Spiritual discernment

[dre91]

What does it mean to spiritually discern or have spiritual discernment according to the bible? My wife claims she has this gift amongst others. I thought it meant to discern whats true and whats false as far as false teachers who claim they know the bible. To discern if a person is teaching you false doctrine.

[Deborah-Leigh]

What does it mean to spiritually discern or have spiritual discernment according to the bible?

Gen 3:22  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man hath become as one of us, to know good and evil.

To know good and evil requires the Spirit of God.

2Ti 2:15  Study to show thyself approved to God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.


To correctly AND rightly divide the Word of Truth requires the following....


7 SPIRITUAL KEYS TO UNLOCK SCRIPTURE ~ L Ray Smith

"Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural (physical); and afterward that which is SPIRITUAL" (1 Cor. 15:45)
 
"Now ALL these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for OUR ADMONITION (to reprove, caution, warn, remind of obligation or duty) upon whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Cor. 10:11)


"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of an private interpretation (Gk: 'is becoming it's OWN explanation')" (2 Pet. 1:20)


"The words that I speak unto you, they ARE SPIRIT, and they are life" (John 6:63)


"In the mouth of TWO OR THREE WITNESSES shall every word be established" (2 Cor. 13:1 & Rev.11:3)


"...comparing (or: 'matching') SPIRITUAL things with SPIRITUAL" (1 Cor. 2:13)


"Thou art righteous, O Lord, which ARE and WAS and SHALL BE" (Rev. 16:5, also Rev. 4:8 & 11:17)

Faith Hope and Love are Gifts. 

Arc

[Dave in Tenn]

I assume she is getting her doctrine from these verses, directly or indirectly:

1Co 12:7-12 Now to each one is being given the manifestation of the spirit, with a view to expedience.  For to one, indeed, through the spirit, is being given the word of wisdom, yet to another the word of knowledge, according to the same spirit yet to another faith, by the same spirit, yet to another the graces of healing, by the one spirit, yet to another operations of powerful deeds, yet to another prophecy, yet to another discrimination of spirits, yet to another species of languages, yet to another translation of languages. Now all these one and the same spirit is operating, apportioning to each his own, according as He is intending. For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the one body, being many, are one."

Dre, where I am at this point with matters like this is still trying to obey the Lord and Repent.  That is, I'm much more involved in seeing what isn't true and changing my mind about that than in building a 'doctrine' of these manifestations of the One Spirit.  I lived most of my "Christian" life all concerned about these 'spiritual' things, and it is turning out that they are not 'spirtual' at all, but soulish if not downright wicked.  I can do this repenting and mind-changing with great comfort, because it is GOD who is apportioning these things according as He is intending.  Fine with me.  I'm off the hook!

What I believe about 'discernment of spirits' is this:  Spirit is described as Wind.  It's invisible, yet it's effects can be experienced and it's direction deduced.  To discern the Spirits is not much more than sticking a finger in the air to see which way, and how hard, the wind is blowing--spiritually speaking.  Is there much more to it, or is it uber-spiritual or super-natural?  Don't know.  I used to think it was, but as I said, I am 'repenting' and changing my mind as SCRIPTURE becomes more clear.

I don't know if that helps you.  Maybe your 'religion' was less 'charismatic' than mine...maybe more.  I doubt it will mean much to your wife.  That's OK with me.  I don't go to the Church at Corinth.  

[Kat]

Hi dre91,

Here is excerpts from 'Twelve Truths' that will help you understand this more.

http://bible-truths.com/twelve.htm ------------------

TRUTH NUMBER 7

[A] "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches; COMPARING [or 'matching'] SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL" (I Cor. 2:13).

(B) "And to this AGREE the words of the prophets; as it is written..." (Acts 15:15).

[C] "These [Bereans]... searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were SO [Gk: 'in this way,' 'like'] (Acts 17:11).

[D] "AS You have sent Me into the world, EVEN SO have I sent them into the world" (John 17:18, and many, many other such comparisons).

The purpose for comparing spiritual with spiritual is to find a spiritual match. There is a spiritual match for every symbol in the book of Revelation. This is a powerful truth that will open the whole Bible to us.

In the previous truth we learned the need for two witnesses. In this truth we will learn the need for those two witnesses to be a "spiritual match." Let's now "spiritually match" two witnesses and see the marvelous eye-opening result.
v
Question: As the world of Christendom predominantly believes that the Bible is to be taken literally, how pray tell is it even within the realm of possibility for them to compare ANYTHING "spiritual with spiritual" from the Scriptures?

TRUTH NUMBER 5

[A] "It is the spirit that quickens [gives life]; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT, and they are life" (John 6:63).

(B) "But this spoke He of the SPIRIT..." (John 7:39).

[C] "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the SPIRIT which IS the word of God" ( Eph. 6:17).

Everything from Genesis to Revelation pertains to a higher SPIRITUAL meaning than the physical examples, parables, metaphors, allegories, stories and symbols in which they are written. "Let us make man in Our Image" (Gen. 1:26) are words of SPIRIT: "...Surely I come quickly..." (Rev. 22:20) are words of SPIRIT.
v
Obviously the words that Jesus spoke were "spirit," seeing that His very words came from GOD, Who IS SPIRIT:

"For He [Jesus] Whom God has sent speaks the WORDS OF God, for God gives not the SPIRIT by measure unto Him" (John 3:34).

Did Jesus give His Apostles the power to speak words of SPIRIT? Yes, He did:

"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the SPIRIT and of power" (I Cor. 2:4).

"The spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was in my tongue" (II Sam. 23:2).

"According to the word that I did covenant with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My spirit remains among you; fear ye not" (Haggai 2:5).

"For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom: to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit" (I Cor. 12:08).

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17).

And we too are to speak with these same "words of SPIRIT"

"For it is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father which speaks [words of spirit] in you" (Matt. 10:20).

And of course the same thing was true for Christ:

"...the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's [God is spirit] which sent me" (John 14:24).
v
The day that we fail to believe Jesus when He tells us that His words "are SPIRIT," is the day that we will fail to understand anything spiritual. The words of Jesus are not to be taken literally, physically, materially, carnally. All of Jesus' teachings are SPIRITUAL.
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mercy, peace and love
Kat

[G. Driggs]

A few more excerpts and an email response from Ray to help further your understanding.
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http://www.bible-truths.com/email6.htm

Dear Ray,

All I have read of your writings seem consistent with what the Holy Spirit has been showing me about the mind sets of the pastors and teachers you expose.

Often I struggle with how to express (choose the appropriate words)   to others what the Lord is showing me without having Satan confuse and misrepresent the words I am saying.

Please tell me if you feel your understanding has been a result of God renewing your mind and how and when this came about.

Dave

[Ray Replies]

Dear Dave:

Jesus said that His Words were spirit and life.  By the very nature of God's revelation, it cannot be understood with a carnal mind. All of the things of God are "spiritually discerned."  So certainly the carnal mind must be changed. To be carnally minded is DEATH, but to be spiritually minded is LIFE.

All of God's gifts of spiritual discernment, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, etc., start small and grow. Being "born again" does not make us spiritually mature adults in an instant of time. We grow in grace and knowledge and we mature in the spiritual things of God. I know and understand more today than I did even yesterday.  Faith itself increases by the reading of God's Word--a process that takes time.

Sincerely,

Ray
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http://www.bible-truths.com/lake5.html

Now back to our fourth key verse: "...comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Several translations make this "...matching  spiritual things with spiritual." And that word "matching" clarifies this verse even more. Notice the next verse which we have already quoted above, "But the natural [carnal, Greek: animal man] receives NOT the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither CAN he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned." Now I have heard that verse quoted as many times as any of you, but how many quoting it had even a clue as to what they were quoting? It is often used by charismatic preachers to insinuate that they have special powers of spiritual discernment, and can therefore read your mind and heart and know whether you are in a bad attitude or maybe have a demon, etc., etc. But notice that God tells us exactly how to have "spiritual discernment." We are to follow the instruction in the preceding verse: "comparing [and/or matching] SPIRITUAL things with SPIRITUAL!"

So we have SEVEN proofs that this "lake of fire-second death" is FIGURATIVE language SIGNIFIED IN SYMBOLS, taking the form of a METAPHOR witnessed by John in a VISION and written in a BOOK OF SYMBOLS that is prophetic and therefore cannot be its OWN INTERPRETATION, being a revelation of Christ Who's words are SPIRIT! And therefore we know two things to be absolute Scriptural truth: (1) This phrase is SPIRITUAL in meaning and not literal. (2) This prophecy cannot be its OWN INTERPRETATION as God commands in II Pet. 1:20. But if one doesn't believe these seven spiritual proofs (or even ONE of them), how is he to have a spiritual understanding of spiritual things? To find the true interpretation of this spiritual metaphor we must compare it with other spiritual teachings of the same nature until we find a MATCH!

Before we look for something spiritual to match this metaphor, it will be helpful to know just what it means to be "spiritual." There is a giant different between something sounding spiritual and something that actually is spiritual.

WHAT DOES "SPIRITUAL" MEAN?

The American Heritage Dictionary, p. 1335, spiritual adj. 1. Of, relating in, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; NOT TANGIBLE OR MATERIAL.

Strong's Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, "spiritual" #4152, pneumatkos, "Pneumatkos ALWAYS connotes the ideas of INVISIBILITY and of POWER" p. 205. (All CAPS are mine).

THE "LAKE OF FIRE-SECOND DEATH" IS NOT TANGIBLE OR MATERIAL OR LITERAL, BUT RATHER IS AN INVISIBLE POWER! THE LAKE OF FIRE IS SPIRITUAL!

That's right: the lake of fire is spiritual and therefore invisible. No one will ever SEE the lake of fire; just as no one will ever SEE God's Spirit; and just as no one will ever SEE God's "consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). But make no mistake about it; the lake of fire is REAL, and it is very HOT, and it BURNS things, and its effects are ETERNAL—all, of course, SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING.
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http://www.bible-truths.com/lake8.html

The words that Jesus spoke were "spirit"—

    "...the words that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT..." (John 6:63).

Jesus taught the multitudes in parables only—

    "All these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spoke He not unto them" (Matt. 13:34).

All parables have a SPIRITUAL lesson. Not one of Jesus' parables was to be taken literally.

But to understand spiritual parables, and words of spirit, one must HAVE THE SPIRIT—

    "...for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God ... the things of God knows no man but the Spirit of God ... the Holy Spirit teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual ... But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned ... But we [believers in Christ] have the [spiritual] mind of Christ" (I Cor. 2:10,11,13,14,16).

Notice what Jesus said when His disciples asked Him concerning the parables:

    "And the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given ... Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they UNDERSTAND" (Matt. 13:10,11, & 13).

Having "ears to hear" means having spiritual discernment in UNDERSTANDING what one hears. Notice that we must "...see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and should understand with our HEART..." [then God would] convert us and HEAL [save] us (Matt. 13:15).

I have no doubt that some reading these messages from the Scriptures, are beginning to understand. I mean REALLY UNDERSTAND and thank God for this spiritual understanding. If you are such an one, then GOD IS CALLING YOU! You are beginning to "taste" of the good and spiritual things of God.
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Good refreshers Arc, Kat, Dave and good question dre91.

The part in lake5 that I underlined is something I used to believe and continued to believe a little while after reading lake5. It took a little while before that belief was burned out of me.

G.Driggs