Gift of Discernment

 

Below is an excellent explanation of the gift of discernment by Elizabeth Prata. For those who have been given this particular gift by the Holy Spirit, it is often a difficult road to travel. Many in the Church do not want to hear their cries of false teaching or inaccurate exposition, so they claim the discerner is judgmental or false themselves.  Often there is a smear campaign to discourage and/or thwart any attempt in the future to exercise this gift. And finally, some gifts are held in higher esteem over other gifts in the Church. This is unfortunate, as ALL gifts are necessary and given out by the Holy Spirit to edify, encourage and grow a healthy body in Christ. 

Understanding Spiritual Gifts: The Role of Discernment

Posted on May 6, 2025

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS

A reader had asked me a question, my response focuses on the significance of the spiritual gift of discernment within the church. This gift helps identify and warn against false teachers, which is crucial given the prevalence of false doctrine in the New Testament. A by-product of training one’s self in discernment is that the Christian values the word of God even more. All believers should cultivate discernment, recognizing the balance between vetting teachers and focusing on Jesus.

Question from reader: “What scripture or “spiritual gift” guides us to warn the sisters about false teachers?“

The fact of the Spiritual gift: Some in the faith have been given the spiritual gift of “discerning of spirits.” Some translations say “distinguishing of spirits.” This is embedded in the list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

Not all spiritual gifts are contained in the lists given in the Bible. The lists can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4-11 (which is actually a list of offices, not gifts).

GotQuestions: Is there as Spiritual Gifts list?

“Judge not”

Matthew 7:1 is one of the most familiar passages of Scripture, but it is also one of the most misunderstood and misapplied verses in the Bible. The Bible does not prohibit judgment; it warns against hypocritical judgment. Throughout the Bible, righteous judgment—or discernment—is encouraged and even commanded. Many Christians argue that judgment is divisive among believers. But discernment doesn’t divide—false teaching does. Discernment, righteous judgment, and church discipline are ultimately acts of love, seeking repentance and restoration and protecting the unity of the body of Christ. ~Todd Friel & Justin Peters, source “Thou Shalt Judge” study guide, Fortis Institute. (a digital resource offered for free as of this writing).

The purpose of the spiritual gift: The reason some have been given this spiritual gift is to be a smoke alarm for the local body, an early warning system as it were. ALL spiritual gifts are to be employed for the good of the church and the glory of God. Discerners are to use their gift of discernment to warn others so that false doctrine does not creep in. False doctrine is deadly. It’s “leaven” that pollutes the whole loaf, and that means it pollutes the whole church and those individuals within it.

Did you know that every New Testament book except Philemon warns of false doctrine or false teachers? Many of these same passages outline the impact of falsity has on the church. It is a HUGE issue. It is something the New Testament does not ignore, and we should not either. So the Spirit installed discerners to help keep His church pure.

Discerners do not have extra sensory perception, nor direct revelations from God. They just know the Word so well, they can spot a counterfeit at 100 paces. It would insult the Spirit to have been given the gift of discernment by Him but to remain silent and not use it. Jesus rebuked the church at Thyatira in Revelation 2, for knowing the metaphorical Jezebel was teaching falsely but did nothing about it.

Discernment for the layman: Though some do not possess the specific spiritual gift of discernment, ALL people in the faith are to work at honing their discernment. Hebrews 5:13-14 expects the believer to train in discernment. Acts 17:11 tells us all to be like the noble Bereans who consulted the word to compare whether what they were hearing was true or false. 1 John 4:1 tells us to test the spirits to see if they are from God.

So even if a person does not have the gift, they are to be working at being discerning themselves, anyway.

Calling out the false: The folks that feel they possess the gift, or are pastors or teachers in charge of the sheep, have a DUTY to warn. Jude speaks to this, in just one of many examples. Jude 1:22 speaks of snatching some from the fire. Matthew 7:15 says to “beware” of false prophets that come in like hungry wolves. Beware is an action, we must be on guard. And many other verses…

Mainly it is the duty of the leaders of a church, the laymen with the gift who warn, or “call out”. But in a sense, we are all to be on guard and if we see a friend falling into false teaching, the fellow layman is not to stand idly by. If you see someone having a picnic on the railroad tracks and the train is coming, you’d warn them even though you’re not a train conductor or a railroad worker, right? If it’s an obvious false teaching your friend is falling into danger with, you go to them.

So if one person who is more mature than another (Heb 5:14) sees that their friend is about to be devoured by a wolf, or led astray, or headed to a shipwreck (all allusions in the NT for what happens to the undiscerning), is it loving to look away, go home, and pray? Yes, prayer is effective (James 5:16). But paired with a warning, it is even more effective.

A note: Public error can be corrected publicly, by anyone.

Discernment Police: The person who chides the discerner for calling out a false teacher or a false teaching is usually one who likes their idols. They should be concerned with their own walk and its purity and holiness. Though I rarely receive this kind of reply, the reply I’d love to see is this:

“Oh no, you say So and So is false? Please tell me more. I want to honor Jesus with all my might, and would be crushed to think I am polluting my faith by being unwary. Help me understand.”

THAT is the answer we all hope to get, SHOULD get, because Jesus is more important than anything.

People have too soft of an attitude toward false teachers and false doctrine. The serpent deceived Eve with one question. He tried to bamboozle JESUS of all people, tempting him with the word of God itself. The concern for all of us should be holiness and purity of our walk, training in discernment, and being so knowledgeable of the word that we are immersed in truth for our armor.

Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 10 in some form or fashion tell us to mark and avoid the false teachers. These are commands. We cannot mark nor avoid if we do not know who they are. We should thank discerners for helping us to do this.

WHY are there so many warnings about false doctrine in the New Testament? Because it’s important! And because we are all easily deceived: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12.

Balance: Now it is true that some people get so consumed with discernment that they wind up looking for the dirt rather than focusing on Jesus. They are imbalanced, spending too much time on discernment and not enough in the word and other spiritual activities. Discerners like that give the spiritual gift a bad name. Balance and moderation is key.

Proverbs 11:30, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Thinking Deeply for God’s Sake

 

by Alastair Begg Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything 2 Timothy 2:7 It is not unusual—in fact, it’s quite common—for Christian faith to be regarded as a kind of illogical belief in improbable events. For some, faith is seen as a crutch to prop up less rational people as they navigate life’s challenges. Such critics may be surprised to learn that in reality, Christianity calls its followers not to neglect their minds but to critically engage them. When we read the Bible, we discover that it never invites us simply to feel things; it never attempts merely to sweep us up in an emotional surge. God never once asks for or endorses the disengagement of our thinking processes. Instead, God’s word repeatedly shows us that Christianity is actually a call to think rightly and deeply about God, His world, and our place in it. When the apostle Paul addressed the Ephesians, we read that he was “reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus,” which was likely a school for philosophy or rhetoric (Acts 19:9). Paul wasn’t just singing songs or attempting to stir up some emotional experience. No, he essentially said, Citizens of Ephesus, I want you to think and reason with me today. In Thessalonica, too, Acts tells us that Paul “reasoned” with the people, “explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead” (17:2-3). The book of Isaiah begins with a similar call to think earnestly: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD” (Isaiah 1:18). This exhortation to think and reason isn’t just for proclaiming the gospel but for growth in Christian maturity too. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul said, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking” (1 Corinthians 14:20). He wanted the church to think intently and intensely about the issues they were facing. Paul was even more direct when he wrote to Timothy: “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” We do need God’s Spirit to be at work in order to think rightly (Luke 24:45; 1 Corinthians 12:3), for our intellects are as affected by sin as every other part of ourselves (Ephesians 4:17). But it is as we expend mental energy to consider the wisdom of the Scriptures that God will give us greater and greater understanding. To follow Christ, then, is not to take a step of blind faith into the darkness but to have your eyes opened to the light of rigorous truth. It will take a lifetime—and more!—to unearth the riches of the truth you encounter in God’s word about His Son, but one thing is sure: today, as every day, God wants you to love Him and honor Him with all your mind.

True Friendships

 

By Jill Briscoe

We can learn from the Bible what strengthens friendships and what kills them. For example, taking offense easily kills friendship. Amy Carmichael, in her little booklet If, says, “If I take offense easily–if I am content to continue in a cool unfriendliness though friendship be possible, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” Again Amy says, “If I do not give a friend the benefit of the doubt but put the worst construction instead of the best on what is said or done, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” And, “If I can hurt another by speaking faithfully without much preparation of spirit and without hurting myself far more than I hurt that other, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

Good forgivers make good friends too. This is not contradicting what I have said about saying things that need to be said. Remember, “faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:6, KJV). But when necessary hard things are said, afterward forgiveness is needed to heal the rough edges of those painful conversations. Sometimes we even have to forgive our friends for being faithful friends and telling us the truth!

David had two good friends, Jonathan and Nathan. Jonathan loved David to death. In Jonathan’s eyes, David could do no wrong. We all need that sort of friend. Nathan loved David too. But when David did something wrong, Nathan called him on it! We need a “Nathan” too.

Encouragement isn’t always “soft.” I well remember a great friend of mine listening to my litany of woes and then saying firmly but kindly, “Have a good cry, then wash your face, get up, and get on with it.” It worked. The word “encourage” means to “put courage into.” She surely put it into me!

We also need to be a Jonathan and a Nathan for others, as well as looking for those types of friends for ourselves. In fact, if we try to offer these two elements of friendship we will probably find the real friends we are looking for. In other words, be a friend and you will find a friend!

A friend loves at all times, and it is this element of “Calvary love,” as Amy Carmichael puts it, that helps us listen to our friends’ loving encouragement and act on it. Paul said, “I have you in my heart” (Phil. 1:7) and then proceeded to correct and rebuke his friends. When you know someone loves you and has you in their heart, you can hear their words of correction. It’s called “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15) or sometimes we call it “leveling in love” but when it happens you aren’t “leveled.”

Remember this bit of advice...Real friendship needs to be based on biblical principles, and it also needs to be practical. For example, we can offer words of encouragement but we also need to think of concrete ways to help. It’s more than talk–it’s offering a meal if your friend is sick, a ride in your car if she needs it, help with her kids if she is exhausted and needs a break. Sometimes your help will be verbal. As Ecclesiastes warns, however, there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak” (3:7).

A friend of mine took a risk on our friendship by talking to me about a problem that had arisen. First (she told me afterward), she fasted and prayed about whether to talk to me at all. That is a good start. Second she told me she decided she would not say anything more than she had to say. The old saying, “The less said, the sooner mended” is a very sound principle! My friend did it right, and said it right, and I was pleased to respond to her. What does “Calvary love” mean to you? What are some ways you can make this a reality in your friendships?

The Danger Of Putting Christian Leaders On Pedestals

Kevin Simington September 20, 2020

The fall from grace of Christian leaders always shocks us. When people we have looked up to are discovered to have had affairs or engaged in abusive behaviour or illicit sexual conduct, it’s easy to become disillusioned. Some disheartened believers even abandon their faith altogether as a result. Many become angry because trust has been broken. In these cases, it turns out that the image that one’s leader has presented to the world – of a wise and godly man or woman of God – has been a sham. All the while they have been preaching their shining message of truth, they have been living grubby lives of sin and deception. A number of recent examples come to mind, but it would not be helpful to dredge them up.

I understand why people get disillusioned and angry when the hypocrisy of their Christian leaders is uncovered.

Of course, the answer is that we shouldn’t be placing our faith in fallible human leaders in the first place, but should be looking to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. We know this, but it’s difficult not to place our leaders on a pedestal. We seem to have an inbuilt desire to view our leaders as saints – as people whose sanctified feet barely touch the soiled ground of our world and whose weekly sermons are emailed to them directly from heaven.

The temptation to glorify our leaders has always been there. Even in the first century, the Apostle Paul had to remind his readers, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15). He was effectively saying, “Please don’t put me on a pedestal. I am a sinner in constant need of Christ’s forgiveness, just like you.”

Having said that, I think the modern church has ‘pedestaled its pastors’ more than any other previous church age. We live in the era of the megachurch, the super pastor and the ‘rock-star’ worship leader. The internet has allowed some preachers to become superstars. And even those preachers, pastors and worship leaders who have not climbed to such dizzying heights are subtly influenced by these models. So are their congregations. People are drawn to superstar preachers. They sit at their feet in awe and lap up their prognostications as if they are hearing from God himself. Which makes the occasional fall from grace so devastatingly painful when it comes.

I remember a conversation I had with a fellow theological student when I was in College 37 years ago (Ouch! That long ago?). Even back then we were discussing the adoration that was increasingly being heaped upon superstar pastors and the growing temptation for pastors to become proud and have an over-inflated sense of their own importance. I remember saying to my friend, “When we get to heaven, it could well turn out that the greatest saints of God in the world today are people we’ve never heard about; grey-haired elderly ladies who pray for hours every day and pastors of tiny churches in remote places who are serving God faithfully.”

I still believe that. I really do.

The superstar pastors of our world are rewarded every day via the adulation they receive, and it must be incredibly difficult for them to remain humble. But those who are greatest in the kingdom of Heaven are evaluated against a very different set of criteria to that which the world uses. They are evaluated by the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Similarly, Jesus said, “Whoever humbles himself like a little child will be greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:4)

I love the topsy-turvy values of God’s Kingdom! God is not impressed with superstars; He is looking for humble servants who will serve him faithfully and live gracious, godly lives.
KEEP READING Swifties & Faith: What Would Taylor Do?

I recently read an article called, The Problem with Pedestals, in Premier Christianity magazine, by freelance journalist, Heather Tomlinson. In it, she recounts an interview she did with Jackie Pullinger. I’ll let her describe it in her own words:

“I vividly recall interviewing Jackie Pullinger for this magazine. She is understandably considered a Christian heroine due to an amazing ministry to Hong Kong’s drug addicts. She also wrote the bestselling book Chasing the Dragon. I observed that Pullinger’s behaviour at a Christian conference was very different from many Christian ‘celebs’ I’d come across. She did no hob-nobbing with the pastors and Christian leaders, preferring to stay with the recovering addicts she’d brought with her. She was trying her best to avoid being interviewed and photographed by me. When I finally cornered her and dragged her in front of my dictaphone, she was reluctant, and only warmed up when I raised the issue of her celebrity status, which she described as “very” difficult.

“It’s anti the gospel,” she said. “The more you put one person on a pedestal, the more people think there’s a special anointing or something, which is not true, and it actually makes the Church go backwards and not forwards. We’re not going to reach the ends of the earth if we’re relying on a few specially anointed or gifted people. The good news is that the job was given to every ordinary, weak kind of person.”

“She warned about the lure of being on a stage at such events, and its effects. Perhaps this is one subject that celebrities can justifiably speak about with authority – the danger of fame. It’s something they have good experience of, and I think it’s wise to listen to them” (END QUOTE)

Jackie Pullinger embodies what it means to serve God faithfully and humbly. Those who are greatest in God’s Kingdom don’t seek the limelight. They don’t try to hob-nob with celebrities. They don’t spend time on self-promotion. They just go about their ministry humbly and faithfully.

Eddie Arthur, the former head of Wycliffe Bible Translators, recently candidly wrote of his difficult transition from his position of leadership when he retired. In his blog, he confessed how difficult he found it when he stepped down from his leadership role, only then realising how much of his self-identity had been tied up in his position. He writes:

“The loss of status was horrible. Leadership is insidious and it is dangerous. I didn’t realise how important my role, influence and title were to me until I stepped down…At this distance, I can see that it would have been all too easy to see myself as being more important than I am and to believe that normal rules didn’t apply to me. I can understand why leaders fall and I can see why those responsible for monitoring them allow it to happen.”

We need to beware of putting our Christian leaders on pedestals.

It’s not good for them, and it’s not good for God’s Kingdom.

THE CLAIM THAT JESUS NOW REIGNS OVER THE NATIONS DISHONORS OUR SAVIOR

by Jonathan Brentner

The claim that Jesus is already reigning over the nations is extremely popular in churches today. Many pastors preach that Jesus is already fulfilling the words of Psalms such as 2 and 110 thus ruling over His inheritance of the nations from the Father (Psalm 2:8-9).

In light of the prevalence of such beliefs, we must ask several questions. Does what we see in our world reflect the character of what we would expect from Jesus’ reign upon the earth? Is our current experience of a kingdom the one to which the New Testament says we are heirs?

Please, please don’t dismiss this as a theological discussion with no significance for you. The character and timing of Jesus’ rule over the nations has profound implications for us as new Testament saints.

I believe we can refute the claim that Jesus now reigns over the nations on the basis of the answer to one critical question:

Does what we see in our world at this moment match what Scripture tells us about the character of the Messiah and His rule?

No, it most certainly does not. The claim that Jesus is now fulfilling the words of Psalm 2 not only contradicts the words Scripture, but greatly dishonors our Savior.

For us as believers, this is wonderful and over-the-top joyous news because it signifies that our inheritance of a kingdom will be so much more spectacular and amazing than our current experience in this world.

Let’s examine what the Bible tells us will characterize Jesus’ future reign in fulfillment of the Messianic Psalms (i.e. 2, 110, and many others) because its there we discover just how much the current claims of a kingdom dishonor our Lord.
JESUS WILL END ALL WARS WHEN HE REIGNS

Those who tells us that Jesus now reigns over the nations imply that He now rules over a world filled with wars, violence, and unending ethnic strife. Such a belief directly contradicts what the Bible says about the character of the Savior’s realm.

Psalm 46 tells us that when Jesus rules over the nations, wars will no longer exist on the earth. Psalm 46:9-10 reveals that although the nations will “rage” against the Lord (v. 6), warfare will most certainly not exist when the Lord rules over the nations:


He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the chariots with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

Isaiah 2:4 emphasizes that Jesus’ reign over the nations will be one of absolute peace. Jesus is indeed the “Prince of Peace” and that will characterize His coming kingdom.

Be very sure that when the government rests upon the “shoulder” of the child born in Bethlehem (Isaiah 9:6), wars and ethnic violence will most certainly cease to exist upon the earth. Those who say Jesus is now ruling over the nations do a great disservice to His glorious Name.
JESUS WILL RULE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

During the past fifty years, the worldwide total number of children murdered via abortion exceeds one billion. Sex trafficking has a yearly income of $32 billion and is promoted by pedophiles ruling in governments around the world, including that of the U.S. The explosion of worldwide support for the vile LGBQT+ agenda is far beyond anything I could ever have imagined just a decade ago. Those demanding a Palestine state fill the streets of our world with demonstrations of murderous and demonic hatred toward the Jews.

How, by any stretch of the imagination, can one say that we are now living under the righteous rule of our Savior? Such a suggestion is absurd at best and defames our Lord.

How is it possible that Jesus is ruling over such vile wickedness with a “rod of iron” as Psalm 2:9 tells us He will do when He inherits the nations? How? Does not the suggestion of this sully Jesus’ holy character?

How could a wholly righteous King such as Jesus permit such vile wickedness and rampant bloodshed to flourish within his domain? He would not, and He will not do so when He truly reigns over the nations!

Here are a couple verses that define Jesus’ rule as righteous


Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,

and princes will rule in justice. (Isaiah 32:1)



And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:3-5, emphasis added)

The current condition of our world does not in any way align with the biblical descriptions of Jesus’ righteous rule. The claim that Jesus is now fulfilling the full extent of Psalm 2 is preposterous, contradicts the words of Scripture, and most certainly dishonors our Savior to no small extent.
JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL IN THE WORLD WHEN JESUS REIGNS

When Jesus rules over the nations, justice will prevail throughout the entire planet. In Isaiah 32:1, the prophet states that “princes will rule in justice” during the time that Jesus is King.

Isaiah 11:1-8 tells us that when our Lord rules over the nations of the earth, He will act as a righteous judge deciding all cases truthfully and with “equity.” The words of Jeremiah 33:15 emphasize the Savior’s just rule:


In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

The cries of our world for justice are heard in the screams of pain from the unborn, the suicidal grief of trafficked children, and the horrors of genocide taking place in many places in our world. Be very sure that our Lord hears these cries for justice and will someday soon administer justice through His outpouring of wrath upon this wicked (see Revelation chapters 6-18).

During Jesus’ one-thousand-year rule upon the earth, justice will surely prevail. What we see today is most certainly NOT the just reign of our Savior.
JESUS’ GLORY WILL FILL THE EARTH

The Bible also tells us that someday “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 2:14, see also Isaiah 11:9). I think we can all agree that this is not today.

Although as believers we participate in the new covenant because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, it still awaits a greater fulfillment for Israel. Pay close attention to the words of Jeremiah 31:31-34:


“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

The above text applies to Israel. Those who say this is the church contradict its clear message and retrofit the passage with a meaning wholly out or place in the Bible.

The Lord declares in Ezekiel 36:22-38 that through the future restoration of a kingdom to Israel, He will declare His holiness to the nations so that “they will know that I am the Lord.”

When Jesus reigns, the entire world will know that He is God. Some will not like it and many will rebel at the end of His rule, but everyone on earth will both see and recognize Jesus’ great glory and power.

THE FACT THAT WE ARE HEIRS TO THE KINGDOM ASSURES US OF ITS FUTURE REALITY

The New Testament reveals that we also have a stake in Jesus’ rule upon the “throne of David” in that we are heirs to His kingdom (Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 1:11-14; Colossians 1;12; James 2:5).

This assures us of two vital realities:

It’s a future experience for all who know the Savior. Heirs, by definition, do not already possess the fullness of their inheritance. It’s a future reality.


Typically, death has to occur before the inheritance becomes a reality.

Hmmm, that second point doesn’t sound like good news. However, 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 reveals that it’s an extremely welcome truth for us!


I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

Paul says that in our current form, with bodies patterned after that of Adam, we cannot take part in God’s future kingdom (see 1 Corinthians 15:47-50). It’s impossible; we cannot inherit our kingdom in our current mortal condition. To say our current experience equals our inheritance of a kingdom contradicts what the apostle writes in this passage

The over-the-top joyous reality is that when Jesus comes for us, He will make us fit for His kingdom by giving us bodies just like His. This is the exciting news that Paul also writes about in Philippians 3:20-21.

What the New Testament describes as our inheritance of a kingdom will be both amazing and joyous far beyond anything we have experienced on earth. Please do not let anyone damper this wonderful expectation by saying the church is the kingdom and that Jesus is now reigning over the nations. Such a statement contradicts the clear words of Scripture and dishonors our Savior.

The news for us is beyond spectacular. Through Paul, the Lord tells us that we can only experience our inheritance in incorruptible bodies that will never age, get sick, or die (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). We will reign with Jesus for a thousand years and then forevermore with immortal bodies. Wow!!

I will close with words of Isaiah 9:7 where the prophet distinctly reveals the nature of the future rule of the Christ:


Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (My Emphasis)

This is the kingdom to which we are heirs and will forever enjoy. This is our hope.

Maranatha!!

Does Doctrine Really Matter?

Short answer - YES, it matters!  Why?  Below is a solid, condensed article by John MacArthur explaining why.  If you would like to dig in deeper, you can access his other articles about this subject on his website - Grace To You. I would also add the following scripture to all the scriptures in MacArthur's article because of it's crucial importance - it speaks for itself: 

This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!  Galatians 5:9 NLT  

Does Doctrine Really Matter

Psalm 111:10; Psalm 119:66; Proverbs 2:2–6; 1 Timothy 4:6; 1 Timothy 6:3–4; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 4:2–3; Titus 1:9; Titus 2:1

by John MacArthur


Is it enough to "believe in Jesus" in some amorphous sense that divorces "faith" from any particular doctrine about Him, or is doctrine—and the content of our faith—really important after all?

Scripture plainly teaches that we must be sound in the faith—which is to say that doctrine does matter (1 Timothy 4:6; 2 Timothy 4:2-3; Titus 1:9; 2:1). It matters a lot.

"If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing" (1 Timothy 6:3-4, emphasis added).

Sound, biblical doctrine is a necessary aspect of true wisdom and authentic faith. The attitude that scorns doctrine while elevating feelings or blind trust cannot legitimately be called faith at all, even if it masquerades as Christianity. It is actually an irrational form of unbelief.

God holds us accountable for what we believe as well as how we think about the truth He has revealed. All Scripture testifies to the fact that God wants us to know and understand the truth. He wants us to be wise. His will is that we use our minds. We are supposed to think, meditate, and above all, to be discerning.

The content of our faith is crucial. Sincerity is not sufficient.

Consider, for example, these well-known verses. Note the repeated use of words like truth, knowledge, discernment, wisdom, and understanding:"Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part Thou wilt make me know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6).

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments" (Psalm 111:10).

"Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:66).
Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:2-6).
"The beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7).
"We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9).
"In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

God's Word makes it abundantly clear that He wants us to use our minds. And one of the most vital duties facing every Christian—especially in an era (such as ours) when the church is overrun with contradictory ideas and spiritual confusion—is the duty of discernment.

In the days and weeks to come, we are going to consider what Scripture has to say about discernment. We'll look at some common pitfalls that often ensnare the best of Christians, and we'll look at some popular ideas circulating in the church today that demand careful biblical analysis and discriminating wisdom.

What does it mean that God draws us to salvation?

 

Answer from Got Questions . . . . . 

The clearest verse on God’s drawing to salvation is John 6:44 where Jesus declares that “no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” The Greek word translated “draw” is helkuo, which means “to drag” (literally or figuratively). Clearly, this drawing is a one-sided affair. God does the drawing to salvation; we who are drawn have a passive role in the process. There is no doubt that we respond to His drawing us, but the drawing itself is all on His part.

Helkuo is used in John 21:6 to refer to a heavy net full of fish being dragged to the shore. In John 18:10 we see Peter drawing his sword, and in Acts 16:19 helkuo is used to describe Paul and Silas being dragged into the marketplace before the rulers. Clearly, the net had no part in its being drawn to the shore, Peter’s sword had no part in being drawn, and Paul and Silas did not drag themselves to the marketplace. The same can be said of God’s drawing of some to salvation. Some come willingly, and some are dragged unwillingly, but all eventually come, although we have no part in the drawing.

Why does God need to draw us to salvation? Simply put, if He didn’t, we would never come. Jesus explains that no man can come unless the Father draws him (John 6:65). The natural man has no ability to come to God, nor does he even have the desire to come. Because his heart is hard and his mind is darkened, the unregenerate person doesn’t desire God and is actually an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). When Jesus says that no man can come without God’s drawing him, He is making a statement about the total depravity of the sinner and the universality of that condition. So darkened is the unsaved person’s heart that he doesn’t even realize it: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, it is only by the merciful and gracious drawing of God that we are saved. In the conversion of the sinner, God enlightens the mind (Ephesians 1:18), inclines the will toward Himself, and influences the soul, without which influence the soul remains darkened and rebellious against God. All of this is involved in the drawing process.

There is a sense in which God draws all men. This is known as the “general call” and is distinguished from the “effectual call” of God’s elect. Passages such as Psalm 19:1-4 and Romans 1:20 attest to the fact that God’s eternal power and divine nature are “clearly seen” and “understood” from what has been made, “so that people are without excuse.” But men still do deny God, and those who acknowledge His existence still do not come to a saving knowledge of Him outside of His drawing them. Only those who have been drawn through special revelation—by the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God—will come to Christ.

There are tangible ways in which those who are being drawn to salvation experience that drawing. First, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinful state and our need for a Savior (John 16:8). Second, He awakens in us a previously unknown interest in spiritual things and creates a desire for them that was never there before. Suddenly our ears are open, our hearts are inclined toward Him, and His Word begins to hold a new and exciting fascination for us. Our spirits begin to discern spiritual truth that never made sense to us before: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Finally, we begin to have new desires. He places within us a new heart that inclines toward Him, a heart that desires to know Him, obey Him, and walk in the “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) that He has promised.