Why "More Noble"?
by Pastor Kevin Sadler
1 Thes. 2:13: "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."Acts 17:11: "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."
I
had one of those "Aha!" moments when studying God's Word recently. It
has troubled me for years as to why Paul said "these [Bereans] were more
noble than those in Thessalonica." You hear it said often how the
Thessalonian church was a model church. They were noble. Based off of 1
Thessalonians 1:1-10, it's easy to see why we say that. So why were the
Bereans more noble than these Thessalonians?
In
1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul gives thanks to God without ceasing for the
Thessalonians. The reason he was so thankful for them here was for their
response to the Word, that when they "received the Word of God," they
received it "not as the word of men" but as the Word of God. Paul was
deeply grateful that the Thessalonians recognized the true nature of his
preaching and teaching.
The
message Paul brought to them was a revelation from Christ that was
unrevealed in the Old Testament. Paul received a new message, a new
gospel directly from Christ, and he relayed it to the Thessalonians who
"received" it as God's Word. In Galatians 1:11,12 Paul says, "But I
certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not
after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it,
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Paul wasn't taught his gospel by
man because his gospel could not be found or be taught to him from the
Old Testament Scriptures. His gospel necessitated a revelation from
Christ in heaven because it was new. It had been unrevealed in the past,
hidden in the mind of God (Eph. 3:9).
Paul,
in his missionary journeys, was making known the Word of God by God's
authority, with his words and preaching, without it being found in the
written Word of God at that time. Paul was grateful that the
Thessalonians not only listened to the message as God's Word, but that
they had swung open their hearts and embraced it warmly as God's truth.
They didn't believe it was the "word of men," or just the word of Paul,
Silas, Timothy (1 Thes. 1:1), or something they had made up or
concocted, but that it was the very Word of God. They believed that the
gospel of grace, the revelation of the mystery, and the truth of the
Rapture that Paul brought to them was the Word of God, which Paul says
was the "truth."
The
two times "received" is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 it conveys
two different meanings. The first "received" in the Greek primarily
means, "to receive and take from another." It communicates the idea that
the Word of God was heard, understood, and grasped. The second word
"received" in the Greek goes a step further. It primarily means, "to
accept and welcome eagerly." When we welcome God's Word, we're allowing
its truth into our hearts. We receive it for ourselves. We make it our
own. We believe it, embrace it, welcome it with full approval. We
receive it into the inner man and make it a part of our lives, and by
this the Word "effectually worketh...in you that believe."
The
Bereans also "received the Word of God." The word "received" in Acts
17:11 is the word meaning that they accepted and welcomed eagerly the
Word of God through Paul. But the reason why the Bereans were "more
noble" than those in Thessalonica was because they "searched the
Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." They received it,
believed it, but then they made sure.
President
Ronald Reagan once said, "Trust, but verify." When Paul spoke of a
gospel, a church, a heavenly hope, and a coming of Christ that was
unrevealed in the Old Testament Scriptures, the Bereans trusted, but
then verified and checked it out for themselves to make sure it was
true. This made them "more noble" than the Thessalonians, who just
received and trusted. It was noble as well that the Thessalonians
trusted the message of Paul, and Paul was thankful for this. But the
fact that the Bereans searched the Scriptures daily whether those things
were so, made them "more noble." When we are like the Bereans and
verify from Scripture the things we hear and read, then we too are "more
noble" in the eyes of God.
There is only way to be SAVED 1. Corinthian 15;1 - 4 Christ died for our sins was buried and rose again the third day. Believe this from you heart and you will have eternal life.
There is only way to be SAVED 1. Corinthian 15;1 - 4 Christ died for our sins was buried and rose again the third day. Believe this from you heart and you will have eternal life.
Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
Share This BIBLE STUDY to all your friends
No comments:
Post a Comment