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With All Readiness of Mind
Acts 17:11 — "These 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."
Looking at various translations, the expression is "give serious attention to;" "welcomed;" "with all eagerness." This involves:
- FAIRNESS — Objectively accept ALL the information, trust in the effect of the entire body of truth, be willing to acknowledge difficulties in our thinking, and the obligation to properly resolve them according to God's word.
- FOCUS — Concentrate on the reasoning, exclude distractions, and accept the logical conclusions the passage points us to (or, which can be deduced from our initial position) (Matthew 6:19-24; James 1:5-8)
- FLEXIBILITY — Have the integrity to adjust, and bring your thinking into line with the further truth as it is learned. Arrogance and stubbornness are not part of the ready mind.
- The Result: "therefore…many believed." The gospel is perfectly designed to convince the "ready mind," and ONLY the ready mind — it can thrive only in good soil (Matthew 13:19ff). It is illustrated by the difference between the way the Thessalonians received it, and how those in Berea received it.
So many things degrade the quality of it: prejudice, emotional barriers (bitterness, arrogance, partiality), undue confidence in sources, etc.
Our doctrinal stands and relationships are dependent on it, and our troubles come where there is a lack of it.
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