Judging isn't popular in our culture. We live in fear of saying anything that could be deemed judgmental. Whatever you do just don't say that anyone or anything is wrong, right? And therein lies the paradox, you have to be careful taking any moral position in fear of being publicly ridiculed or bullied by those who oppose (or judge) you.
So how are we Christians supposed to discern or judge anything? Can we judge at all? Contrary to popularized myths that Christians shouldn't 'judge' we find a plethora of scripture instructing us with specific criteria on how and why to do so. In Tim Challies book, "The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment" several of these passages are examined in great detail. Tim explains the purpose of his book:
"I do not intend to do the work of discernment for you. There are many books, websites, and ministries that claim to teach discernment but do so by simply listing all the things you must do and the things you must not do. This book approaches the subject differently and is the result of my studies in Scripture to find the tools of discernment that God provides to us in His Word. And so I will not present a list of ministries you should avoid or endorse, authors whose books you should burn or buy, and music you should not listen to or that you should immediately download to your MP3 player. Rather, I hope to teach biblical wisdom on how you and I can become more discerning. I will present to you the wisdom of the Bible as it teaches us how we can become men and women of descernment. I will present principles you can use as you walk this life distinguishing between what is truth and what is error, what is right and what is wrong."
Below is the layout of Tim's book. One of the things I appreciated most is how he themed each chapter with a passage specifically concerning discernment.
Chapter 1: 2 Timothy 1:14 - A Call To Discernment
Chapter 2: Matthew 5:11-12 - The Challenge Of Discernment
Chapter 3: Romans 12:9 - Defining Discernment
Chapter 4: 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 - The Heart Of Discernment
Chapter 5: Ephesians 5:8-10 - Truth And Discernment
Chapter 6: Romans 12:2 - The Will And Discernment
Chapter 7: 1 John 4:1 - The Gift Of Discernment
Chapter 8: Romans 16:19 - The Dangers Of Discernment
Chapter 9: Philippians 1:9-10 - Developing Discernment
Chapter 10: 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 - The Practice Of Discernment
Conclusion: 1 Timothy 6:20 - The Discipline Of Discernment
I pray this resource aids you as you discern truth!
Cody Parman
Previous 'great read' posts to check out:
Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp
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