Holding Fast to the Word of God

When Paul and Silas arrived in Berea, they found something different. After being chased out of Thessalonica by an angry crowd, the apostles came to this quieter town in Macedonia, hoping for a break from the chaos. What they found were people who didn’t just jump to believe or reject what they heard. They listened carefully, then went straight to the Scriptures to check if what Paul said matched what God had already revealed. Luke writes:

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11, KJV)

The word “noble” here doesn’t mean rich or powerful. It means they had a good attitude. They didn’t just go along with Paul, and they didn’t ignore him either. They took the message seriously and made sure it lined up with God’s Word. They weren’t gullible, but they also weren’t closed-minded. They were honest seekers of truth.

Life in the First Century

To understand how big a deal this was, we need to think about their world. At this point, the New Testament hadn’t been written yet. There were no bound Bibles or Bible apps. These Jewish people in Berea only had what we now call the Old Testament. That was their Bible, and they were used to hearing it read and taught in the synagogue every week. Many even had parts of it memorized.

So when Paul came saying that the Messiah had already come, that His name was Jesus, and that He had died and risen again, they had to check if this fit with what God had already said. They didn’t have Paul’s letters or the Gospels to read. They only had the writings of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets. And that’s where they looked.

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament

There were many places in their Scriptures that pointed to Jesus. In Genesis 3:15, God told the serpent that one day the seed of the woman would crush his head. That was the first clue that someone would come to defeat evil.

In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses told the people, “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” That pointed ahead to Jesus, the ultimate Prophet who would speak God’s words.

In Isaiah 53, it talks about a servant who would be “wounded for our transgressions” and “bruised for our iniquities.” That describes Jesus’ suffering for our sins. In Psalm 22, David talks about someone whose hands and feet are pierced, whose clothes are divided by casting lots—just like what happened at the crucifixion.

Micah 5:2 says that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. Daniel 9 gives a timeline that fits Jesus’ arrival and death perfectly.

These were not random verses. They were clear promises that pointed to a Savior. And the Bereans took the time to look them up and think them through.

Why It’s Important to Test What We Hear

The Bereans didn’t just believe Paul because he was a good speaker. They tested what he said. And the Bible tells us to do the same.

Isaiah 8:20 says, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Paul writes, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” And 1 John 4:1 warns, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”

God doesn’t want us to believe just anything. He gave us His Word so we could test what we hear. Not to be harsh or rude, but to stay on the path of truth.

Why We Need This Today

Today, there are a lot of voices out there saying all kinds of things about God. Some sound nice. Some are popular. But not everything that sounds good is true. That’s why we need to be like the Bereans.

When someone teaches something about God, we should open our Bibles. When a new trend or idea comes around, we should ask, “What does the Bible say?” Not just one verse out of context, but the whole message of Scripture.

We’re blessed to have the full Bible now—both Old and New Testaments. If the Bereans could find Jesus with only the Old Testament, how much more should we be able to with the whole picture?

This isn’t about arguing with people. It’s about being grounded. If we really love God, we’ll want to know what He has said. We don’t need flashy messages. We need truth. And the truth is found in His Word.

The Bereans didn’t have all the answers, but they knew where to find them. We do too.

So let’s follow their example. Let’s open our Bibles every day—not out of guilt, but because we want to know our Savior. Let’s test what we hear, not to pick fights, but to stay faithful. And let’s be the kind of people God calls noble—those who care about the truth and go to His Word to find it.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16, KJV)

Hold on to the truth. Stay strong in the Word. And keep looking to Jesus in every page of Scripture.