Learning Discernment
It’s hard in these times to discern what truth is. The meaning and value of truth itself has changed in the last few decades. Often, instead of searching for truth, “truth” is what each person decides or feels it is Core principles once generally accepted have been redefined including the value and definitions of terms such as: human life, marriage, sexuality, love, and gender. How can we, who want to be followers of Christ, know who to believe and what is true? Is truth important at all? Is love the only thing that matters? Can love be separated from truth? Who do we believe and how do we discern human wisdom with its lies and half-truths from God’s wisdom? Our quandary is not so different from the questions challenging believers of Paul’s world in the first century. It was also full of worldly wisdom.
While in prison near the end of his life, Paul wrote these beautiful words to believers in Philippi:
“For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” – (Philippians 1:8-11 [ESV]).
Paul’s prayer was that his readers’ love would increase, accompanied by knowledge and discernment. In almost every letter Paul wrote to the churches he addressed concerns about the believers being led astray due to a lack of discernment. There were many false teachers then, both in and outside the church, who were teaching “another gospel.” How were the believers to develop the ability to discern what was the real gospel from a false one?
In John’s words, how were believers to “test the spirits” or, again considering Paul’s words to believers in Rome, Corinth, and Colosse, how were they to discern the will of God?
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 [ESV]).
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2 [ESV]).
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14 [ESV]).
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8 [NKJV]).
Paul’s concerns are as relevant now as they were then. Today, false gospels, false perspectives, false worldviews, and false gods abound. Remembering Jesus’ prophecy that true faith would be put to severe testing in the final days, the danger presented by these falsehoods may be even greater now than they were in the first century.
One of the many amazing things about Jesus was his ability to discern what God desires. We need to learn discernment from him. What was his “worldview”? How did he always know what the right decision was? What was his perspective? What helped him to see the adversary in Peter’s rebuke (Matthew 16:22)? What helped him answer his own adversary in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11)?
It is helpful here to compare the temptation of Eve with the temptation of Jesus. When the tempter came to Eve, he immediately questioned God’s law and called God a liar. All of the statements of the serpent were lies about God, his goodness, and his sovereignty. Why did Eve believe these lies? Because she wanted to. That is, she wanted the fruit and she wanted to be like God. See Genesis 3:1-6.
When the tempter came to Jesus, the temptations were more subtle but were based on the same lies. God’s sovereignty, his loving care, and his purpose were all called into question. In each test Jesus was able to see the lies about God and reject them. His heart’s desire was to serve his Father, not himself. He knew his Father, knew his Father’s love and purpose, and so was able to discern the truth. See Matthew 4:1-11.
Thus, the discernment of the things of God requires both knowledge and a desire to serve Him in love. Both love for God and the knowledge of God and his purpose are needed to recognize and turn from lies. What are some principles that will help us develop the knowledge of God and his purpose? How can we discern right choices and make godly decisions as Jesus did?
Here are some thoughts:
The Flesh versus the Spirit
As with Eve, our natural, fleshly nature is self-centered. It is not God-centered. As observation of any small child will show, we want what we want. And we will find a way to get it, even if it means we believe lies about God. In other words, our natural hearts are deceitful. Paul describes our struggle like this:
“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17 [ESV]).
We need to be wary always whether we are guided by our own desires or by the spirit of God. Paul tells us that the outworking of our choices indicates what is guiding us. The results of our own desires bring things like hatred, jealousy, self-indulgence, etc. The results, that is, the “fruit” of the Spirit, which is the power of God, include love, joy, and peace. See Galatians 5:20-24.
Life-giving vs destructive
How can we know if a teaching, attitude, or a behavior is pleasing to God? Is it from man or God? The wise man wrote: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12) God is for life. He sent his son so that we may have life. If it is from God, it will bring life. If it is human wisdom, it is not life-giving. It will ultimately bring death and destruction. Look at the outcome: life or death, for us or for others.
“It’s my body” vs It’s God’s body
God made our bodies with purpose and beauty. He made us male and female for His purpose. As servants of our God, we are exhorted to honor God with our bodies. Any teaching that encourages dishonor to our bodies, or using our bodies for activities not in accord with God’s purpose, is not of God. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
… But you can't say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead. Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? … Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 18-20 [NLT]).
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:1-2 [NLT]).
Love is not enough
The last command that Jesus gave to his disciples before his death was to love one another. Love is critical in our relationship with God, with Jesus, with each other, and with all those around us but it is not necessarily enough. Sometimes good motives, as in the motive of love, do not always lead to good outcomes. Many times loving action can lead to unintended consequences that are not helpful and sometimes are even destructive. One quick example of this is Peter’s reaction to Jesus’ prophecy of his violent death. Peter responded immediately, with obvious love for Jesus, that this should never be. However, this did not help Jesus. It did not give Jesus the support and encouragement that Peter was trying to give him. In fact, Jesus responded:
"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns" (Matthew 16:23 [NIV]).
Instead of helping Jesus, Peter was putting a stumbling-block in front of him. He was not helping Jesus overcome the temptation to try to avoid a painful death. Love needs to be in accord with God’s will and purpose. Look at your motives but also consider the outcomes.
Seek God’s direction
In everything we need to always seek God’s will and his direction, his will before our own will. Through Godly fear–namely the awe of God—and humility comes godly wisdom. Ask and you will receive. Ask to know his will and he will show you which path, which choice:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.” (Psalm 111:10 [NKJV]).
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT]).
Keep following Jesus
Jesus is the example of having a thorough knowledge and understanding of God’s word and living a life of constant prayer seeking God’s will. He trusted God and trusted his love, even when that led to the cross. We have a promise from God, as quoted above by Paul to the Roman believers: that God will “transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Grab onto this promise and keep asking God that he will do this through the power of his Spirit that lives in you. This is an ongoing process. Jesus overcame the flesh, not just when he died on the cross, but each and every day of his life. While reading the gospel books notice how many times Jesus went to a solitary place to pray.
Yes, we live in a world that denies that God even exists. Society teaches that there is no absolute truth and instead that we should live according to our feelings. It asserts that the world and our lives have no real ultimate purpose. How opposite this is to the teaching of the purposeful, loving God who is our Father! But sadly, we can be easily deceived to believe lies about our Father. We need help to see, to understand, to discern, to know our loving Father and his Son, our Lord.
Finally, be warned. In the first century church the deception was not just in the world. There was deception within the church that involved not just doctrinal issues but also the misunderstanding of the grace of God, which was leading to immorality in the church. (See Romans 6.) Both Peter and Jude warn about these false teachers, and we need to take heed to this warning especially now:
“But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies…” (2 Peter 2:1 [NLT]).
“I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people…” (2 Peter 3:17-18 [NLT]).
“For certain individuals…have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4 [NIV]).
We need to be aware. With love we need to be able to discern Godly wisdom. And we need God’s help to do that.
“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”
Worldview Articles.
-
Biblical Worldview Part One
The Creator’s Purpose.
-
Biblical Worldview Part Two
God’s Authority.
-
Exploring the Biblical Worldview
An introduction into the greater topic.
-
Worldviews Part One
Discussing Worldviews.
-
Worldviews Part Two
Discussing Challenging Issues.
-
Related Content & Resources
A compilation of researched books, podcasts, videos, and other literature that may be helpful or edifying, regarding this topic.