How NOT to be Discerning (Notes on Discernment)

When I spoke on spiritual discernment early in February, I talked about four “discerning” people that nobody wants to be.

For example, there’s the Arguer.  It’s not that he wants to “contend for the Faith” (Jude 3).  He just loves to fight.  Foolish, ignorant controversies, as Paul used to say (2Timothy 2:23-25; Titus 3:9-11).  Makes him feel powerful, I guess.  Smarter than everyone else.

The second person is the Salesman.  He teaches not to give something to you, but get something from you.  Money is a favourite here, but it could be something else.  Exploitation (2Peter 2:3).  Paul called these people peddlers of God’s Word.

Then there’s the Know-it-all.  Maybe this person just graduated from seminary.  Sorry to all seminary teachers and students and former students!  I should say, he graduated from seminary but didn’t learn what his teachers tried to teach about humility!

This person can identify every problem with every sermon, and knows how to fix every problem in the church.

Or, perhaps this person has a relationship with God that you don’t have, and sees visions that you will never see.  Or maybe they are simply holier than you.  They would never do those things you do for fun.  They eat a much healthier diet, and they pray more than you.

This might be someone who is insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head… (Colossians 2:18-19)

Last but not least, your basic Hypocrite.  In my sermon I pictured this as a person with scissors, because they actually cut things out of the Bible.  Of course you have to obey these things, but they don’t.  They can pick and choose.

Jesus had some harsh words for the scribes and pharisees of His day – They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.  They do all their deeds to be seen by others. (Matthew 23:4-5)

No one wants to be any of these – but I’m afraid to say there may be a little of each one in all of us.

So how can we discern good from evil – and help others do the same – and at the same time avoid being one of the frightful four?

There are three words that I’ve thought of over and over as I’ve studied discernment …

We must begin with…

Grace:  Grace isn’t just something that saves us, it’s part of who God is and who we should be.  Instead of guessing at people’s motives (and usually we guess that they’re bad motives!), jumping to conclusions, and rejecting people the first time they do us wrong – why not hope for the best?  Take time to understand?  Forgive?

Grace covers over sins and mistakes.  Grace builds up.  Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

Patience:  Not every issue will be resolved today.  Not every bad habit will be corrected this year.  Not every verse of Scripture will be understood in this service.  Not every relationship will be restored this week.

Give it time.  Ephesians 4:11-16 reminds us that it is all a process – a process of speaking the truth in love and growing into Christ.

Humility:  Humility teaches us that we may not fail the way others do – we have our own special way.  We have our own blind spots, our own favourite sins (which aren’t as bad as the other person’s!  Or are they?), our own failures.  Humility helps us be gracious and patient.

Humility helps us stick together with other people who are still growing.  “…eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Ephesians 4:1-3

Ephesians 4 is a wonderful passage on discernment.  It’s all focused on Christ, and on love.  And if we forget these things, discernment will turn from something good into something frightening.