Biblical Discernment

8/20/18                    Nathyn   (video)                    26

Do you use biblical discernment?

Discernment is to the church what the scientific method is to a research laboratory.  Without it, Christians and other church attenders are open to all sorts of evil and ungodly influences, spiritual and worldly.  What results can be a horrible distortion of the Gospel, immature at best and demonic at worst.

From what he told me in an hour-long conversation, Nathyn, 26, has “thrown out the baby with the bathwater” as a result of just this sort of lack of discernment.  He grew up in a Pentecostal church, where speaking in tongues at Sunday church was seen as an essential mark of salvation, and in a household that had deceptive prosperity preachers on television the rest of the week.

How can we discern truth from falsehood when it comes to spirituality?  Nathyn came to look at claims of miracles at his church and on religious television programs as nothing more than mass hysteria, wishful thinking and guilt-ridden group think.  If we haven’t come from the same sort of background, most of us have at least seen examples of these sorts of immaturity and deception on Facebook and Youtube. 

We may realize that others will place us in the same category and want nothing to do with those who misrepresent the Gospel in this way, maybe even to the point of wanting to “throw away the baby with the bathwater” and throw out Gospel truths along with the falsehoods ourselves as well.  But we just need to practice some biblical discernment instead.

First Thessalonians 5:21-22 tells us that all Christians should practice discernment: "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." In 1 John 4 we read, "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world"

How are we to practice discernment?  Just as a scientist uses physical evidence and reasoning in the laboratory, we have evidence and can practice reasoning with the word of God.  2 Peter 1 tells us that God "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence"   That true knowledge is found in God’s word, and we need to be found in His word as well.  Much of the immaturity we see in social media and elsewhere comes from believers who are not grounded in God’s word, or who are willing to sit under ungodly leadership for the same reason.

We need to learn to discern truth through the regular and lifelong study of God’s word.  “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”  (Ephesians 4:14).

Then, with growing spiritual maturity, we can begin to help ourselves and others, like Nathyn, avoid “throwing out the baby with the bathwater” as well.

PS – Nathyn graciously allowed me to record our conversation, which can be seen in its entirety at https://youtu.be/q2OXSbDHuuo