Why Were The Bereans “More Noble”?

Posted on May 14, 2017 by

“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” (1 Thes. 2:13).

“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.

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 two times “received” is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 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. source

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