ARE YOU A DISTRACTED ATHENIAN OR

A DEDICATED BEREAN BELIEVER?

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

We live in a fast‑paced information age. Ideas and inventions are ever‑changing. Our exposure to alternative opinions and lifestyles can be maddening. In this melting‑pot society we live in, one can’t help but be inundated with beliefs of all sorts. This creates a pressure on Christians to conform to the world’s view of reality. While we may not always accept secular theology of life, I can’t help but think that we are often influenced by it.

 

There is also, within Christianity, an urge at times to approach our basic doctrines from new angles. Possibly it is influence from the world. Possibly it is because we get tired of believing the same things. Possibly we just want to be creative. While God’s truth will always stand, I worry sometimes about the ideas we play with and attempt to incorporate into our belief system. Sometimes even Christian leaders will stumble off the road of God’s truth onto a side‑path of error. It is good to ask questions of the truth we believe. Testing of our faith can provide avenues of building its strength. But we must realize that there are several dangers when we entertain ideas and thoughts that are contrary to scripture or which twist scripture to prove a point.

 

In Paul’s missionary journeys he was exposed to all sorts of cultures, religions and belief systems. As Paul traveled over the known world he would always preach the gospel. In Acts we find an interesting contrast of two sets of individuals. It is reported in Acts the 17th chapter that Paul passed through Berea. In this town the Christians were very dedicated and committed to the truth. It says in Acts 17:11‑12, ”Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

 

It is amazing how bold the Bereans were. Here Paul, the knowledgeable and often intimidating preacher came to share the Gospel and the Bereans “CHECKED HIM OUT.” They didn’t just accept what he said because he was a good speaker. They didn’t just condone his preaching because his reputation preceded him. They went to the scriptures and examined them to MAKE SURE that what Paul said was true. How often today do we do this? Someone visits our church, someone speaks on the television or we read a popular Christian book and we gravitate towards letting it rule our life because it was clever, different, new or unique. Possibly this teaching intrigued us. Maybe we wanted an answer different from God’s Word because we didn’t like what God had to say about it in the Holy Scriptures. Whatever the reason, shouldn’t we seek to test the spirits, to measure what we hear by God’s Word? 2 Timothy 3:16‑17 says, “All Scripture is God‑breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We need to strive to be like the Bereans and check out what we hear, read and watch and always judge it against the standard of God’s Word.

 

Later in this same journey, Paul came to Athens. Athens was full of idols and beliefs in false gods. Paul was very distressed about this. He knew that Athens was full of people in rebellion to God. He was probably not only concerned for the Athenians’ salvation, but also for the influence they must have had on the Christians there. Acts gives us some insight into the nature of the Athenians’ belief system. In Acts 17:21 it says, “All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.” The Athenians were not measuring ideas and beliefs against God’s Word; instead they were spending all their time debating all sorts of doctrines and alternative ways of thinking. You might call this the sin of popular intellectualism. Discussing and spending large amounts of time talking about the latest NEW ideas of how to approach and interpret life entertained the Athenians. You might say that their minds were so open to new ideas that their brains had fallen out in the process. 2 Timothy 4:3‑4 talks about this when it says,

 

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

 

We must strive to avoid being led astray by strange beliefs of the world. Most false doctrines we hear are simply a rewording of the lies that Satan tempted Adam and Eve with. Most new theories of beliefs are nothing new under the sun. A study of history usually reveals that new thoughts of reality are simply a slightly different presentation of old heresies.

 

There is a great contrast between the Bereans and Athenians.

 

Which are you?

 

2 Timothy 2:15‑16

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”