In approaching this whole matter of biblical understanding there are a number of factors which ought to guide us in our concern to develop the profound wisdom that is rightly called Christian discernment.

Get Your Sight

Spiritual life in Jesus Christ is the first basic requirement for discernment.

The Savior made it clear that unless a man is "born again" he may never hope to see the kingdom of God. Or put another way, a man remains spiritually blind until faith in Jesus Christ opens his eyes, enabling him to perceive spiritually.

Jesus had difficulty with His disciples in the eighth chapter of Mark. The disciples seemingly just could not comprehend what Jesus was doing. They had eyes, but did not see (v. 18). That is precisely the situation in the lives of many unbelievers today.

Twenty-twenty vision, physically, does not assure discernment. Eternal life in Jesus Christ does bring it. though.

The blind man cannot and never will see until he receives his sight. After that, the life of discovery will unfold.

In spiritual matters there often develops a strange paralysis among us. We Christians hesitate to question anything lest we grieve the Spirit of God, lest we contribute to dissension and division.

But actually God does intend that Christians have a questioning attitude. "Prove all things" (1 Thess. 5:21), and "Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1), are both biblical injunctions not to be taken lightly. One is found right alongside the exhortation against quenching the Holy Spirit.

So I am saying we must stop accepting everything that happens in church as originating from the Holy Spirit. We must stop believing that everything done in the name of Jesus is necessarily authored by Him.

It is neither carnal nor unspiritual to ask the question. The failure to question will short-circuit the process of discernment.

Side with the Holy Spirit of Almighty God

There are many antichrists, said John (1 John 2:18). And Paul talked about "another spirit," so we must clearly take our stand on the side of the acts of the Holy Spirit of Almighty God in the world today.

The scriptural injunctions are clear. "Grieve not the Holy Spirit," and "Quench not the Spirit" (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19). There is a distinct danger that some of us may become so preoccupied with discerning that we fail to see the tremendous things God is doing in the world today.

An unprecedented evangelistic harvest is being reaped worldwide. Thousands of new churches are being formed in the nations of the world every week. Hundreds of colleges and institutions are training Christian leaders everywhere. The church of Jesus Christ is militant and on the march.

There will be groups of God's children who do things differently than we do. When long ago Jesus' disciples saw others working miracles and casting out demons, they wanted to forbid them. The Savior would not allow it. Instead, he said, "Do not stop him,. . .for whoever is not against you is for you" (Luke 9:50).

So it is today, there will be those who do things we do not understand, who behave differently then we do. But we ought always to side with the creative work of the Holy Spirit. We should fear to grieve or quench Him in these last days when God is pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh.

Cultivate a Wholesome Naivete

This will appear to be contradictory because I have just quoted, "Prove all things." But love "believeth all things" (1 Cor. 13:7). Maybe it is contradictory. I happen to believe there are many things that the Bible teaches in parallel which are like the rails of a railroad. To insist on merging the rails, wrecks the train.

Christian discernment and wholesome openness are like that. Both can and should be cultivated. A wholesome biblical tension needs to be maintained. But if one falls into the suspicion syndrome, all one sees is deception. There seem to be demons under every tree; all Israel has bowed the knee to Baal, and we alone are left. This is not true today any more than it was true in Elijah's day.

If the Christian loses his disposition toward openness and readiness to believe, he has lost a very great deal. This may not be a large section, but it is an important one. Openness must be preserved at all cost. It is indispensable, and all discussion about discernment must not, dare not, destroy this precious quality of the Christian life.

The Scriptures assure us that "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor. 14:33). And the question may be immediately asked, who then is the author of confusion?

The answer to that is fairly easy, too. The possibilities are apparently only two: the devil and the flesh, meaning the carnal nature.

Billy Sunday is credited with this truism, and it is worth repeating. Said the bombastic evangelist, "I'm in favor of everything the devil is against, and against everything the devil is in favor of."

The corollary in this situation may be this, "I'm against all confusion because it almost certainly is from the devil or the flesh." It simply does not come from God, nor is it authored by Him.

To say further that all order comes from God would be going too far. Naziism was regimentation par excellence. The cults who deny the deity of Jesus Christ are often orderly indeed.

But confusion. Mark it always.

There are a number of biblical injunctions directed to the mind. and though it certainly can be documented that much learning has made some people mad, God wants us to be mature in understanding - to allow the mind of Christ to dwell in us (Col. 1:27; 2:2-3).

There are some who suppose that after Creation the Almighty approached Adam from a blind side and dropped into his mind before he could protest.

Actually, Christianity produces magnificent, creative thinking. The biblical world view allows for all kinds of perceptive thought. The biblicist (though certainly not the materialist) understands the world as it really is. True education sharpens his mind and leads him always into more truth.

The discerning Christian must not despise the educational disciplines. He must recognize that reason and the ability to deduce logically are God-given gifts which quicken his mind and propel him toward greater understanding. At the same time he must not become so enamored of logic that he becomes incapable of believing anything that is not logical. Miracles are certainly not logical, nor is the doctrine of the Trinity. Still, concepts such as these must be believed.

To pursue education as an end in itself is the ultimate in foolishness. There are many professional students who are ever learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. We do not speak of them. Their educational pursuits reveal their appalling lack of discernment. But the Christian who appreciates and welcomes the mental processes is likely to be a discerning Christian. True education is no less than residual discernment.

Those who rely on their feelings or senses to discern will falter here, but any kind of genuine knowledge, when viewed from the biblical perspective, will build wisdom and discernment.

That is why the Christian who would have wisdom and penetrating insight must not despise the way God has created him. An educated man may not be discerning, but a truly learned man certainly will be.

Keep the Church in View

Jesus said, "1 will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).

One cannot read church history or travel the world as I have done and fail to realize that the church is "a-building" as it always has been. One marvels at its diversity. Tenacity. Durability. Doctrines first expounded two thousand years ago galvanize people into revolutionary action - and wholesome adoration - today!

It is true that the church has been beset by heresies and schisms, persecution and wars. Martyrs by the millions have motivated its march, and today the universal body of Christian believers, which I take to be the real church, is flourishing as never before.

Evangelism is vigorous in encounter. The doubters and cynics are simply being overrun by thousands of dynamic Christians, almost invariably evangelicals who clearly believe they have a job to do. Even the oldest denominations show some signs of life.

Now one of the key attitudes which will always aid in discernment is to ask the question, "What does this movement, this teaching, this idea do to the church? Does it build it up - or tear it down? Does it threaten it, divide it, or bless it?" When we are uncertain, when we wonder if this new movement or that is from God, we have only to ask ourselves one question, "Does this help to build the church of the Master Builder?" If it fails that test, it must immediately be questioned and its source impugned.

Some will disagree as to what does what to the church. The charismatic movement, for example, in the eyes of some is the key to revitalized, growing churches. In the view of superintendents and bishops it is often regarded with a very unfriendly eye. Whose criteria are the correct ones?

But I repeat, it is always helpful and safe to appraise any movement by what it does to the church. The long view may be needed. Creative tensions sometimes are for the good of the church.

But Jesus Christ is building. Building. Building.

And anything that does something else must be placed under scrutiny.

Expect Deterioration

"Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse," (2 Tim. 3:13). This is the biblical warning that multiplication of sects and heresies can be expected on every side. If Christianity has spawned a thousand different heresies, we can expect ten thousand in the future. More brazen. More bizarre. More diabolic. More destructive.

Before November, 1978, Jim Jones was an unknown lunatic with a few hundred followers. After the mass suicide in Guyana, his name was burned into the memories of literally billions of people, most often as an ugly example of Christianity run amok.

So we must not even be surprised when new religious maniacs arise. They will be controlled by even more powerful and abominable religious spirits. They will deceive thousands and even millions. The ravages will be such that the words of Jesus will come to mind, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).

We have not seen anything yet!

Monitor Holiness

"Without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14, NIV). Scripture urges Christian believers to be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1).

A great many discerning decisions can be made about a great many issues by asking this question: Does this attitude, action, practice, or movement contribute toward personal holiness in the life of the believer? That single question will clarify many, many questions. That monitor on holiness will build discernment.

Cling to That Which Is Biblical

The tremendous need for biblical knowledge cannot be overstated, and all questions must be finally examined in the light of that which is thoroughly biblical. A knowledge of the Bible is the pulsating heart of Christian discernment. Berean Christians in New Testament times studied the Scriptures to see if those things St. Paul talked about were true (Acts 17:11). Discerning Christians in our day will be men and women of the Book. The more they know of the Bible, the more discerning they will be.

I would develop this theme here now, but in the section just ahead, we focus more fully on God's Word.

Chapter 7