Act 17:1-15
Today's Passage: Acts 17:1-15
Acts 17:1-15 follows a simple pattern:
This visible pattern leads us to a few applications:
1. Christianity and the Bible are meant to be understood logically and philosophically. This doesn’t mean that faith doesn’t matter—it does! It just means that logic and faith are not mutually exclusive. Christianity is a thinking faith. While there are some aspects of God that are mysterious because he is so high above us (see Isaiah 55:8-9), the Scriptures are persuasive in showing people their sin, their need of a Savior, and the forgiveness of sins that comes through believing in and trusting in Christ.
2. We should receive and respond rightly to good teaching from the Bible. The Bereans are often (rightly) celebrated for how they received the Scriptures. Notice what Luke said about them in verse 11: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Notice that in their eagerness, they examined the Scriptures daily. Their unwillingness to accept truth without examining it was not met with frustration, but appreciation. When you hear teaching on Sundays or on this blog, you can both trust the teaching while also examining it for yourself. That is the balance you should seek to strike.
Notice also, that this Bible teaching did not just stay in their head, but it caused them to respond to it. You should be thinking about real life application when you read and study the Bible that leads to greater faithfulness and trusting obedience.
3. Others could be threatened by the truths of God’s Word. This is not insinuating that there will be a riot at this Sunday’s worship gathering. By God’s grace, this is not currently an often occurrence in America. But this is often true in countries that are more hostile to Christianity and it could one day be true in America. In other words, this is not something to take for granted, but we should also not be surprised by it.
The truth of the gospel turns worlds upside down (implied from verse 6), so it should be no surprise that people will respond strongly to something they feel threatened by. We should seek to find the balance between boldly proclaiming the truth while compassionately loving people without compromise.
Written By: Graham Withers
Acts 17:1-15 follows a simple pattern:
- Paul reasons and persuades from the Scriptures.
- People receive this teaching and respond in repentance and belief.
- The Jews stir up the crowd.
This visible pattern leads us to a few applications:
1. Christianity and the Bible are meant to be understood logically and philosophically. This doesn’t mean that faith doesn’t matter—it does! It just means that logic and faith are not mutually exclusive. Christianity is a thinking faith. While there are some aspects of God that are mysterious because he is so high above us (see Isaiah 55:8-9), the Scriptures are persuasive in showing people their sin, their need of a Savior, and the forgiveness of sins that comes through believing in and trusting in Christ.
2. We should receive and respond rightly to good teaching from the Bible. The Bereans are often (rightly) celebrated for how they received the Scriptures. Notice what Luke said about them in verse 11: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Notice that in their eagerness, they examined the Scriptures daily. Their unwillingness to accept truth without examining it was not met with frustration, but appreciation. When you hear teaching on Sundays or on this blog, you can both trust the teaching while also examining it for yourself. That is the balance you should seek to strike.
Notice also, that this Bible teaching did not just stay in their head, but it caused them to respond to it. You should be thinking about real life application when you read and study the Bible that leads to greater faithfulness and trusting obedience.
3. Others could be threatened by the truths of God’s Word. This is not insinuating that there will be a riot at this Sunday’s worship gathering. By God’s grace, this is not currently an often occurrence in America. But this is often true in countries that are more hostile to Christianity and it could one day be true in America. In other words, this is not something to take for granted, but we should also not be surprised by it.
The truth of the gospel turns worlds upside down (implied from verse 6), so it should be no surprise that people will respond strongly to something they feel threatened by. We should seek to find the balance between boldly proclaiming the truth while compassionately loving people without compromise.
Written By: Graham Withers
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