Though I have heard it said of others, I have never had anyone tell me that I am a man of discerning tastes. I do not have a discerning palate or a discerning sense of style. I can, however, contentedly live without these if only I can have a discerning mind and a discerning spirit.
What does it mean to be discerning? To be discerning is to have the ability to make sound judgments. It is to be discriminating in the sense of rightly sorting options into categories such as right and wrong, or ordering them along a scale of good, better, and best. A person can be discerning in many different ways—discerning in taste (knowing what is of good quality), discerning in palate (knowing what food is best), discerning in dress (knowing what to wear), and a host of other ways. A person can also be discerning in matters of religious doctrine and practice, and we refer to this as spiritual discernment.
Spiritual discernment is the skill of distinguishing what is true from what is false, what is right from what is wrong, and what is wise from what is foolish. In its fullest form, it is the skill of distinguishing what is true from what is almost true, what is wise from what is wiser still, and what is a matter of absolute right and wrong from what is a matter of conscience or legitimate disagreement. It advances beyond the relatively simple binaries to the spectrums that may be much more difficult to differentiate.
Where some may think discernment is intuitive or instinctual, it is important to know that it is actually a skill. Like any other skill, it needs to be learned, practiced, and strengthened, and like any other skill, it can get rusty when ignored or left unused. A pianist who shirks his etudes will eventually flub the notes, an athlete who skips his practices will eventually lose his edge, and a person who fails to exercise discernment will eventually accept error, believe what is false, and embrace foolishness. There is a kind of entropy that affects spiritual pursuits as well as physical ones.
Though spiritual discernment is a skill, it can also be rightly understood as a gift. It is a gift in the sense that God may bestow an individual with an unusual measure of skill in it, so that the gift amplifies the skill. Yet this gift is not like a birthday present a person unwraps and enjoys for himself, but a blessing for the community that he diligently embraces and deploys for its benefit. His desire is to use the gift to bless and protect others. Teachers bless the community with their teaching, singers bless the community with their singing, and discerners bless the community with their discernment.
Discernment requires some kind of standard of measurement or evaluation, and when it comes to spiritual discernment, that standard is the Bible. Hence, discernment is impossible without Scripture. Not only that, but discernment increases according to a person’s knowledge of Scripture and his understanding of it. A discerning person uses his Spirit-empowered mind to understand a Spirit-inspired Bible so he can understand and address spiritual matters.
A discerning person uses his Spirit-empowered mind to understand a Spirit-inspired Bible so he can understand and address spiritual matters.
One unfortunate factor must be admitted, and it is that discernment can be, and often is, badly misused. This is especially the case when a person emphasizes discernment but downplays character. Discernment is not a license to nitpick, hunt down heresy, or stand in arrogant judgment over others. In fact, a truly discerning person will know not only what is right and wrong, but also the boundaries of his jurisdiction, the importance of the issue, and whether he should speak to it or remain silent. A Christian who is skilled at discernment should be a joy to other believers and not, as is too often the case, a burden. The man of discerning taste in music has no right to mock the one who enjoys simple pop tunes, though he might, where appropriate, gently lead that person toward appreciating finer things. The woman of discerning dress will need to guard herself against passing judgment on those who have little understanding of dressing well, though perhaps she will take some gentle opportunities to share her skill. And the Christian who loves discernment has to be careful not to misuse his gift in a way that hurts, harms, or hinders others.
Discernment is the skill of making sound judgments, and spiritual discernment is the Spirit-empowered skill of making sound judgments in spiritual matters. May the Lord bless each one of us with the desire, the skill, the discipline, and the Spirit-empowerment to faithfully and consistently separate truth from error, right from wrong, and wisdom from foolishness.
Further Reading
If you’re interested in learning more about spiritual discernment, you can consider studying passages like Romans 12:1–2, which speaks of the necessity of having our minds renewed by the Spirit so that by testing we can discern God’s will; and Hebrews 5:11–6:2, which ties together spiritual discernment and spiritual maturity. You might also consider reading my book The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment.
