Don’t Just Accept. Confirm!
As Christians, we should not just receive the word given to us by other Christians or men of God. We should search the Scriptures and ask God for understanding to know whether or not what is taught is accurate.
Acts 17:11-12 states as follows:
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore, many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greek, prominent women as well as men.
People who are eager, ready, excited, enthused to hear about God’s Word are described as open-minded and fair-minded. The Bible says that such people receive the Word with all readiness. We should be excited to receive the Word of God as followers of Christ. We should not shut ourselves to it or be eager to dismiss it at the first instance. We should also be open-minded about receiving the Word because we never know how the Holy Spirit may minister to us through the Word. Let us try and be like the people of Berea more than those in Thessalonica.
The Bible is however mindful that some people may misconstrue the Word and substitute the Word with their own opinion or some other form of teaching which may not be in accordance with the Word. So while we are encouraged to receive the Word with all readiness and eagerness, we are also expected to confirm the Word we receive with the Scriptures to know whether what is taught or preached is true.
The New Living Translation Bible says it as follows:
They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
I can bet that if Paul and Silas were teaching and preaching today, most of us will not even bother to check to see whether or not what they were preaching was true. It is important for us to search the Scriptures to confirm every word of God we receive. It is also important to note that the searching of the Scriptures is not a one-time, one-off thing but a daily activity. Thus, everyday we must search the Scriptures to confirm the Word we have received from men of God. It is only through these activities – receiving the Word readily and checking the Scriptures daily – would we end up believing the Word that is preached and taught.
In other words, as a result of being open-minded about the Word and receiving it with much eagerness and checking the Scriptures to know if the Word is true or not, we will believe the Word. Also, believing the word was not limited to on tribe/race/class/sex etc. The Bible says the Jews believed; so did the Greeks as well as men and women. This is a clear example of the Word of God not being a discriminator of persons.
So, let us be ready and eager to receive the Word of God and when we have received the Word of God, let us search the Scriptures daily to confirm that what we have received is true.
#AdvocateForChrist
Written by Kow Essuman, Esq. ACIArb
The author is a barrister; qualified to practise law in England and Wales, New York and Ghana; an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in England; a Global Shaper (Accra Hub) of the World Economic Forum and a firm believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Official Website of Kow Essuman 