Right Discernment”
Matthew 7:1-23
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” - Matthew 7:1-2
Right judgment flows from right discernment, and that makes discernment an important asset in this life of faith. Right discernment is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” [John 16:6-8]
‘But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” [1 Cor 2:14]
Paul wrote this to a fellowship surrounded by Greek philosophy. They had to unlearn the things of this world [man’s wisdom]; and learn the things of the Spirit [God’s wisdom]. A good study of the Corinthian church reveals just how much of a struggle that was.
And yet it is the same for our American church. American culture [and Western culture in general] has its origins in Greek philosophy. When you read Paul’s letters to Corinth you can easily substitute the address with “America.” Our problems are the same! We also have difficulty with right discernment because we rely too heavily on the wisdom of man.
Jesus addressed this problem in the last section of the Sermon on the Mount. In Matt 7:1-6 He taught on “judging others.” Many see this as an instruction not to judge, but this cannot be further from the truth! A careful reading of the passage reveals that we are directed to judge, not unto condemnation, but unto correction.
We are called to correct other believers in love and from a pure heart. “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” [v.5].
Chapter 7 goes on to include other aspects of discernment, which include seeking the Lord [vv.7-12]; discerning the right way [vv.13-14]; discerning right fruit [vv.7:15-20]; and then finally God’s righteous discernment [“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…” vv.21-23].
Chapter 7 reveals the important gift of discernment for Kingdom life. So often our problems and challenges in this life come from discerning wrongly.
That is why it is imperative that we are led by the Spirit of God and not by the wisdom of man.
