Discernment vs. Judgment
How do you separate from sinners without being judgmental?
Proverbs 1:10 says, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not go with them...” Throughout Proverbs we are warned to avoid sinful foolish people. We are given characteristics of them all through the book so that we will be able to identify them.
In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus counsels his disciples to discern good fruit from bad fruit in people. If this is the case, then the million dollar question is how do I discern good people from bad people, the wise from the foolish, without being judgmental?
The answer lies in your own attitude and the intent of your heart. We are not to condemn others while being blind to our own faults and full of self righteousness. If you maintain a humble attitude and the intentions of your heart are pure, then you are practicing discernment just as you are instructed to do. God’s word clearly states that learning to discern between good and bad is essential in order to be wise yourself.
The commentary in my study bible says, “Young people especially must be taught to discern between wise and foolish people so that they might enjoy the blessing God has promised the wise.” So, how do we do that? Proverbs teaches over and over again that anyone claiming to be one of God's people while living rebellious is most dangerous and must be avoided. My commentary goes on to say that there is a fine line between judging people wrongly and discerning what their behavior means, yet it is crucial that we learn this skill ourselves and teach it to our children.
=====A LITTLE MORE ON THE SUBJECT=====
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) tells us HOW to be good at practicing discernment - “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
In order to understand this, you must understand the word pretension which means a claim that something is true. It’s also defined as using behavior, speech, or writing that is fake and designed to impress. That means that we have to be on-guard against those that we cross paths with who have different values and morals than we do, especially when it comes to our belief in the Almighty Creator. This is important because, as followers of Christ, we are called to uphold a certain moral code. In the practice of discernment, the most obvious sign that someone holds a different set of values than you is through listening to their words and watching their behavior. The word instructs us to demolish arguments not to go looking for them, and to demolish EVERY PRETENSION that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. Then it goes on to instruct us to take EVERY THOUGHT captive to make it obedient to Christ. So when you find yourself in a situation where things don’t sound quite right, or look quite right when you line them up with the truth of God’s word, maybe you don’t belong there. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t love the sinner or be a witness to the lost by loving them. I am saying that you need to be careful who you give access to speak into your life. Take a look at those you are choosing to surround yourself with and make sure those people love God and are cultivating a relationship with Him as diligently as you are.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us and to help us discern the good from the bad in this life. Lord, open our eyes to those around us that are not helping us grow closer to You. Give us wisdom to know how to interact with these people in love while also protecting ourselves from the spiritual damage that their words and actions my produce. Father, help us to be discerning not judgmental and help us navigate this life when others around us choose to see our discernment as judgment. Help us draw closer to You. -Amen
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