But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14
Church Family,
Infants have almost no ability to discern the difference between what is good and what is evil. Toddlers, for instance, will put nearly anything in their mouths, from pennies to the dog's toy. However, with maturity comes discernment and the ability to discriminate between options. Adults don't put anything in their mouths; they know healthy food is beneficial and not to eat pennies! Discernment reflects maturity.
Discernment is a spiritual virtue commended in scripture. It is the ability to judge between good and evil, right and wrong, and commendable and dishonorable. Here are three passages that highlight the importance of discernment:
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. Hosea 14:9
As we mature as followers of Jesus Christ, believers should be learning to exercise powers of discernment. We should increasingly be able to identify the bait of sin, detect manipulation by fools, pick up on imbalanced and unsound teaching, tell the difference between propaganda and logical opinions, and pinpoint good from evil. Discernment is a godly virtue that every growing believer should exercise daily.
Kent Hughes, the longtime pastor of College Church in Wheaton, IL, has written about the need for discernment:
Only the mature—those who understand the teaching about righteousness and who practice it—will be able to make discerning judgment on the continual moral issues that arise in life. Life, as we know, perpetually faces us with the problem of telling good from evil. Our spiritual perception is daily taxed. But a righteous life that feeds on the solid food of God’s Word will be able to exercise mature judgment between what is good and what is evil.[1]
I agree with Hughes—the key to exercising wise discernment is knowing the word of God. But I would go farther: to exercise discernment, you must know God's Word BETTER than you do current events, social media trends, or the latest controversy. What occupies your time? With what are you filling your mind? A diet of weak and worthless content will undermine your ability to be discerning. Let’s give ourselves to feasting upon the meat of God's Word so that we can distinguish good from evil.
Finally, getting counsel from fellow, wise, mature believers strengthens discernment. God has designed us to be protected within our families and churches. Families should discuss issues where discernment is needed. Fellow believers should seek one another’s counsel. When we speak the truth in love to one another, we grow in maturity and discernment.
Church, let’s grow in our powers of discernment.
For His Glory,
Pastor Thomas
[1] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015), 152.