Acts 17:11, “...they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find whether or not these things were so.”
I grew up in a Christian household. Not only that, I grew up as a missionary kid. I was heavily blessed to be able to grow up in a household where the Bible was taught and with parents who practiced what they preached (quite literally in my dad’s case). There were strong, biblical foundations laid down in my life as a child that have benefited me greatly as I have gotten older. My siblings and I were and are exceedingly blessed!
At some point, though, you have to leave home. You have to step out into the world and be tested. Of course, there are different trials and temptations that you still need to battle while under your parent’s roof, but when you leave home you really learn how deep your foundations have been laid. You learn whether or not you're truly rooted in God’s Word. You discover what you believe and begin to ask, “Why?”
This realization for me occurred when I left my home in Ireland and landed in Pensacola, Florida for my freshman year of college. I knew the basics, and I heard lots of preaching on topics such as God’s sovereignty and trusting God. But I never really asked myself, “Why do I believe what I believe?” I have found this question to be a very important question, and one that I think all believers ought to ask themselves at some point.
When you ask yourself this question, you need to be sure to seek for answers at the right source. A perfect example of this is shown in Acts 17:11. Paul and Silas were chased out of Thessalonica by night to Berea (verse 10). While in Berea they taught the Scriptures and the Bible says the Bereans, “...received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find whether or not these things were so.”
Paul and Silas taught the truth, but the Bereans did not simply take their words as truth. Instead, they sought the Scriptures because they knew that God’s Word is always truth. It wasn’t until they saw that what Paul and Silas taught was equivalent to Scripture that they believed (verse 12). They didn’t believe because a man taught it, they believed because Scripture taught it.
You may be thinking, “If the Bereans had simply taken Paul and Silas at their word wouldn’t we reach the same outcome?” Yes, we probably would. But how deep would their relationship be with God then? Would they really know God or would they simply know about Paul and Silas’ God? You see, by seeking out the Scriptures, the Bereans developed a more personal relationship with God. This is why I believe it is essential for a believer to know why they believe what they believe.
Similarly, once I began to seek out an answer, I discovered that my parents had been teaching me biblical truths. Does that mean figuring out why I believe what I believe was ultimately pointless? Absolutely not! Through my searching, I began to change my perspective of who God is. My relationship with God changed from Him simply being my parents God that I knew about to my God that I began to know. The difference in those two types of relationships are night and day!
To illustrate this, think about the closest relationship you have with another person. For me, my closest earthly relationship is with my wife. Imagine her parents tell me all about how great she is. They tell me how kind, loving and gracious she is. I would think, “Wow, she sounds pretty great!” But do I have a relationship with her? Sure, I know about her, but I don’t really know her. The extent of my relationship is through her parents.
But what if I spend time with her, and I begin to experience how kind, loving and gracious she is? It is no longer what I am being told, but what I am beginning to experience. Now I know her on a personal, intimate level, not through the experiences of others.
It is the exact same in our relationship with God. When we begin to truly dive into His Word and seek Him, we begin to know Him on a personal, intimate level, not through the experiences of others.
Asking yourself why you believe what you believe is difficult. You have to ask yourself if you believe what you’ve been taught your entire life; however, it isn’t an optional question. How can you have a deep, intimate relationship with God if you don’t know Him? And how can you know Him if you don’t dig into His Word and discover Him for yourself? Your parents cannot make you know Him, nor can your pastor. It is only you and God that can make it possible to have an intimate relationship. God desires a personal relationship with you (Revelation 3:20; Matthew 11:28-29), so really it is up to you to allow it to happen.
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