Spiritual Nobility
By Rosco Brong (1908 - 1985)A Proper Regard for God’s Word Marks God’s True Noblemen
“These (Jews at Berea) 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).
Earth’s peoples commonly think of men as being more or less noble according to their notable deeds, according to their titles conferred by royalty, or according to their inheritance of such titles. God here describes for us a higher nobility -- the spiritual nobility of men touched by the grace of God.
If we can understand this statement about the Bereans, with its implications, we can perhaps form some estimate of the measure of our own nobility as we appear to God.
WILLING TO LEARN First, then, the Bereans were willing to learn. Theirs was not a “know-it-all” attitude: they were eager to hear a message which held some promise of improvement of their condition.
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15).
Of ignoble souls God has said: “Behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it” (Jeremiah 6:10). So the Thessalonican Jews that believed not were moved with envy and so troubled the city that Paul and Silas went from there to Berea to find a more noble people.
Jesus quite plainly tells the difference between ignoble and noble souls in John 3:20-21: “Everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
NOT TOO CREDULOUS On the other hand, while the Bereans were eager to learn, they evidenced a healthy skepticism in that they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Not to be infatuated by every new preacher that came along, they checked what sounded like a new message with what they knew to be established truth.
“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going” (Proverbs 14:15).
Pitiable indeed are those religiously silly souls described as “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Timothy 3:7).
Surely the nobility of the Bereans appears as much in their caution against being misled as in their eagerness to be led aright.
Surely the nobility of the Bereans appears as much in their caution against being misled as in their eagerness to be led aright.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16-17).
We cannot err so long as we believe and obey God’s Word. Satan well knew this: hence his insidious attacks upon this Word. Aside from the “big lie” technique of open condemnation of the Bible and furnishing counterfeit scriptures, Satan has two main lines of sneak attack: casting doubts upon the infallibility of revealed truth and adding other “authorities” as equally infallible.
The first method is that of so-called “modernism” (though it was first used in the garden of Eden), also called “liberalism” or “neo-orthodoxy” (though it is neither liberal, new, nor orthodox): the argument that the Bible is not purely and verbally the Word of God, but merely “contains” the Word of God along with much error which the ministers of Satan will be glad to help us screen out.
But according to the Bible itself, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6).
More cunning and more effective than piecemeal denial of Scripture is Satan’s method of setting up rival “authorities” such as custom, tradition, preachers, or popes as of equal infallibility with the Bible. This naturally leads to forced interpretations of Scripture to suit human authority, and manifold additions to the faith from outside the Bible.
“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6). Being God’s noblemen, the Bereans remembered this warning of His Word, along with the reference to false teachers in Isaiah 8:20:
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
FACING RESPONSIBILITY Finally, the Bereans showed their spiritual nobility by their recognition of their own individual personal responsibility to read, understand, and accept the message of God’s Word for themselves.
No proxy religion here - no craven attempt to avoid responsibility by trusting some human teacher, church, or synagogue to “interpret” God’s Word for them. No: on the human side their eternal destiny was in the balance, and each soul must search the Scriptures for himself.
Actually the word for “searched” here in the original language suggests that they carefully examined and inquired into the Scriptures. And in their nobility, in their realization of their own need, in their concern for their own salvation, they continued this examination, this inquiry into the Scriptures, “daily.”
“THEREFORE many of them believed” (emph. RB). So we read in the inspired record.
So it will always be in this day of salvation when noble souls honestly and earnestly examine and inquire into the holy Scriptures. If you have not yet tried to be so noble, try it now!
====================[From Christopher Cockrell, editor, The Berea Baptist Banner, March, 2015, p. 54. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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