Being Berean: Search the Scriptures

Imagine the absurdity of a teacher entering the classroom and boldly declaring, "The world is flat. There is no need to look it up; I am the teacher and therefore I know what I'm talking about. Just trust me." Or perhaps the doctor who says, "All you have to do to cure your disease is eat a bag of peanut M&Ms every day for the rest of your life. I'm the doctor; I know what I'm talking about, so just do it." A teacher or doctor like this likely wouldn't be in that field for long. Why? We tend not to trust such absolutist claims that aren't grounded in something.
And yet in matters of faith, a very different phenomenon arises. Many people just simply trust the "Christian" label and say that we should accept it as valid. People might point to experience: "This helped me, so it must be good." "Other people have really benefited from this, so how can it be a bad thing?" Others might point to results: "So many people hear this guy's teaching, therefore what he is doing is good." He's helping so many people; we shouldn't reject him because of that." But should this be how it is?

A "New" Message from a Famous Jew
Paul traveled the ancient world preaching forgiveness and justification in Jesus (Acts 13:39). Many people believed Paul's message and trusted in Jesus. Paul's reputation was known: the former persecutor of the church was now proclaiming the very teaching he sought to wipe out. In Acts 17:10, Paul and his companions are sent to Berea, where Paul followed his usual pattern of preaching in the synagogue.
The Jews in Berea had likely heard reference to "the Way" (an early title for the Christians) and the Jesus who they claimed was Messiah and had risen from the dead. Now with Paul in their midst, they are hearing the clear gospel. The Bereans do not merely accept Paul's message though; they want to confirm it. And this, the Scripture says makes them more noble. But it wasn't the effects or the results that they examined. They examined the Scriptures to determine if it was true (Acts 17:11).

Being a Berean
As Chrsitians today, we need to not be "quick" to accept everything that claims to be from God as being from Him. Everyone who claims to speak for Christ may not be  from Him. The apostle John says of Antichrists that they "went out from us, but they were not of us" (1 John 2:19). Popularity, experiences, and results are not accurate indicators of a teacher's accuracy or credibility. The question before us is: Is what they are saying in line with the Scriptures? To answer that, we must search the Scriptures, study them prayerfully and carefully, to determine if the things we are hearing are accurate. Don't buy everything you hear; be a Berean, and search it out for yourself.