DISCERNMENT:

LEARNING TO SEPARATE GOOD FROM EVIL

 

 

WHAT IS DISCERNMENT?

 

“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  Heb. 5:14 (NIV)

 

“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, (even) those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”  Hebrews 5:14 (Geneva Study Bible)

 

Discernment in the Greek language means judicial estimation, discern, disputation.  It comes from a word meaning to separate thoroughly, withdraw, oppose, discriminate, decide, hesitate, contend, make to differ, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.

 

So if you wrestle with wavering in what you discern, now you know why.  These words describe the process the receiver of discernment goes through!  When the discerner is confronted with something that appears good on the outside, but isn’t, it becomes a stumbling block to his spirit.  His flesh sees good signs, but his spirit is disputing, opposing, hesitating, contending, differing, doubting, staggering, and wavering against the outward appearance.  Discernment is an internal war as one grapples to line up what they perceive, with Who God is, and what is being offered.

 

In the Bible, we have numerous examples in the Old and New Testament revealing that discernment is connected to word having to do with the judicial process.  The bottom line is that discernment is like a pair of judicial balance scales.  A person carefully weighs evidence, both pro and con.  They separate the evidence into two piles… good and evil, right and wrong, true and false, holy and profane, etc.

 

Note that discernment is the actual PROCESS of separating into two piles, it is NOT the decisions based upon what is separated.  As compared to a judicial court case, the word discern would be equivalent to the process of hearing a case and separating the evidence.  This process is like what a jury goes through to deliberate evidence.  The jury does not have the power to pass a sentence of punishment for the results of lawlessness.  They merely separate the facts and decide whether someone is innocent or guilty.

 

I.                   WE ARE TO DISCERN SPIRITUAL FOOD.

 

When we receive spiritual food, through any means, we are to chew the meat and spit out the bones.  This happens when we separate what is from the Lord, from the enemy and from the flesh.

 

“You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others.  Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures.  You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food.  And a person who is living on milk isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know much about doing what is right.  Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right.”  Hebrews 5:12-14 (NLT)

 

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Numbers to the Greek words:

 

“But solid (4731) food (5160) belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use (1838) have their senses (145) exercised (1128) to discern (1253) both good (2570) and evil (2556).” (NKJV)

 

solid – stereos – steadfast, strong, sure

food – trophe – food, meat

use – hexis – habit, practice, use

discern – diakrisis – from judicial estimation (1252),   

                                 discerning, disputation

               1252 – diakrino – to separate thoroughly, to

                withdraw from, to discriminate, contend, discern,

                doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.

good – kalos – beautiful, good, valuable, virtuous

evil – kakos – worthless, depraved, injurious, bad, evil,

                      wicked.

 

II.               SOLID FOOD

 

As a baby grows, eventually he or she comes off pure milk and needs solid food and meat to grow strong and healthy.  During the breakdown of food in the stomach the particles separate.  The good part is sent to the cells, the waste is sent away.

 

Discerning spiritual food is similar to the process of digesting various Words from the Lord, through an impure or a mixed source, including our own distorted perceptions.  First we separate what we hear by pondering it in bite size pieces.  After we swallow, the food separates mixture: nutrient vs. waste.  The nutrient feeds our relationship with the Lord, and the waste is unused and discarded.

 

 

SCRIPTURES ON DISCERNMENT

 

And, if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?"
Deuteronomy 18:21