|
|
 |
|
OF DISCERNMENT IN
THE CHRISTIAN
LIFE. 1 PrefaceThis
discussion paper was prepared in response to a request from Cultwatch
who expressed concern at the authoritarian leadership policies of some
evangelical/charismatic/Pentecostal churches.
This paper is available from their website at www.cultwatch.com.
The author is a retired secondary school teacher who has no formal theological training. I do not pretend to be infallible and I welcome criticisms, corrections and additions to this paper. I prefer the hard question to the easy answer. The bibliography at the end of the paper reflects not only my research but also my indebtedness to others. It
is assumed that the reader accepts the final authority of Scripture
in spiritual matters. However,
it was interesting and profitable for me to write this paper and I pray
that others may also find it useful. While
the English-speaking world is blessed with many good translations of
the New Testament, no single translation can bring out the different
nuances of the Greek. Therefore
this paper uses word studies to adequately understand the Word of God,
as well as using a variety of translations.
Scripture passages are taken from the NIV of the Bible unless
otherwise indicated. Jim Peacock MA (Hons), Diploma of Teaching. |
|
2
Contents
1
Preface
3 Introduction: Spiritual Discernment.“My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.” [1] (1 John 4:1) We live in an age in which almost any and every religious opinion or philosophy is tolerated. While we accept a person’s right to their own opinion and their democratic right to freedom of worship, it should not mean that we uncritically accept every religious teaching as equally valid. To do so, is to invite error and deception into our lives. The Bible places a strong emphasis on “truth”, its own eternal and absolute truths about “the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). God requires us to use our mind and reason and education in matters of faith. For example, John challenges us to learn to discern between truth and error, and to identify deceivers and avoid them. This is not presumption but a Scriptural command. We are also challenged to “make judgments about all things” (1 Corinthians 2:15 NIV) or “appraise everything” [2] and to have “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). It means examining, scrutinizing and investigating spiritual matters. It also means appraising spiritual things so that we value what God values, love what he loves and hate what he hates. A Christian is a spiritual person who by the Holy Spirit has some insight into the plans and purposes of God. Reader, how discerning are you in matters of faith and spirituality? Although the Bible presents Christianity as a way of life to be personally and corporately experienced and not just a theory to be believed, its writers are not naive or uncritical about the nature of all spiritual experiences. Believers are not to be naive about claims of spiritual authority, and gullibly accept all such claims. The Christian faith is not to be mistaken for credulity and naivety. The OT frequently warned Israel of the importance of distinguishing an authentic prophet from a counterfeit and the danger of listening to false prophets. In the NT Jesus and the apostles were not the only miracle-workers. Within the early Church it was necessary to “test the spirits” (NIV), to see if they were from God. The presence of false prophets claiming the authority of the Holy Spirit underlines this necessity. Behind every preacher is a spirit that is either of God or the devil. Before we can trust, we must test, as it is the origin of a spirit that is all-important. This "testing" is an evaluation of spiritual claims based upon the authority of the Scriptures. The extremes of gullibility and cynicism are both to be avoided. There is an urgent need for discernment among Christians. Many cults and charismatic leaders have gained popular support, often among disenchanted former church members. In an age of celebrity, some of these “super-apostles” claim special authority based on divine revelation or “anointing” or “prophetic mantle” to validate their teachings. It is a tragic mistake to have a misguided tolerance toward false teaching. Only healthy teaching can result in healthy living. The question of who does and who does not speak for God is an issue relevant to every generation. To identify the true from the false, we must examine their message and their moral life and character. 4 The Need For Discernment As A General Rule Of The Christian LifeDiscernment may be simply defined as the ability to biblically decide between right and wrong, between truth and error, between good and evil. The New Testament teaches in 1 Corinthians 14:29, Philippians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, and in 1 John 4:1, that it is the responsibility of every Christian to exercise caution and discernment, especially in spiritual matters. To be healthy a church needs to feed on sound teaching, and the members of a church, as well as its ministers, should be discerning lest they be led astray by false teaching. Failure
to discern between error and truth leaves the Christian immature,
vulnerable to false teaching
and at risk of being “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 men in their
deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14).
“Tossed back and forth” refers to restless waves as a picture of instability.
The Greek “kludonizomai”, found only here in the NT,
Strong’s #2831, means figuratively “to be mentally agitated”[3].
The next image is of ship drifting helplessly at the mercy
of a storm and tossed by varying winds.
"Blown here and there"
is the Greek “peripheo”, Strong’s #4064, and literally means
"to carry here and there”[4].
It was used of spinning tops and feeling dizzy.
Thayer says it means “to be driven in doubt and hesitation,
to be led away now to this opinion, now to that.”[5]
This
describes the confusing effect of false doctrine.
Some Christians have not carefully examined their beliefs and
consequently accept every new opinion and follow uncritically the
guidance of every new teacher.
Whereas we should carefully examine what is truth and become
firmly grounded in what the Bible teaches. Then
Paul changes to another image: the evil influences are described as
the clever trickery of the dice-player who employs subtle forms of
deceit and showmanship. "Cunning"
is the Greek “kubeia”, Strong’s #2940, from which comes “cube”
or “dice”, and refers to a game of dice and, by extension, to trickery
of every kind. It is
a picture of anything that happens by chance as in the throw of dice.
It describes a Christian whose beliefs seem to be the result
of mere chance and not careful study of the Bible.
"Craftiness"
“panourgia”, Strong’s #3834, is the unscrupulousness that stops
at nothing. It literally
means “readiness to do anything” [6]
usually in a bad sense of cunning behaviour. All
Christians should measure what they are taught against the infallible
Word of God
which is “able
to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is God-breathed
and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.” (2
Timothy 3:15-17) 5 The Laity Have The Right And Duty Of Private JudgmentThe laity has the right and duty of private judgment, and should exercise it by testing every human teaching by Scripture. For example, NT prophecy was limited (1 Corinthians 13:9); and subject to restraint, and it was to be evaluated by the congregation (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). The AV “judge” in 1 Corinthians 14:29 is the Greek verb “diakrino” Strong’s #1252 which means “to separate, make a distinction, discriminate”[7]. Arndt and Gingrich[8] have “pass judgment”, as does the NASB. Paul regulates prophecy in order to avoid confusion and establish a balance in the worship service (1 Corinthians 14: 40). His guidelines concern not only what the prophets say but also the spirits of the prophets as well. The congregation, especially those with the gift of prophecy and the gift of discernment, should “weigh carefully” (NIV) the authenticity of any prophecy. This judgment involves its content, especially in its relation to Scripture, its spirit, and its relevance to that particular meeting. J. C. Ryle, the nineteenth century Anglican Bishop of Liverpool said: “The principle laid down is this: Prove all things by the Word of God. All ministers, all teaching, all preaching, all doctrines, all sermons, all writings, all opinions, all practices, prove all by the Word of God. Compare all with the standard of the Bible. Weigh all in the balances of the Bible. Examine all by the light of the Bible. Test all in the crucible of the Bible. That which can abide the fire of the Bible, receive, hold, believe, and obey. That which cannot abide the fire of the Bible, reject, refuse, repudiate, and cast away.”[9] Albert Barnes, 1798-1870, the American Presbyterian preacher and writer emphasizes: “Christianity
does not require people to disregard their reason, or to be credulous.
It does not expect them to believe anything because others
say it is so. It does not make it a duty to receive as undoubted truth all
that synods and councils have decreed, or all that is advanced by
the ministers of religion. It
is, more than any other form of religion, the friend of free inquiry, and would lead people everywhere to understand
the reason of the opinions which they entertain; compare Acts 17:11-12;
1 Peter 3:15.”[10] 6 Other Passages That Encourage Discernment Between Truth And ErrorA wise person obeys the apostle’s command to exercise discernment. The apostles Paul and John have given the criteria for knowing when a statement, either in normal speech or in a prophetic utterance, is a message from God and when it is not, in 1 Corinthians 12:3; and 14:3, 29; and 1 John 4:1-3. It
is important that believers do not accept unquestioningly everything
that is told them by teachers of the Bible but discern between the
spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 6.1 The Test Of One’s Attitude To Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:3)“Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.” One
test of a person’s spiritual claims is their attitude toward Jesus
Christ. Throughout this
epistle, the author states that a proper understanding of Christ is
a mark of genuine Christianity.
This doctrinal test is not sufficient in every situation as
mere verbal confession of a doctrinal statement does not guarantee
genuineness. Only the
Holy Spirit can enable us to submit to the lordship of Christ. 6.2 The Test Of Edification (1Corinthians 14:3)“But
everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement
and comfort.” The Greek word for “edification” (KJV) is “oikodome” which comes from “oikos” house, and “demo”, build. So it means literally “the act of building”. Arndt and Gingrich say that “oikodome” has the figurative sense of “spiritual strengthening”[11]; hence the NIV translation of “strengthening”. The
test of edification, or spiritual profit and advancement, must be
applied to both glossolalic speech (“tongues” KJV) and to preaching
in normal speech. Genuine
prophecy is positive and encouraging, rather than negative: it builds
up, stirs up, and cheers up.
In public worship we should only have what “builds up” the
church. New Testament
prophecy was limited (1 Corinthians 13:9) and to be evaluated or “weighed
carefully” (NIV) by the congregation (1 Corinthians 14:29).
Paul says that only two or three prophets should speak in a
service, and let the listeners i.e. the congregation “judge”
(AV). The verb is “diakrino”,
Strong’s #1252, which means “denoting separation, to distinguish,
discriminate, discern, decide, judge, to make a distinction or difference.”[12].
This requirement to “pass judgment” (1 Corinthians 14:29 NASB) on public utterance is the
responsibility of every believer. 6.3 Balance Love With Discernment (Philippians 1:9-10)“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.” (NKJV) Paul realized that Christian love should be guided by “judgment” (KJV) or “depth of insight” (NIV) or “keen perception” (Weymouth). The word “discernment” (NIV) is the Greek “aistheesis”, Strong’s #144, found only here in the NT. Thayer defines it as “perception, cognition, discernment”[13] Arndt and Gingrich suggest “perception, denoting moral understanding, become rich in every (moral) experience”[14] A Christian is expected to show discrimination and judgment in spiritual matters. In verse 10 the apostle prays that the saints may "approve the things that are excellent" or "distinguish between the things which differ," (NASB margin) i.e., "approve" after distinguishing and discerning. The Greek word “dokimazo”, Strong’s #1381, [approve or discern] means frequently in the NT to prove with a view to approval. The NIV says, “so that you may be able to discern what is best.” while the NEB has, “the gift of true discrimination.” (See discussion re 1 Thessalonians 5:21 below) Paul prays for their improvement in knowledge, perception and judgment, the more thoughtful and intellectual aspect of Christian character. He prays that their enthusiastic love to God and people might overflow from the emotional to the intellectual part of their character and become a means of spiritual insight. He wanted their love to be more balanced and enriched by moral discernment and by a critical ability to discriminate between what was right and wrong and what was good and evil. Love,
Paul says, must comprehend with accuracy and apply the truth with
discrimination and discernment in all kinds of situations.
To “approve only what is right”
(The Translator’s NT) or “to see clearly the difference between
right and wrong” (Living Bible) is to accept that which through
testing has proved to be essential and vital.
The result of intelligent love is a right sense of values.
He would not have them
love and approve all spiritual things indiscriminately.
The apostle wanted them to be intelligent Christians who
understood the difference between truth and error in spiritual matters. 6.4 How To Distinguish The True From The False (1 John 4:1-3)“Dear
friends, do not believe every spirit, but test [Greek “dokimazo”]
the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets
have gone out into the world.
This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit
that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from
God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from
God. This is the spirit
of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is
already in the world.” The problem of distinguishing truth from error when many are claiming to be inspired is an old one. John gives a caution about lying spirits, false prophets and the exposure of false teaching; demonic forces are behind these false teachers. “Every spirit” refers to every teacher claiming inspiration by the Holy Spirit. If an angel's message should be tested by the Word of God how much more men's teachings, however sincere the teachers seem (Galatians 1:8). John stressed the importance of right belief as an evidence of genuine Christianity. The apostle was speaking of people who claimed to be Christians but who spoke as deadly opponents of Christianity. John wanted to provide direction to distinguish between the true and the false. John directed his readers to test the words of those who claimed to speak for God because of the possibility of the presence of false prophets. All pretensions to divine inspiration, or to being authorized teachers of religion, were to be examined by the proper tests, because there were many false and delusive teachers who set up such claims in the world. The
test by which public utterances were to be judged was the acceptance
of Jesus Christ as God's incarnate Son (verses 2-3).
He also indicated that the worldly message of the false prophets
would attract an audience that was gullible in their acceptance of
error (verse 5). This verse emphasizes that believers are not to be naive about claims of spiritual authority, gullibly accepting all such claims. Instead, believers are cautioned to subject the spirits to testing to see whether or not they are of God. The presence of false prophets claiming the authority of the Holy Spirit underlines the necessity of "testing the spirits." This "testing" is an evaluation of spiritual claims based upon the authority of the Scriptures. Timothy
was not to be led astray by religious impostors.
Verse 16 is one of the greatest verses in the NT to describe
the inspiration of the Bible.
“God-breathed” is
one word in Greek, “theopneustos”, only found here in the NT.
The
words of Scripture are to be received as from God. God
breathed his truth into those who wrote the Bible, by the supernatural
influence of the Holy Spirit, so that it is an authoritative and trustworthy
book. It is the yardstick
or standard of comparison by which all doctrine should be measured.
"Thoroughly equipped"
includes the Greek word “artios”. Arndt and Gingrich[15]
define it as “complete, capable, proficient
= able to meet all demands". 6.5 Test Before You Trust: (1 Thessalonians 5:21)“Do not restrain the Holy Spirit; do not despise inspired messages. Put all things to the test: keep what is good and avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 TEV) “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” (NASB) “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (KJV) In the KJV the Greek word “dokimazo”, Strong’s #1381, is translated 10 times “prove”, 4 times “try”, 3 times “approve”, twice “discern”, and once “examine”. This verb has two main ideas: (1) to “test” or “prove” (2) to “approve” as the result of testing. It was used of testing metals or coins, to see if they were genuine. The Greek tense used with this verb is the present imperative; it is a command to do something in the future and involves continuous or repeated action. Thayer translates “dokimazo” as “to test, examine, prove, scrutinize to see whether a thing be genuine or not; to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve or deem worthy.”[16]. Arndt and Gingrich have “to put to the test, to prove by testing of gold, to approve or discover, to test oxen for their usefulness.”[17] Green renders “dokimazo”: “to prove by trial; to test, to assay metals; to prove, try, examine, scrutinize; to put to the proof; to approve after trial, to judge worthy; to decide upon after examination, to judge, to distinguish, to discern.”[18] “Prophecy” may be briefly defined as the ability to deliver direct revelation from God. “All things” in this context refers primarily to sayings that claim to be prophecies. They must not be accepted with credulity but are to be tested by the more objective revelation of the Bible, as the gift of prophecy was easily counterfeited and called for discernment. “Put to the test” is quite a common word in both NT and secular Greek. It is used, for example, in speaking of a moneychanger testing the genuineness of a coin. Inspired messages are to be tested in a similar way, to see whether their inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit or from the powers of evil. Genuine prophecy was not to be suppressed. “Despise” includes the ideas of treating something as of no account and of rejecting it with contempt. The “good” refers to what is genuine and not counterfeit. Keeping what is good and avoiding every kind of evil are the two consequences of putting all things to the test. Paul’s commands also have a wider meaning. The word "prophecies" suggests the public proclamation or preaching of the word of God. When Paul says, “put all things to the test”, he means "everything which claims to be an inspired message," and he is advising his readers in general terms not to take anything at its face value. We should carefully check out what preachers and teachers say, accepting what is true and rejecting what is false. There are difficulties involved in evaluating inspired messages. If one calls them "messages that come from God," then obviously there is no point of putting them to the test and keeping what is good while rejecting the rest. The same would be true if one called them "messages which come from the Holy Spirit," for such a phrase would indicate that all such message are valid. The only way in which these problems may be avoided is to say "all messages given by those who claim to speak on behalf of God." Such an expression defines the role of "the prophet," in its New Testament sense, and provides a basis for the warning in verse 21. Matthew Henry, 1662-1714, the English Presbyterian minister and Bible commentator comments on 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “The doctrines of human infallibility, implicit faith, and blind obedience, are not the doctrines of the Bible. Every Christian has and ought to have, the judgment of discretion, and should have his senses exercised in discerning between good and evil, truth and falsehood.”[19] 7 The Need To Discern The Body Of Christ“Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-32). Some
of the Corinthians were coming to the Lord's Table in an unworthy
or unfitting manner. Paul
gives a sharp warning about anyone who participates in the Lord’s
Supper or Communion Service “without recognizing the body of the
Lord ”(NIV) or “discerning the Lord's body” (NKJV)
and thus eats and drinks judgment against themselves. The Greek “diakrino” Strong’s #1252, means “to separate,
make a distinction, discriminate”[20].
Arndt and Gingrich[21]
have “pass judgment”, as
does the NASB. Weymouth
has “fails to understand.”[22] The early Christians held a love feast in connection with the Lord's Supper, during which they gathered for a fellowship meal. Apparently some of the wealthier members were not sharing their food with the poor (v. 21). This unworthy approach also involved divisions among the fellowship (v. 18), strong differences of opinion (v. 19), gluttony and drunkenness (v. 21), and snobbery (22). Thus
to approach the Lord's Table carelessly with self-indulgence and a
lack of consideration for others is to eat and drink judgment to oneself,
and fail to understand the true nature and meaning of the Lord's body
i.e. the Church of God. At
Corinth this judgment of God had resulted in sickness and even death
(v. 30). 7.1 The Lack Of Discernment Has Two AspectsSome interpreters understand the term “without recognizing the body ” to refer to the elements of bread and wine themselves. Note that the bread remains bread. The sin in this case would be one of desecration. However, it seems that Paul understands the bread which we break as referring not only to the personal body of the Lord Jesus in which he lived and died and rose again, but also to “the Church which is his body.” Paul uses the image of the Church as a body in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; 11:17-34 and in 12:12. In this case the lack of discernment has two aspects. First, a lack of reverence and the inappropriate behaviour of the Corinthian Christians was a denial of Christian fellowship. Instead of sharing the food and drink, the wealthier church members ate and drank it themselves, while the poorer members, who had little to bring, went hungry. For Christians today it is a reminder of the need to examine our own hearts, to recognize our own sins, and in honest repentance confess them to God. The word “examine” is the Greek “dokimazo” Strong’s #1381 which means “test to approve”. This word was often used of the testing of metals. (See discussion re 1 Thessalonians 5:21 above). We examine ourselves rather than one another; we examine our own spiritual condition and our motives; we discern or distinguish between what we are and what, by the grace of God, we should become. Holy Communion was instituted by the Lord Jesus himself and has deep significance for the risen Lord, as the host, is present in a special way. Therefore self-examination is essential. The
second aspect is the failure to recognize the unity of the body of
Christ of which the individual believer, together with all the members
of the church, is a part. The
Lord’s Table is a family occasion and should be an opportunity for
encouraging mutual edification and unity among believers. 7.2 Discernment Involves Living Out Spiritual Unity“Is
not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation
in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break
a participation in the body of Christ?
Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one
body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”
(1 Corinthians 10:16-17) The
Greek “koinonia” Strong’s #2842 means “fellowship, association,
community, communion, joint participation, the share which one has
in anything, participation, intimacy.”[23]
The passage emphasizes the corporate nature of this sacrament
and the responsibility of the individual to all. 7.3 What Does It Mean To Be “Guilty Of The Body And Blood Of The Lord”?Verse 27 is a serious warning against thoughtless or careless participation in the Lord’s Supper. The Greek “enokos” Strong’s #1777, “guilty” (KJV; NIV) means “worthy of punishment”[24]. It is a legal term that means “liable, answerable, guilty.”[25] Given the significance of the bread and wine, anyone who eats them in a way that is not in keeping with their purpose of uniting believers with each other and with their Lord “will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.” (27). So every person should examine his attitude toward his brothers and sisters in the Lord before he participates in this intimate fellowship meal. If we do not genuinely affirm our unity in the local church, then we fail to “recognize the body of the Lord,” (29) i.e. we deny the purpose of Christ’s death on the cross. We do not celebrate the unity of all believers with Christ in the universal Church, and consequently we “eat and drink judgment upon ourselves”. Such people put themselves on the side of the enemies of Christ who killed him. It is to share the guilt of those who crucified Christ. Paul explained that the “judgment” involved sickness and death (30). That God may use such a severe method of discipline towards his children should encourage self-discipline, self-examination, confession of sin, and a healthy respect for the things of God. 8 The Importance Of Discerning The “Signs Of The Times”.
“The
Pharisees and Sadducees came to |