable to God for what you Believe

Dearly Beloved, Calvary greetings!

You are accountable to Jehovah The LORD God Almighty, Who is your Creator and The Creator of everything that exists, for what you believe and practise as a Christian.

As “ignorance of the law is no excuse” for violating any law (“ignorantia juris non excusat” or “ignorantia legis neminem excusat” in Latin), ignorance of the truth in The Bible (because you relied on what any preacher or anybody taught you) is no excuse before Jehovah The LORD God Almighty for believing and practising any wrong teaching or doctrine.

The Bible clearly states in Romans 14:12 (King James Version) that “every one of us shall give account of himself to God”. And that is the Biblical doctrine of personal responsibility or individual responsibility that Jehovah heralded in Ezekiel 18:20 (King James Version):

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

Your Personal Duty to Examine and Re-examine What You Believe

Like the Berean Christians, you have a personal duty to prayerfully and meditatively study The Bible by yourself (from Genesis to Revelation) and to examine and re-examine everything (Bible stories, Biblical principles, and Biblical doctrines) that your Pastor, your Bishop, your General Overseer, your Pope, and other preachers have ever taught you, so you can know whether what you were taught is the truth in The Bible which you, yourself, should believe and practise. Remember what Jehovah commanded through His servant Joshua in Joshua 1:8 (New King James Version):

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

If you simply believe and practise everything that you hear from your Pastor, your Bishop, your General Overseer, your Pope, and other preachers, without examining and knowing whether that teaching or doctrine is the truth in The Bible, then you have no proper Scripture-based foundation as a Christian and you are therefore in serious danger of the possibility of being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14 New King James Version).

The reason for the foregoing fact is that no human being is infallible (including your Pastor, your Bishop, your General Overseer, and your Pope), so they can make mistakes in their own understanding of any doctrine, teaching, or principle in The Bible.

The Biblical Example of the Berean Christians

Remember, Apostle Paul was one of the writers of the Books of The Bible (he is believed to have written 13 or 14 of the 27 Books of The New Testament) and he had an extraordinary divine revelation and anointing (Acts 19:11-12, 20:7-12; 2 Corinthians 12:1-12). And yet, the Berean Christians, after listening eagerly to Apostle Paul’s teachings, searched the Scriptures daily to examine or scrutinise his teachings to be sure that those teachings were Biblically true. It is significant that those Berean Christians were specifically commended in The Bible as being “more honourable” (King James Version), “more fair-minded” (New King James Version), “more open-minded” (New Living Translation), or “of more noble character” (New International Version) than those in Thessalonica (Acts 17:11).

The Potent Danger of False Doctrines and Heresies

The potent danger of wrong teachings, false doctrines, and damnable heresies is even more real today than it was more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ and His Apostles were on this Earth teaching the truth and doing miracles to confirm the authenticity of The Gospel of The Kingdom of God.

Jesus Christ said: “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:7 New King James Version)

The Apostles of Jesus Christ warned:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1 New King James Version)

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:2-4 New King James Version)

“Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.” (Hebrews 13:9 New King James Version)

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” (2 Peter 2:1 New King James Version)

Some of the wrong teachings and false doctrines today in Churches and denominations worldwide emanate from innocent errors from wrong understanding and wrong interpretation of The Holy Bible, while others are the product of deliberate manipulation of Christians and members of a congregation to do whatever the Pastor, Bishop, General Overseer, Pope, or preacher wants. There are also damnable heresies by human agents of satan who determinedly oppose Jesus Christ and His Church worldwide and aim to destroy the lives of people through such heresies.

It is because of the foregoing scary truth of the prevalence of wrong teachings, false doctrines, and damnable heresies in Churches and denominations worldwide that the Berean-Christian attitude of joyfully hearing the preaching of The Word of God, eagerly and attentively listening to preachers, and carefully examining and re-examining every teaching and every doctrine (no matter the high leadership position and exalted spiritual status of the person who teaches it) is absolutely necessary and of great, nay preeminent, importance.

The Commitment of Koinonia Bible Teaching Resources

“Do your best to win full approval in God’s sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God’s truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (Good News Translation)

Koinonia Bible Teaching Resources is ministerially and passionately committed to the unbiased and non-denominational exegetical exposition of Biblical truth, by Jehovah’s extravagant grace. Amen!

The Grace

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Romans 16:24; Philippians 4:23; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; Revelation 22:21)

Shalom!

Copyright © 10 December 2022 By Dr. Leesi Ebenezer Mitee
Bible Teacher & Lawyer