Follow Those Bereans

Well, it happened again. I went to bed last night, went right to sleep, and an hour later woke up—bright eyed as the clock read a few minutes after midnight. I made my obligatory trip to the bathroom and headed back to bed, knowing I would not get back to sleep for some time. Realizing that it was close to midnight on Monday night, I headed for the recliner and the remote control.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights at midnight on an obscure channel, there is a fascinating lady (to me) who teaches the bible. I may have mentioned her before, but she appears to read, write, and understand Hebrew, Greek, and whatever other languages the bible was written in. She has huge white boards and writes Hebrew words, and then explains what they are saying. My husband says she could be drawing interesting looking characters rather than real letters and I would not recognize them since I don’t read, write, or understand Hebrew. He’s right!

I’m pretty careful about who/what I listen to as far as the scripture goes. While I try to project a positive attitude about each person I meet, that is not my response with bible teachers. I am cautious about their words and the spirit behind them. I try to be like the Bereans in Acts 17, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character. . .for they received the message with great eagerness and EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY TO SEE IF WHAT PAUL SAID WAS TRUE.” I’m trying to be of noble character.

Truthfully, some teachers have screwy doctrines, and I don’t want to wander off into some error. Paul was cautious when he said in 2 Corinthians 11 that, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

Peter also chimed in with “There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord…” There is too much at stake to take lightly what we listen to and believe. Jesus said He was the “truth,” and I have no desire to play around with half truths or outright lies.

I said all that to say that last night the lady was teaching on the Garden of Eden and two of the trees—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Her point was that the great Creator God made the earth and, as such, has the sovereign right to govern it. In His sovereignty, He said, “Don’t eat from that tree!” Adam and Eve (just like each of us) could choose to accept His sovereignty in their lives or rebel against it. Therein lies sin—for them and us.

You know what they chose. What is our choice?