Two other causes of apostasy are therefore ingratitude and presumption.​—2 Pet. 2:10b-13a.

16. (a) What other pitfall should we avoid? (b) What twofold lesson can we learn from the Beroean Jews?

¹⁶ To avoid falling away from the faith, we also need to guard against ingratitude. We should be thankful for the abundant spiritual food we are receiving through the “faithful and discreet slave.” (Matt. 24:45) This does not mean that we should not convince ourselves of things as we go along. In this respect, a twofold lesson can be learned from the Beroean Jews. To be sure, they ‘carefully examined the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so,’ but they were also “noble-minded” because “they received the word [being preached to them by Paul and Silas] with the greatest eagerness of mind.”​—Acts 17:11.

17, 18. What should we be able to distinguish, and what advice does Paul give on this?

¹⁷ Such grateful eagerness to learn will help us to cultivate love and acquire accurate knowledge, together with full discernment. These Christian qualities will, in turn, enable us to distinguish between things of major importance and those of lesser importance.