Many things in life look beautiful on the outside but possess a hideous core. As William Shakespeare famously said, “all that glitters is not gold.” This truth also applies to Christianity. Proverbs 14:12 says, “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
What makes us recognize this shiny road paved with false promises is biblical discernment.
Discernment is “the ability to judge well.” It’s distinguishing between the truth and error. Charles Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
And Sinclair Ferguson said, “True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best.”
Why we need discernment
Christians need to be discerning for several reasons.
It is God’s will
Being discerning is a biblical command and a believer’s responsibility. Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” And 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “but test everything; hold fast what is good.”
Discernment is linked to spiritual growth
A mature Christian is discerning, and a discerning Christian is mature. Discernment takes us from “children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes,” (Ephesians 4:14), to “the mature, those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14).
Discernment protects us from false teachings
The visible church abounds with false teachers who sneak in destructive heresies. They are like their father, the devil who masquerades as an angel of light to deceive us (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Discernment guards us against their lies. John 4:1 says, “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.”
Being discerning helps us think biblically
Discernment helps us navigate every area of our lives through Scriptural lenses, so we don’t conform to the world but the image of Christ. Romans 12:2 says, “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.”
Discernment improves our discipleship
When we are mature and discerning, we can come alongside brothers and sisters who are being deceived and bring them to the truth. Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual [mature] should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Priscilla and Aquila showed this when they took Apollos aside and corrected his teachings (Acts 18:24-28).
Discernment protects the church
When members of a local body are discerning, they are a bulwark against false teachings gaining a foothold in their community. Take Priscilla and Aquila, for instance. Acts 18:26 says, “He [Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” This couple’s discernment protected their community from Apollos’ false teachings.
How to grow in our discernment
Discernment is a gift from God. If we want to grow in it, we must ask Him. James 1:5-8 tells us that God delights in such prayers. He will give us wisdom generously and without reproach when we ask in faith. Although God provides a sizeable portion of discernment to some believers (1 Corinthians 12:10), we all have a measure of discernment. And we must train it through constant practice. Here is how.
Know God’s Word
The best way to recognize a counterfeit is to know the authentic one well. God’s Word is the truth (John 17:17). Therefore, growing our biblical knowledge builds our discernment skills. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
It means we should read the entire Bible, study it directly—not rely on canned studies, learn how to interpret the Bible using principles of hermeneutics, meditating, and memorizing Scripture. As Charles Spurgeon said, “Be walking Bibles!”
Act like the Bereans
Acts 17:11 says, “Now these Jews [from Berea] were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Likewise, we must examine everything teaching we hear whether it’s from sermons, blogs, podcasts, books, or music, and test it against Scripture. (See Being Berean- 8 Steps for Comparing Teaching to Scripture from Michelle Lesley.)
Grow in your grace and knowledge of Christ
The more we learn about Jesus and how to follow Him, the closer we get to Him. And as we grow closer to Jesus, we increasingly learn to discern what pleases Him. Philippians 1:9-10 says, “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.”
Learn from others
Discernment ministries have a terrible reputation in the evangelical world because they call out popular teachers. But they are necessary. And we should learn from their wisdom and competence. Proverbs 13:20 says, “whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” So learn by watching seasoned saints practice discernment, but still, compare their teachings with Scripture. You can find a list of trustworthy discernment ministries here,
Discernment is vital in our spiritual lives. A lack of it means at best, a long term spiritual immaturity, and at worse, a false conversion. But remember that discernment is primarily to conform to Christ’s image and come alongside others. It’s not to go on a witch hunt.
As Corrie Ten Boom said, “Discernment is God’s call to intercession, never to fault finding.”
Hi friend, This is something that I have been trying to get across to people for years now. Discernment is the first primary virtue of utmost importance (along with Love) because without it we can’t discern the rest of the virtues from the vices. Including a mature CLEAR understanding of Love. The best definition I have found so far is… “To make that which is obscure, clear AND discriminate one thing apart from another” Its etymology is actually Latin, discernere meaning SEPARATE. So when we think about it, we are separating ideas and concepts in our mind that are still… Read more »
Thank you so much for this additional insight Paul!
Excellent post! It’s hard to know when to speak up directly. It seems like most people won’t even consider your counsel. They are prone to insult you no matter how gentle and loving you try to be.
Thank you, Cindy! It can be hard sometimes to talk to others, but as Scripture says, as much as it depends on us, we are to live at peace. Grace and peace to you!
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