Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung

Author:Kevin DeYoung
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crossway

These two episodes—one in Thessalonica and one in Berea—have a lot in common. In both cities, Paul began his evangelistic work in the synagogue (vv. 1, 10). On both occasions we see the word proclaimed and examined and the use of reason and persuasion (vv. 2, 3, 4, 11, 13). And in both instances the general response was similar: controversy ensued because some received the word (vv. 4, 12) while some hated it (vv. 5, 13). The mission ventures in Thessalonica and Berea were similar to each other in several ways and much like Paul’s experience preaching the gospel in other Greco-Roman cities.

But not similar in every way. The comparisons above are misleading in one respect. While the gospel proclamation was controversial in both cities, the crowds were agitated in Berea because Jews from Thessalonica had come to stir them up. Even though the basic outline of events is the same, we are clearly meant to see a contrast between the Thessalonian and the Berean approaches to the word of God.

Theatrical Thessalonians

The Thessalonian attitude toward the truth of the gospel is destructive, bordering on delirious. For starters, their judgment is clouded by personal prejudice. The Jews don’t like that Paul is popular (Acts 17:5). In fact, it’s a good bet most of the converts in Thessalonica were from paganism, not from Judaism (1 Thess. 1:9). Paul’s own people disregarded his message because they thought he was too much of a big shot. Unfortunately, this sort of prejudice happens all the time. People will dismiss the word of God because the music in church is too loud or too old, or the church is too small or too big, or because the pastor dresses funny, or because they knew a mean Christian once, or because they don’t want to be like their parents.

And sometimes we find a reason to reject the word of God because we aren’t interested in doing what it says. As Aldous Huxley, the famous author of Brave New World who dabbled in eastern mysticism and LSD, once remarked,

For myself, as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom; we objected to the political and economic system because it was unjust.1

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