49593941 Gift of Discernment Paper

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Derek Johnson

Professor Aaron Thurber

Systematic Theology IV 362

2 February 2011

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: The Gift of Discernment

Introduction

In looking at all the various spiritual gifts and secondary issues surrounding a

course on Pentecostal distinctives, I found myself most intrigued by the gift of

discernment, also known as the gift of discerning the spirits. The desire to dig deeper

in this area comes from my own deficit of knowledge about this gift and its application in

modern-day society. Certainly, the Bible has much to say about the use of spiritual

discernment in that multiple occurrences can be seen across the Old and New Testaments

(as will be discussed). As it is with so many other Biblical concepts, we look for a way to

incorporate what was practiced thousands of years ago into our everyday lives. So it is

with the spiritual gifts and for the purpose of this paper, the gift of discernment.

Discernment in the Old Testament

Under the old covenant, Gods Spirit was not poured out and available to all men

as we have come to understand it in the new covenant. God didput his Spirit upon

individuals such as leaders, judges, and prophets for appointed times of his choosing. In

a dialogue with King David in 2 Samuel, David is described as one who is able to know

between good and evil as an angel of God: And now your servant says, May the word

of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in

discerning good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you. (2 Samuel 14:17,

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NIV) A strong argument can be made that David was spirit-filled as certain portions of

Psalms are prophetic in naturedescribing Messiah and his coming reign. To be able to

write about things unseen with such clarity speaks of a supernatural influence. Taking the

point further, it can be postulated that Davids wisdom in choosing between good and evil

was Spirit-motivated.

Another individual who certainly possessed wisdom and perhaps spiritual

discernment as well was King Solomon. When God approaches Solomon in a dream and

tells him to ask for whatever he wants, Solomon asks for discernment (1 Kings 3). As the

passage continues, Solomons gifting is utilized rather quickly as he correctly discerns the

true mother of an infant. In this particular instance, Solomons gift of discerning right

from wrong was used to administer justice; something which God places a high value

upon.

One final Old Testament example from Jeremiah details the use of discernment

as applied concerning true and false prophecy. Jeremiah 28, the classic account of

conflict between true and false prophecy, has received more attention than any other

chapter in the Old Testament in relation to questions about discernment and criteria for

distinguishing between true and false words from the Lord. (oga.pcusa.org) In chapter

28, there are two prophets (Jeremiah and Hananiah) who both claim to have words

directly from God. In a public forum, both prophets present the words they believe the

Lord has given them. Hananiahs prophecy is for a restoration of Israel and a return from

exile and captivityall to occur within 2 years. Jeremiahs word is the exact opposite

captivity and judgment. In addition, Jeremiah pronounces judgment specifically for

Hananiah:

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Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this

nation to trust in lies. Therefore this is what the LORD says: I am about to

remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die,

because you have preached rebellion against the LORD. (Jeremiah 28:15, 16)

It appears that Jeremiah possesses a certain ability to deduce good from evil and is able to

apply such knowledge to real-life scenarios. This in essence, is the spirit of discernment.

Discernment in the New Testament

Seemingly, once Pentecost is reached, the spiritual gifts as a whole seem to be

utilized with more regularity and purposefulness. Discernment is seen more frequently

and even very early on in the Book of Acts. In Acts 5, the story of Ananias and Sapphira

is a standard description of what spiritual discernment looks like. When bringing in a

supposed full sum of proceeds as a donation for the church, Ananias is confronted by

Peter. Being filled by the Spirit, Peter immediately recognizes the lie which is being

advanced. Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the

Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

(Acts 5:3) Later, Sapphira enters and tries to advance the same lie. Peter repeats the

questioning and the end result is the same: both husband and wife die because of their

disobedience. When Peter saw Ananias, the gift of discerning of spirits came into

manifestation. Peter knew immediately that Ananias was lying to God, and Ananias paid

the price for it! (Sumrall 80)

Several other mentions of the gift of discernment arise throughout the New

Testament. Paul identifies the gift of discerning the spirits in his list of nine spiritual

gifts orcharismata identified in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10:

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To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a

message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same

Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers,

to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another

speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of

tongues.

In 1 John 4:1-6, John speaks of the need to test the spirits to see whether they are from

God. (vs. 1) Indeed, every spirit which affirms the incarnation of Jesus Christ is from

God. Finally, the Epistle of Jude addresses the fact that there is a difference between

those who do not have the Spirit and follow natural instincts and those who are Spirit-

filled and follow His leading.

In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.

These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do

not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most

holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in Gods love as you

wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 18-

21)

Much more could be said about the occurrences of this gift in the New Testament.

Jesus, being Gods Son and filled with the Holy Spirit, often exercised discernment

especially when knowing the hearts and motives of those in his audience (the Pharisees,

the rich young ruler, the woman at the well). Going back into Acts, certain scenes occur

which indicate an apostle has a discerning moment about a particular individual. This is

evident in Acts 8 as Peter encounters Simon the Sorcerer and in Acts 13 as Paul discerns

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the evil of Elymas, another sorcerer.

Interpretation and Application

In appraising various references throughout Scripture, it appears that the gift of

discernment takes different forms according to Gods will at an appointed time. As in the

case of Solomon, it allowed a means to correctly judge a situation. It brought clarity in

order to see what motives were at the heart of an individual. The discerning of spirits is

a gift which enables one to appraise motives. But more than this, it gives the believer

power to see what others do not see. (Sumrall 82)

Another reference defines the gift this way: The gift of discernment is the ability

to discern the source of a spiritual manifestation; to know whether something is from God

or not. (Tucker 27) Taking this further, the gift of discernment is related to the

distinguishing of four spirits: (1) the Holy Spirit, (2) the regenerate spirit, (3) the

unregenerate spirit, and (4) the demonic spirit. (Collins 20) Peters discernment in

appropriately judging Ananias and Sapphira was an ability to see the true motive behind

the gift andthe spirit which was at work.

If we unwrap the specific case of Ananias and Sapphira further, we see what the

ultimate effects are for the church as a whole. Because of Peters obedience to the Spirit

in his daily life, he was given an instantaneous gift of discernment, and toldwhat to

do. (Phillips 94) Peter was then obedient to the Spirits prompting and the resulting

judgment was based upon Gods standard for holiness; a standard which remains for the

church today. The Acts church had purged itself of sin. The measures it took were

drastic but effective. (Phillips 96) Similarly, when the gift of discernment is exercised

today, it can be a profound wake-up call or prompting for the church. 1 Peter 1:15, 16

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states, But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:

Be holy, because I am holy. Holiness and purity are what we are called to and God

will accept no compromise.

Ever since the church was started, there have been wolves in sheeps clothing

which have sought to undermine the churchs effectiveness. Truthfully, the ultimate

motive behind any deception can be tied to our great adversary, the Devil. Spiritual

warfare is always taking place and we cannot discount the demonic activity which may

even be present in our own Body. Satans influence is characteristically destructive, and

the person influenced by a demon will have a destructive influence on the church and

others around him or her. (Grudem 1083) Those who are gifted with wisdom to discern

spirits are of vital importance to the church. Hundreds if not thousands of lives can be

affected by the error of one who brings a false word. Testing the spirits is an on-going

gifting that will continue until the Second Coming of the Lord.

From my study of this subject, I believe that God has given each of his followers

an ability to discern between right and wrong in a given situation. To me this is a general

application of the gift which is imparted to those who have the Holy Spirit living within

them. It is a gift that I believe can be strengthened and built upon over time because as

we read and study Gods Word, we find what pleases him and we obey him. The

unregenerate heart has no prompting and no desire to do what pleases the Lord. It is this

difference which clearly stands between saved and unsaved, believer and unbeliever.

The gift can also be more specifically utilized as seen in the events recorded in

Acts. It seems as though God can very pointedly identify an evil or unholy motive to the

spirit of a believer. This type of discernment is not something I believe comes upon

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everyone who is Spirit-filled. Certainly, the use of this gift in everyday life is not as

common but if an evil spirit is expressed in a service or seeks to gain power or control, a

discerning believer can quickly distinguish what is happening. Dr. Lester Sumrall details

an encounter in a church service in which prompt spiritual discernment (and word of

knowledge) was necessary:

A number of years ago, I was present in a small Wednesday-night prayer

meeting. A beautiful young woman, a stranger, came into the auditorium and sat

toward the back. When there was a pause in the meeting she stood up and said,Im an evangelist, and God has told me to conduct a special revival campaign in

this church. No one is to resist me because I am Gods servant and the revival

must begin tonight. The Lord has sent me here to bless you and to preach to

you. Her words brought a strange coldness over the meeting. There was a

moment of quietness. To one side of the auditorium sat a little lady with headbowed. Suddenly, she stood to her feet and, with her face raised to heaven, said,

You are a harlot from St. Louis, Missouri. (The woman had said she was from

another city.) You are in this town living with a man to whom you are notmarried. You have boasted to him that you could come to this church, deceive

these people, preach to them, and collect an offering without their knowing you

are a harlot. If you do not repent, you will die before you leave this building.

Gods power fell heavily on the church and all of us fell to our knees inprayer. When we lifted our heads, the woman was gone. The discerning of spirits

had revealed the truth and she fled from it. (Sumrall 80)

From such an encounter, it can be surmised that the lady who renounced the harlot was

acting under the Spirits influence and anointing. What took place in this meeting was no

different than the stern rebuke given by Peter in Acts 5. Sumralls church was

strengthened through the obedience of one of its own members, just as Peters obedience

brought strength to the early fellowship.

In conclusion, my research on this topic has served to bring me greater clarity

about what the gift of discernment really means and how it is applied. I believe many

churches would be stronger today if they had Spirit-filled members who exercised this

gift in the face of fallacies and half-truths. Perhaps some churches even have members

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who do have an anointing in this area, but are either unskilled or afraid to use it. As

mentioned previously, the gift is vital to the churchs continuing ministry and those who

are anointed with it will be called to account for its use or lack thereof. As Christians, we

should encourage one another to discover our spiritual gifts and to exercise them under

the guidance the Holy Spirit allows.

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Works Cited

New International Version Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973.

Testing the Spirits. Oga.pca.org Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Web. 29 January 2011.

Sumrall, Lester. The Gifts & Ministries of the Holy Spirit. Tulsa: Harrison House, Inc.,

1982.

Tucker, Donald. L. Some Practical Advice: Panel Discussion. Paraclete. Summer

1995: 23-28.

Collins, W. Duane. An Assemblies of God Perspective on Demonology: Part II.

Paraclete. Winter 1994: 18-22.

Phillips, John. Exploring Acts. Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 1986.

Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand

Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.

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Documents

49593941 Gift of Discernment Paper