"And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment." (1 Chr 12:32) We need folks today who have spiritual insight, cultural discernment, and skillful decision-making techniques. We must all heed the Lord's directives in Eph. 5:15-17
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
God wants His children to be alert, perceptive, wise, and discriminatory. We must not be ostriches, with our heads in the sand; rather, we must be eagles with extraordinary spiritual vision.
I. What is the essence of biblical discernment?
A. Biblical discernment is the ability to see life as God sees it.
1. Discernment is both moral and mental.
2. It is ethical understanding which corresponds to the holy mind of God.
3. It views life, with its values and choices, from a God-centered, Bible-centered point of view.
4. It looks at each situation within the eternal creative-redemptive purpose of God.
5. We achieve it through humble, prayerful submission to God.
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;" (Col 1:9-10)
6. Such discernment affects thought, feeling, behavior, and choices.
B. Biblical Discernment is the ability to be led by the Holy Spirit.
1. One evidence of spiritual sonship is the guidance of the Spirit .
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom 8:14)
2. Apart from the illuminating ministry of the Spirit, we can neither know nor implement the mind of God in our lives.
3. No person, no matter how perceptive his sense and how high his IQ, can imagine or understand divine truth.
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Cor 2:9)
4. God has revealed what is necessary for life and godliness through the Spirit in the inspired Scriptures.
5. The Bible, and the Bible alone, is the basis of faith and practice for the Christian.
6. In order to understand it, we must be responsive to the teaching ministry of the Spirit. cf I Co. 2:10-13
7. When we do, we are able to examine all things. cf I Co. 2:15
8. We then have the ability to measure life and its decisions against the absolute standard of revealed truth.
C. Biblical Discernment is the ability to apply common sense acquired through life experiences.
1. We learn it in "the school of hard knocks."
2. We gain it by practice in making both good and bad decisions.
3. It involves study, research, counsel, maturity, and logic.
4. It involves time, truth, and the tests of life.
5. The fires of opposition and criticism will purify the ability to discern.
a. Note: James 1:2-12
b. Note: 1 Peter 1:6-7
6. Such discernment is the ability to ask the right questions at the right time in the right way to achieve the right solution.
D. Biblical discernment is the ability to distinguish between negative criticism and positive discernment.
1. We must all develop the habits of proper critical thinking without becoming emotionally critical people.
2. In criticism, we use negative, subjective bias, whereas in discernment, we seek an understanding of truth regardless of its source.
3. Discernment is both positive and objective.
4. Christ rebuked the religious leaders of Israel because they failed to discern the signs of their times. cf Mt 16:1-4
5. In their prejudice toward Him, they chose not to evaluate His ministry objectively.
E. Biblical Discernment is the ability to examine yourself before we judge Others.
1. Self examination is a prerequisite for partaking of the Lord’s Supper. cf 1Co. 11:28, 31
2. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves..." cf 2 Cor 13:5a
3. We should not have a lower standard for ourselves than we do for others.
4. After proper self-examination, we will be in a better position to discern the virtues and the faults of others.
5. We all make decisions every day; some are of little significance; others are life-changing.
6. As we seek to glorify God in all that we do, we must apply the biblical principles of discernment in all areas of our life experience.
II. Areas of Discernment
A. Between truth and error..
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)
1. We must examine all of the doctrinal statements made from the pulpit, in a classroom, in a book, over the radio, or on television.
2. We must evaluate all such statements in the light of the clear truth of the inspired Word of God (John 17:17).
B. Between right and wrong...
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa 5:20)
1. We live in a culture where homosexuality, lesbianism, abortion, and euthanasia are deemed to be politically correct by a growing, influential number.
2. Biblical family values are 'old-fashioned'.
3. The sins of adultery and fornication have been recast into the phrase "sleeping with," a softer description.
4. Those who practice sin depict those who practice righteousness as biased, intolerant bigots.
5. We must ethically evaluate the media which impacts our lives, relationships, families, and churches. "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Eph 5:11)
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1Th 5:21-22)
6. In the area of moral absolutes, we must distinguish between the light and the darkness, the black and the white.
C. Between the good and the best...
"That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;" (Phil 1:10)
1. We often have several choices which are within the moral will of God, and yet, we can only make one of those choices.
2. Should I work for this company or that company?
3. Should we live in the city or in the country?
4. Of course, such questions are not directly answered in the Scriptures.
5. Four principles to consider in a biblical approach to understanding the will of God in decision making.
a. First, the principle of obedience to God's moral will revealed in the Scriptures.
b. Second, the principle of freedom where believers are free and responsible to choose any course of action within the moral will of God.
c. Third, the principle of wisdom where a believer makes wise decisions based upon the Bible, research, counsel, and life experiences. wisdom = "the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it"
d. Fourth, the principle of humility where a believer recognizes that God's sovereign will may overrule his understanding of the situation.
6. The will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:2).
7. We should us ask these questions:
D. Between liberty and legalism...
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:" (1 Cor 10:31-32)
1. We must manifest in our lives what God is in His essence.
2. And we must do it without giving offence.
3. What does offense" mean?
a. It doesn't mean that we must always give in to the viewpoints of those with whom we disagree?
b. In genuine spiritual offense, we hurt a believer with a weak conscience.
c. When we cause that brother to do something which he deems to be sinful, even though in reality, it is not.
"For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;" (1 Cor 8:10)
d. This brother needs to grow in his understanding of his full liberty in Christ "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Gal 5:1)
e. We must not sin because Christ set us free from the penalty of sin.
f. We must love and edify one another.
g. However, we must not submit to the pressure of legalists who would impose their personal preferences upon us, passing them off as moral mandates.
h. Rather, we must distinguish between living under the standard of divine grace and living under the standard of man- made restrictions.
We must learn to discern between: truth and error; right and wrong; what is good and what is best; and between liberty and legalism.