The Bible Is For Every Person: Be As A “Noble” Berean (Acts 17:11),

Search the Scriptures

Pastor Cornelius Stam, who has passed on many years ago now, entitled his thoughts below “The Bible Is For You” and that statement is spot on. The word of God is for every man, woman, and child on this earth. And each of us needs to search the Scriptures continually as the “noble” Bereans spoke of / written of in Acts 17. The Holy Bible is the most true thing on this earth and the source of life. To those who believe and obey and follow the Lord. God and Jesus Christ love every person so much they do desire all would come unto the Lord and be saved. If this were not so God Himself would not have come to earth in the form of man, taken on all He did, submit, surrender, and die for the sins of every person on earth to rise again revealing the promise of eternal life through Him.

The Bible Is For You

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

As we examine the Bible one fact stands out with particular emphasis and clarity: The Bible was written for the people, for the populace at large, not for some special class among them.

The aposlte Paul addressed his epistles to both “laity” and “clergy”: “To all that be in Rome” (Romans 12), “unto the church… at Corinth… with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Corinthians 1:2), “unto the churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2), “to all the saints… at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Philippians 1:1), etc.

When Paul proclaimed the gospel at Berea his hearers did not take even this great apostle’s word for granted, but “searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so,” and for this God called them “noble” (Acts 17:11). They were the true spiritual aristocracy of their day. Our Lord, when on earth, encouraged — even challenged His audiences to “search the Scriptures” for themselves (John 5:39).

Indeed, since God has revealed Himself and His plan of salvation in the written Word, we are responsible, each one for himself, to study the Scriptures. When Dives begged Abraham to allow Lazarus to go and warn his five brothers about the horrors of Hades, Abraham replied: “They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them,” and when Dives urged that a word from Lazarus would be more effective, Abraham answered: “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:29-31).

Do not depend upon your clergyman to interpret the Scriptures for you but see for yourself what they say, for “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12), and it will not be enough in that day to say: “But my minister or priest told me…” You are responsible to “search the Scriptures” for yourself to “see whether those things are so.”

Do You Understand?

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

This was the question Philip asked of the Ethiopian prince as he sat reading from Isaiah’s prophecy (Acts 8:30), and it is a question which we should continually keep asking ourselves as we read the holy Scriptures.

There are always those among God’s people who do not much care whether or not they understand what they read if only it warms their hearts! To them the Bible is little more than a fetish. Taking only those Scriptures which appeal to them, and leaving the rest, they actually feel themselves quite spiritual and often talk about believing the Bible whether or not they understand it!

But such “spirituality” is far from genuine, and such “faith” is blind and superstitious at best. While it is true that the Bible teaches many truths which we believe, although they are beyond our comprehension (such as its opening verse!), yet how can we believe what the Bible says unless we understand what it says? God would have us understand what we read and believe it intelligently.

Indeed, true faith will want to know and understand more and more of God’s Word. One who does not care whether or not he understands what God has said is not truly interested in knowing what God has said. His faith is based on his own will rather than on God’s Word, for regardless of the meaning of Scripture, he will take any passage that suits his fancy and use it as he wishes. How great an emphasis God Himself places upon the importance of understanding His Word!

On one occasion, when our Lord saw the multitudes, He “was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). And now that the secret of God’s “eternal purpose” has been made known, how much more reason there is to study the Scriptures, with a view to understanding them! How Paul, by the Spirit, emphasizes this, as he writes of his prayers for the saints:

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling…” (Ephesians 1:17,18).