DoSD 3: defining discernment

Okay, so here we finally come to the actual DEFINITION of discernment!! (and to the third chapter ~ I've had to read it three times over the last month, because I keep getting distracted from my goal of reviewing each chapter here!)

I appreciate what Challies has done by laying some foundational work regarding the importance of desiring and pursuing discernment, why it's necessary, and how discernment relates to our spiritual maturity before getting to the "meat and potatoes" of defining and developing discernment. At first I thought it odd that the definition wouldn't have been addressed in the first chapter, but coming to it now certainly makes sense.

Challies begins this chapter with a brief look at exactly why definitions are important because he goes on to indicate the differences between knowledge, wisdom and discernment, of which the latter two often seem to be used interchangeably in the Bible. Challies says this is an indication that they are inexorably linked, like two sides of a single coin. He demonstrates, however, that there seems to be a progression from knowledge (bare facts) to wisdom (understanding moral and ethical dimenions of facts and data) to discernment (the application of this acquired wisdom to life.)

The author then goes on to look at the Hebrew and Greek words that are used in the Biblical passages referring to knowledge, wisdom, discernment, judgment, and understanding in order to form his own succinct definition of Biblical discernment:

the skill of understanding and applying God's Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong

and spends the rest of the chapter examining each of the elements of the definition. Not surprisingly, words like "skill" and "understanding" indicate that discernment isn't something we will just have, but something we need to study for and practise. It requires lifelong dedication.

"...biblical discernment looks beyond the will of God to the truth of God. We can only know God's will when we first know God's truth, for what God desires and requires of us must always be consistent with his character. Wise decisions are those that are made on the firm basis of what is true about God and, thus, what is true about the world, about life, and about ourselves. Those who make decisions that honor God are those who have invested effort in studying what God says to be true. (54, emphasis in the original)

"We can only worship and glorify God on the basis of what we know of him. In order to be discerning, we must know and understand what is true about God. To do this we turn to God's Word. And so, to be discerning, we must first be students of the Bible. We must study it, we must read about it, and we must hear it taught from the pulpit." (63)

Challies then goes on to address something we find creeping into our evangelical churches today ~ this erroneous belief that experience is more important than intellect; the teaching that discernment is an intuitive (subjective) matter of the Spirit working through the heart rather than an intellectual matter of using the mind to test, weigh, and judge between truth and error, right and wrong (objective).

This is feelings-based faith rather than trust in the infallible Word of God. This is not true Christianity. This is mysticism! (or gnosticism, if you like. Either way, the Bible calls it HERESY.)

He indicates there are two main problems with this belief. One, this belief implies there are two levels of discernment ~ objective and subjective ~ and two, it implies the second level, the subjective level, is suprerior to the first and somehow relies more fully on the Holy Spirit. "It supposedly moves beyond the limited mental capabilities of humans and allows the Spirit to interact directly with the heart of the believer to notify him of some problem or error." (68)

Of even greater concern, however, is the fact that this belief is not supported by Scripture.

"A survey of passages of Scripture relevant to the subject of discernment, words dealing with testing, judging, approving, and the like, will reveal nothing that would allow us to believe that the Holy Spirit will provide some type of subjective sense of discernment apart from the Bible. Instead we see that discernment points us continually to the Scriptures, to the objective source of truth meant to guide us in all matters of life and faith. Any method that points anywhere but Scripture implicitly points away from Scripture. It must be rejected." (69, emphasis in original)

To think biblically about life, we must be willing to make clear distinctions between God's ways and all other ways. To know God's ways, requires studying the Scriptures. It requires time and effort.

It requires all of us to become devoted, lifelong theologians.