Who has the last word Acts 17

Who has the last word Acts 17

What has the last word in your life? As we approach October, I’m reminded of Luther posting his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, saying Scripture has the last word in our lives and this pronouncement would grow throughout the reformation. The importance of Sola Scriptura (Latin ablative, “by Scripture alone”) is the Christian doctrine that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice.

Luther’s sola scriptura principle was articulated in 1521 at Worms.  A year before the pope outlined forty-one purported errors in Luther’s theses. On April 17, 1521, Luther was told he must recant. After thinking it through for a day, Luther returned and declared:

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason, for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they often err and contradict themselves, I am bound to the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand. May God help me. Amen.”

How often do we make God’s word have the last word in our life? I hear it all the time, “I feel, I think, I want, I prayed…” and I follow up with, “what has God’s word informed you?” Where are you reading right now in Scripture that is confirming and affirming this? In reading Acts 17 we come across two groups of people being asked that same question. 

One group, The Thessalonians, isn’t so keen on letting God’s word have the last word in their life. The other, Bereans grew to adopt God’s word having the last word:

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to gThessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, has was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them ifrom the Scriptures, 3 jexplaining and proving that it was necessary for kthe Christ to suffer and lto rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And msome of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did na great many of the devout oGreeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 pBut the Jews1 qwere jealous, and taking rsome wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, sthey dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against tthe decrees of Caesar, saying that there is uanother king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

10 vThe brothers2 immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they wwent into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, xexamining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 yMany of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek zwomen of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, aagitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers bimmediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and cTimothy remained there. 15 dThose who conducted Paul brought him as far as eAthens, and after receiving a command ffor Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Those in Thessalonians had a “beef” with Paul. There was obviously some cultural bias.  Their impressions, influences, judgements cultural prejudices had the last word. We too often allow our prejudices, fears, friends, feelings, etc. to have the last word. “I learned enough, it’s got me this far.’ ‘I don’t need to question what I feel, what I feel is enough.’ ‘If you can’t prove it to me, I’m not listening.’ ‘Stop using big words and history, none of that is important to me.'” People reject the gospel and the prompting of the Holy spirit out of all sorts of subjective heuristics. What are yours?

 The Thessalonians didn’t like that Christianity was challenging their norms and their response is to form a first century pagan militia, shooting off mortars of words trying to create shrapnel of  fear (6-7). They aren’t interested in working through the claims of Christianity and weighing the objective truth of the Living Word of God. Well too often, and far too many dismiss God’s word as out of touch and legalistic ancient parchment not worth reading rather than honestly searching Scripture.

The Bereans are the antithesis of the Thessalonians in very 12 it says, “every day they searched Scripture, tested what was being taught, didn’t merely take at face value what was being said because these teachers had titles, experience, big churches, large crowds, etc. For the Berean’s God’s Word had last word. They were willing to yield all of themselves and surrender to Jesus Christ if that is what Scripture affirmed.

The reason so many “Christians” and denominations in America believe so many contrasting theological approaches has to do with where they are getting their last word from. Some like the Catholic church believe the church and Pope has final say. Liberal theology believes that Scripture can have input but experience trumps all. Evangelical would agree with the Westminster Confession of Faith: “The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Sprit speaking in the Scripture.”

Are you more like the Thessalonians or the Bereans? Do God’s word have the last word in your life or does something else. Don’t be intimidated. Even Peter found some things “hard to understand” in Paul’s writing 2 Peter 3:16, but this shouldn’t discourage us from having the beauty of truth and grace to impact our lives. Pick up your Bible and start reading it. Add daily Scripture reading to your prayer time. Find a mentor and start a discipleship relationship. Luther was willing to die rather than let anything else have the last word in his life. What are you willing to do? What are you doing? Still have questions about the Bible, go to your pastor, or someone you know who loves Scripture and models it and ask them for their help in understanding.  Be sure, after all of this God’s word has the last word in your life.

The featured image in the blog is of a Gideon’s Bible I found outside of a church in Peru that was attacked by squatters trying to steal the land. If you can take the land and hold it for 24 hours the land is yours by law there. The squaters tried to burn down the church building that sat on a rocky cliff. Most of the Bibles were burned or destroyed. They fought through. Neighbors came and defended the land and put out the fires not because of feelings or rational wisdom alone, but because God’s word had the last word in their lives.