Learn to Discern

Testing Premises (the process)

a. take whatever is being taught

b. make it a premise

c. test it against what the Bible actually teaches

d. use proper hermeneutics and exegesis

e. come to a biblical conclusion about the premise
(the point of testing it)

~

(expanded)

1. write the teaching / premise out (fully, or an accurate pith of it) at the top of a paper

2. use reliable Bible study tools to gather Bible passages that use the key words and phrases found in the premise

(i.e. use tools like a Bible concordance, cyclopedic index, topical Bible, theological books, reliable online Bible study articles on the subject from bible.org - monergism.com - desiringgod.org, etc.)

3. keep alert for related words and phrases that pertain to the premise and help open up the subject

4. write down small portions of all Bible verses you find and their addresses

5. carefully and prayerfully discern what the Bible teaches on the subject by studying the verses you have gathered (what do they a.c.t.u.a.l.l.y. say?)

6. come to a biblical conclusion about the premise:
does the Bible teach the premise, or not?

7. renew your mind with what God's Word actually teaches


note: you are looking for God's truth
so strive to test premises without a bias (one way or the other)
see what God's Word says

note: sometimes there is one definitive verse
that confirms or refutes the premise
more often there are many verses that bring a biblical conclusion

note: an excellent book that teaches how to test premises:
A Call For Discernment (A Call To Discernment older editions) by Jay Adams

Learn to Discern

Don't Bring Along Baggage

a common impediment to biblical discernment
is bringing (bad) 'baggage' into the reading of the Bible

this is a superimposing onto the Scriptures of:
- preconceived notions (about what the Bible says)
- connotations and nuances (where there are none)
- wrong definitions to Bible words
- erroneous quotes from (so-called) Bible teachers
- etc.

~

(expanded)

instead, we should be saying:
where does the Bible actually say or teach that?
those aren't the actual words written in the Bible, look closely
those are a man's words, not the words in Scripture

how is the Bible using the actual words written there?

what are the actual biblical definitions of the words?

an example of a common superimposing of man's words onto Scripture:

'Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is to reject Jesus.'

Yet... Mark 3:29-30 tells us what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is

Jesus said... 'but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin'
because [note this word... it explains why Jesus was teaching what He was]
they were saying, 'He [Jesus] has an unclean spirit.'

they were attributing the works of the Holy Spirit (Who is holy)
to an unclean spirit (an unholy spirit / demon / Satan)
(saying Jesus cast out demons by the [power of] the ruler of demons - vs 22
rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit)
and that blasphemes God's Holy Spirit
(simple definition of blasphemy: irreverent and offensive speech against God)

look closely:
the text does not say blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
was the people's rejection of Jesus
it says it was something said against the Holy Spirit


(condensed from Learn to Discern ã by John and Kim Namestnik 2004 - revised 2013)

Learn to Discern

Be a Detective!

ask...

what does it actually say?

what does it actually mean?

~

(expanded)

get out your magnifying glass
look very closely
at Bible clues
specific words used
their specific meanings

use proper hermeneutics and exegesis to interpret the Bible

never use eisegesis - adding words not actually in the Bible
never redefine words to suit your purpose
never subtract from them - in negligence, or purposely taking out words

pay close attention!
investigate!
use integrity with God's Word!


(condensed from Learn to Discern ã by John and Kim Namestnik 2004 - revised 2013)

Learn to Discern

Learn to Distinguish:

. between God's Word
and man's words (even good advice)

. between God's thoughts and ways as revealed in Scripture
and all other thoughts and ways (belief systems, perspectives, worldviews, etc.)

. between truth
and error

. between good
and evil

. between biblical convictions (based on rightly interpreted Scripture)
and mere opinions, conjecture, ideas, and feelings


(condensed from 'Learn to Discern' ã by John and Kim Namestnik 2004 - revised 2013)

Learn to Discern

What Biblical Discernment Is (b)

Biblical discernment is being able to know whether or not something is actually taught in the Bible.

The root of the word discern (NT Greek: diakrisis) means a separating.

. a separating of things from one another
. at their points of difference
. in order to distinguish between them

God's Word is the Standard.

Everything that differs from it is to be distinguished.


(condensed from 'Learn to Discern' ã by John and Kim Namestnik 2004 - revised 2013)

Learn to Discern

What Biblical Discernment Is (a)

Biblical discernment is spiritual discernment.

The person who has been born spiritually, born again, and thus received the Spirit of God can:

. see God's kingdom (Jn 3:3)

. know the things freely given by God... things taught by the Spirit (1 Cor 2:12-13)

. accept and understand the things of the Spirit of God because they are able to spiritually appraise them (1 Cor 2:14)


(condensed from 'Learn to Discern' ã by John and Kim Namestnik 2004 - revised 2013)

Learn to Discern

(new series - Learn to Discern)

Beneficial or Harmful?

the same book (or sermon, article, conversation, etc.) can be:

beneficial for some
harmful for others

~

(expanded)

one person...
- has biblical discernment
- uses the Bible to test what the book says
- identifies what is actually scriptural, or not
- holds fast to God's truth (found in the book)
- recognizes and rejects what is false (as regards beliefs)
- benefits from God's truth in the book (benefits from the process of discerning)

another person...
- lacks biblical discernment
- tests nothing
- believes everything (good, bad, ugly)
- or believes nothing (rejecting God's truth found in the book)
- is harmed by the same book


(condensed from 'Learn to Discern' ã by John and Kim Namestnik 2004 - revised 2013)