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In ancient times, the Bereans were the inhabitants of the city of Berea, also known in the Bible as Beroea, and now known as Veria in what is today northern Greece. The name has been taken up by certain Protestant groups.

Biblical context
According to the Book of Acts, Chapter 17 verse 11, Paul of Tarsus and Silas preached at Berea, and the inhabitants "... received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. ", and many of them believed.

== Doctrinal Statement ==

Berean Bible Society Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the Berean Bible Society is to promote Christian spiritual education and encourage the study of the Holy Scriptures by means of lectures, seminars, taped messages, conferences, and through literature such as the Berean Searchlight magazine.

On This We Stand

1. The verbal inspiration and plenary authority of the BIBLE in its original writings (II Tim. 3:16,17; II Pet. 1:21).

2. The eternal Trinity of the GODHEAD (Deut. 6:4; I Tim. 2:5; Eph. 4:4-6; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14).

3. The eternal Deity, virgin birth, vicarious death, and spotless humanity of the LORD JESUS CHRIST (Luke 1:35; Phil. 2:6-9; Rom. 1:3,4).

4. MANKIND by nature is sinful and under the condemnation of God (Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 3:9-12; I Cor. 1:18-31).

5. Personal SALVATION is by God’s grace, through faith in the crucified, risen, and glorified Christ (Rom. 3:24- 28; 5:1,9; Eph. 2:8,9; I Cor. 15:1-4).

6. The ETERNAL SECURITY of all the saved (Col. 3:1-4; Phil. 1:6; Rom. 8:1; 8:29-34; 8:38,39; John 10:27-29; Eph. 1:13,14).

7. The personality and Deity of the HOLY SPIRIT (John 16:8; Titus 3:5; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13; 3:16).

8. The essential unity of all believers of the present dispensation as members of the one true Church, the BODY OF CHRIST (Eph. 1:22,23; I Cor. 12:13).

9. The GIFTS enumerated in Ephesians 4:7-16, have been given for the building up of the Body of Christ, and of these, only evangelists, pastors, and teachers are in order during the present dispensation. The sign gifts of the Acts period were temporary in character, and have ceased (I Cor. 13:8-13).

10. The privilege and duty of all the saved to WALK by faith as children of light (II Cor. 5:7; Eph. 5:11).

11. The Communion of the LORD’S SUPPER as revealed through Paul for the members of the Body of Christ “till He come” (I Cor. 11:23-26).

12. All believers are made members of the Body of Christ by One Divine BAPTISM (I Cor. 12:13), by which also they are identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3,4). In light of I Corinthians 1:17, Ephesians 4:5, and Colossians 2:12, we affirm that water baptism has no place in God’s spiritual program for the Body of Christ in this dispensation of Grace.

13. The RESURRECTION of the body (Luke 24:39-43; I Cor. 15:40-44).

14. The Pretribulation RAPTURE of the Church (I Thes. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13,14; I Cor. 15:51-53; Phil. 3:20,21).

15. The personal, premillennial RETURN OF CHRIST to reign on earth (Zech. 14:4,9; Acts 1:10,11; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:4-6).

16. The ETERNAL PUNISHMENT of the unsaved dead (Luke 16:23-28; II Thes. 1:9; Rev. 14:11; 20:14,15).

17. The MYSTERY “Hid in God” was the divine purpose to make of Jew and Gentile a whole new thing, that is, the Church, which is Christ’s Body. The revelation of this Mystery was committed to Paul, and it is in his writings alone that we find the doctrine, position, walk and destiny of the Church (Gal. 1:11,12; Eph. 3:1-9; Col. 1:24-27).

Modern use
Historically, the Bereans (also called Beroeans, Barclayans or Barclayites) were a Protestant sect following former Scottish Presbyterian minister John Barclay (1734-1798). Founded in Edinburgh in 1773, the Berean Church followed a modified form of Calvinism. It had congregations in Scotland, London and Bristol, but mainly merged with the Congregationalists after Barclay's death.

Some groups among the Bible Student movement also adopted the name, such as the Berean Bible Students and the Berean Bible Institute.

A new Protestant Christian group began in the 1850s in the United States under the tutelage of Dr. John Thomas. The name "Christadelphian" was chosen as it is believed that those who believe and obey the Commandments of Christ and the Bible as the inspired word of God, are "Brethren in Christ". The original group split, with one group continuing with the name "The Christadelphians" and the second group adding the word "Berean" to become the "Berean Christadelphians". The word "Berean" was chosen to reflect the words in Acts 17, "These (Berea) 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." Christadelphians, and Berean Christadelphians believe in the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and David concerning the Kingdom of God. They deny the Doctrine of the Trinity, a central tenet of orthodox Christianity, and this refusal to recognize the triune nature of God has resulted in a major impasse between the Christadelphians/Berean Christadelphians and the Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

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