Discernment is a gift from God, and with any gift, it helps to ask for the gift (Matthew 7:7). Every gift from God is good, but I believe some gifts are more important than others. I cannot say exactly where discernment ranks among other gifts of the Spirit, but I think it ranks rather high in importance. I believe this for practical reasons. Our ability to discern is our ability to know what God is doing in the world. If we know what God is doing in the world, then we are in a much better position to join in God's work. But if we are blind to what God is doing in the world, then who knows, we might end up working against God, and its better to beat your head with a sledgehammer than to try to work against God.
Without the ability to discern the truth from falsehood, would any of us even be a Christian? Clearly it took discernment to know that Christ Jesus is truly God's Son, and religions which deny that are false. We had to search the evidence, consider the arguments, read the Bible and meditate on all of it. So if it takes discernment to even know the basic truths that lead towards heaven, then we must accept that discernment is a critical ability, important to gaining eternal life in Christ Jesus. In this note I want to talk about discernment as it relates to the various Christian churches and denominations. Just as discerning the basic truths leads us to follow Christ as the Son of God, discernment is critical in joining a church that is truly following Christ, and potentially with the same eternal consequence.
The church of Jesus Christ is the body of Jesus Christ, and a follower of Christ must be a part of that body in spirit, and as much as possible, should be in presence too. But with so many different Christian churches and denominations it can be difficult to know which particular one to join. To know the extent to which each church is truly following the Lord Jesus Christ we must discern the truthfulness of their teaching and the faithfulness of their actions. I cannot say with certainty that joining a bad church will lead a person to hell, but I will say that there is the potential for it, and because of that, I do think that it is very important for each Christian to discern how well their church is following Christ. If a certain Christian's church is not truly following Christ and His word, then that Christian must either do everything he can to change the church, or he must leave the church. For a fuller understanding on this, I want to expound on what it means to discern the truthfulness of a church's teaching and the faithfulness of a church's actions.
The truthfulness of a church's teaching
What a church preaches and teaches is definitely important. You may think its no big deal if you cannot agree with some of the preaching at your church, but if that's the case, will you feel inclined to invite someone to your church to hear that preaching? The truthfulness of the preaching and teaching is definitely important; even if you're not affected by it, you will be associated with it. So how do we discern that? The first and most important thing is to know the Bible well. There is a very good evidential basis for believing the Bible, so that seems like a good place to start. Does the church in question teach in accordance with what is written in the Bible? Do they teach everything in the Bible? Do you know the Bible well enough to answer these questions? The person who knows the Bible well can immediately spot a teaching that isn't right, and if he really knows the Bible well, he can go ahead and publicly refute that teaching (depending on his level of courage and the setting). But for anyone who has grown up in a church, you must beware of your own biases that have come from spending years in that church. You must use exegesis when studying the Bible and avoid eisegesis. Do not confuse the teaching of Scripture (what comes straight from the Bible) with the teaching of any particular pastor or denomination (what comes often from tradition and personal views).
The faithfulness of a church's action
Maybe you know with certainty that the teaching of your church is right on, and there's no worries there. But just as important as a church's teaching, and maybe even more important, is how faithful that church is in carrying out the commands of Christ. A church that believes all the right things but doesn't act on those beliefs is no good to the world, and no good to God's kingdom. What good would a witness to a crime be if that witness refused to testify? He might know exactly what happened, but if he remains silent, he is no good to anyone. Is your church actively carrying out Christ's command to love one another (John 15:12)? Is your church loving the surrounding community, as Christ commanded us to do like the good Samaritan (Luke 10:37)? Is your church publicly acknowledging Christ (Matthew 10:32)? Is your church making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)? Is your church maintaining holiness among its members (1Corinthians 5:11)? In short, is your church actively doing what it can to bring glory to God? Be honest with yourself on this one. You may like your church, and you may feel comfortable there, but that's all the more reason to question whether your church is truly alive. Compare each church with other churches, both near and far. Compare your church with the Christian church throughout history. And do not accept mediocrity, because Christ has never called His church to be just somewhat good (Matthew 5:48). If your church is not living up to God's calling, then there is two options for you: Either change the church for the better or find a new church.
I pray that God gives you the discernment necessary to find the way through all the confusion. May God's grace and peace be with all the brothers and sisters.
Without the ability to discern the truth from falsehood, would any of us even be a Christian? Clearly it took discernment to know that Christ Jesus is truly God's Son, and religions which deny that are false. We had to search the evidence, consider the arguments, read the Bible and meditate on all of it. So if it takes discernment to even know the basic truths that lead towards heaven, then we must accept that discernment is a critical ability, important to gaining eternal life in Christ Jesus. In this note I want to talk about discernment as it relates to the various Christian churches and denominations. Just as discerning the basic truths leads us to follow Christ as the Son of God, discernment is critical in joining a church that is truly following Christ, and potentially with the same eternal consequence.
The church of Jesus Christ is the body of Jesus Christ, and a follower of Christ must be a part of that body in spirit, and as much as possible, should be in presence too. But with so many different Christian churches and denominations it can be difficult to know which particular one to join. To know the extent to which each church is truly following the Lord Jesus Christ we must discern the truthfulness of their teaching and the faithfulness of their actions. I cannot say with certainty that joining a bad church will lead a person to hell, but I will say that there is the potential for it, and because of that, I do think that it is very important for each Christian to discern how well their church is following Christ. If a certain Christian's church is not truly following Christ and His word, then that Christian must either do everything he can to change the church, or he must leave the church. For a fuller understanding on this, I want to expound on what it means to discern the truthfulness of a church's teaching and the faithfulness of a church's actions.
The truthfulness of a church's teaching
What a church preaches and teaches is definitely important. You may think its no big deal if you cannot agree with some of the preaching at your church, but if that's the case, will you feel inclined to invite someone to your church to hear that preaching? The truthfulness of the preaching and teaching is definitely important; even if you're not affected by it, you will be associated with it. So how do we discern that? The first and most important thing is to know the Bible well. There is a very good evidential basis for believing the Bible, so that seems like a good place to start. Does the church in question teach in accordance with what is written in the Bible? Do they teach everything in the Bible? Do you know the Bible well enough to answer these questions? The person who knows the Bible well can immediately spot a teaching that isn't right, and if he really knows the Bible well, he can go ahead and publicly refute that teaching (depending on his level of courage and the setting). But for anyone who has grown up in a church, you must beware of your own biases that have come from spending years in that church. You must use exegesis when studying the Bible and avoid eisegesis. Do not confuse the teaching of Scripture (what comes straight from the Bible) with the teaching of any particular pastor or denomination (what comes often from tradition and personal views).
The faithfulness of a church's action
Maybe you know with certainty that the teaching of your church is right on, and there's no worries there. But just as important as a church's teaching, and maybe even more important, is how faithful that church is in carrying out the commands of Christ. A church that believes all the right things but doesn't act on those beliefs is no good to the world, and no good to God's kingdom. What good would a witness to a crime be if that witness refused to testify? He might know exactly what happened, but if he remains silent, he is no good to anyone. Is your church actively carrying out Christ's command to love one another (John 15:12)? Is your church loving the surrounding community, as Christ commanded us to do like the good Samaritan (Luke 10:37)? Is your church publicly acknowledging Christ (Matthew 10:32)? Is your church making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)? Is your church maintaining holiness among its members (1Corinthians 5:11)? In short, is your church actively doing what it can to bring glory to God? Be honest with yourself on this one. You may like your church, and you may feel comfortable there, but that's all the more reason to question whether your church is truly alive. Compare each church with other churches, both near and far. Compare your church with the Christian church throughout history. And do not accept mediocrity, because Christ has never called His church to be just somewhat good (Matthew 5:48). If your church is not living up to God's calling, then there is two options for you: Either change the church for the better or find a new church.
I pray that God gives you the discernment necessary to find the way through all the confusion. May God's grace and peace be with all the brothers and sisters.
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