Further on discernment and separation.

Posted on By pukeko

From the Evangelical Assembly of Presbyterian Churches website.

Many Christians are unaware of their responsibility to judge and test all things. Paul exhorted: “I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:9-10). Christians need to take discernment and judgment seriously in this life because of the great responsibility that awaits us in the future. Paul reminds us: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, matters of this life?” (I Cor. 6:2-3). Paul even commended the Bereans for rightfully judging his teaching. “They received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). The apostle John warned and exhorted Christians: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (I John 4:1). Clearly, all Christians are called to judge righteously by using the Word of God as the plumb line for discerning truth from error.

We judge daily. Yes, we will be judged by the standards we keep. But we will judge, we must judge. For without judgment we have no discernment.