Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Acts chapter 17 verse 11 NIV

An Interesting Comparison

  1. Who were the Bereans?
    The Bereans here is to group of Jews living in the city of Berea (now in Greece), that had listened to Paul's message.
  2. Who were the Thessalonians?
    Jews from Thessalonika, were Paul had planted a small Church. The Jews caused a tumult and persecuted Paul and the young believers.
  3. What do we learn about the Bereans?
    That they were of more noble character
  4. What is meant with that?
    They showed kindness, interest, and a receptive spirit.
  5. What hindered the Thessalonians from being noble?
    The were jealous and envied Paul, they joined with bad characters, started a mop and a riot. (Verse 5)

A Right Moral Condition

  1. How did the Bereans show their more noble character?
    They received the message with great eagerness.
  2. What message did the receive?
     Verse 3: Paul explained and proved that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.
  3. How did their great eagerness show their noble character?
    It revealed them as being free from narrow prejudice.
  4. What is meant with "They received the message?"
    They took Paul's preaching into their minds and hearts.

A Useful Daily Activity

  1. What else did the Bereans do?
    They examined the Scriptures every day.
  2. What is meant with examine?
    Research with great care.
  3. What shows they were thorough in their examination?
    They did it every day.
  4. What does this suggest?
    That Paul brought every day new evidence from the Scriptures to show that the Lord Jesus was the Messiah.
  5. Why did the Bereans examine the Scriptures?
    To see if what Paul said was true.
  6. What do we call examining to see if something is true?
    The right to a private judgment or opinion.
  7. What is meant by the right to a private opinion?
    The right I have in relation to other Christians, to read God's Word for myself and exercise my judgment to find out God's mind and will.
  8. What does the action of the Bereans teach us about Paul's relation to the Scriptures?
    That Paul's teaching had to correspond with the Sacred Scriptures, otherwise it couldn't be true.
  9. What does it show concerning the use of Scriptures?
    God has intended the Scriptures to be in the hands of the people every day and to be read.
  10. What does it show to the attitude of great preachers as the Apostle Paul?
    That even the Apostle Paul's authority was subject to the Scriptures.

Text Twenty Eight

Adapted from:
"The one hundred texts of the society for Irish Church Missions."
T.C. Hammond, Dublin. 1939