Bible Word of the Day

Berea (Faithful Bereans)

Meaning
Berea was a city located in western Greece. Today the city is called Veria. It was located approximately fifty miles southwest of Thessalonica. The city became well known among Christians because of the faithful Jewish believers in the city. Paul and Silas went to Berea after fleeing Thessalonica and as was their custom they preached Jesus and His crucifixion in the synagogue going through the scriptures showing that it was true. However, rather than attacking Paul and Silas the Bereans searched the scriptures themselves to see if what the Apostle Paul was telling them was true.

Because of their heart for God and their faith, they diligently studied the scriptures to verify what Paul was teaching. And because of their faithfulness we can read their story in the book of Acts. Because the Berean’s honestly sought the Lord and wanted to know God’s truth, God desired to commend them in His word. We too need to take this to heart when we hear teaching that may be questionable. Moreover, we should be in regular study of God’s word in order to recognize sound doctrine or false teaching when we hear it. Regardless of the preacher or the denomination we should verify what’s being taught is actually Biblical and is truly part of God’s word and part of fundamental Christian doctrine.