Fact Checkers
Scripture Reading: Acts 17:10-15
You might have heard someone exhort others to be “like the Bereans.” That exhortation comes from this passage of Scripture where Paul commends the Bereans for “examining the Scriptures daily to see if the things they heard were so.” They were called “noble” for doing this. This is an example we should follow.
Charles Bridges said, “To believe every word of God is faith. To believe every word of man is credulity.”
We can apply this in several ways. Don’t be afraid or too lazy to examine your pastor’s sermon. A good pastor won’t be so insecure as to think that it is a threat to his ministry for you to compare his message with the Word of God. I don’t mean grammar check him. Don’t pick apart his verbal ticks or poor verb/noun agreement. I mean see if what he said was so according to the word.
You should especially apply this when it comes to those TV preachers or radio preachers or Christian personalities you read or listen to. Just because they are popular, winsome, and likable doesn’t mean you should assume they are right. Don’t assume that if they wrote a book about it that qualifies them to be the go-to expert on the subject. Examine the Scriptures and see if what they are saying is so.
Speaking of books…I love books. Too much sometimes. But we often assume that if something was deemed worthy of print then it is worthy of believing. Well, put your discernment cap on when you read too. Read good books but judge them by The Good Book.
Finally, be a Berean about yourself. When you study the Bible, you should be challenging the conclusions you are making about what a text means. When you study, you should first try to understand what the text actually says. That is called “observation.” Then, you should try to discern what the text means by what it says. That is called “interpretation.” After you have made your interpretation of the text, challenge that. As yourself, “Does what I believe this means agree with what the Scriptures teach?” Examine the Scriptures about what you think and believe.
Be a fact checker, in the best sense of the term. Fact check the sermons, books, and your interpretations of Scripture against the Scripture. See if those things you hear, read, and think are so.
