Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Responding to doctrinal weeds (some thoughts on discernment)

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419162-dandelion-fieldI recently was asked about how to respond to a spouse who is enthralled by some false teachers. The points I gave for consideration are these:

  • The Bereans were praised (Acts 17:11) for checking to see if what Paul was teaching is true to Scripture, so it is clearly not wrong to determine if a preacher (or a blogger) is speaking in accordance with Scripture.
  • We are called to exercise discernment. All through Paul’s epistles, he deals with issues within the Church and gives his readers the foundation they need to make good decisions. In some cases, Paul calls people out by name so it is clearly not wrong to exercise discernment with regard to people and doctrine.
  • We are called to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matt. 10:16). We should not be tricked by deceivers but we need to be innocent in the way we respond to them and speak about them.
  • In Ephesians 4:15, Paul commands us to speak the truth in love. Love must be the guiding principle as to how we respond to the false teaching. See also 1 Corinthians 13 for a check list to see how you’re doing with regard to a loving response toward the preachers and your spouse.
  • James 1:20 reminds us that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Be honest with yourself as to whether your spouse is sensing and responding to anger which prevents your spouse from hearing your legitimate concerns.
  • It is not wrong to be concerned about what these preachers are teaching. It is also not wrong for you to share your thoughts with your spouse. You will need wisdom (James 1:5) and love to share your thoughts in an appropriate way.
  • While these preachers distort Scripture for their own ends (and will be judged accordingly), they are using Scripture. The Holy Spirit can use the Scripture to show your spouse the error in what they teach.
  • Above all else, I encourage you to pray for your spouse so that the Holy Spirit will reveal the error. Remember that “a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” No amount of argument can subdue the will. Only God can do that.

Anything else that should be considered? Please comment back to add to the list, I would like your input.

Advice from Hollywood

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Hollywood SignYesterday I read Psalm 1:1.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” (ESV)

Growing up, I was taught that this verse is speaking about choosing friends and situations to avoid: those who are wicked, those who are overt sinners. “Don’t hang out with worldly people,” is the short version.

The thought struck me that this should be applied not only to choosing friends, but also to choosing the media I consume. Even though a film, song or show may not be enticing me to overtly sinful behavior, am I being sucked into a world view that is contrary to Scripture?

In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul tells us,

12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.

While there are media choices that are clearly wrong, there are many about which discernment needs to be practiced.

For example, the sin in the Garden is primarily that of valuing self over God, precisely the sin that is lauded in our culture. Put yourself first, have it your way, you deserve the best, control your own destiny; these are some of the messages that come at us every day.

The point of this is not to lay down hard-and-fast rules about what media is safe to consume. The point is that we need to remain vigilant in exercising discernment about which particular media items are harmful. What trips me up might be OK for you and vice versa.

But how do we choose? I think that Paul gives us a clue in Philippians 3:8–11,

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Those media items that cause me to deepen my relationship with Jesus are helpful. The rest are rubbish. It goes without saying that rubbish is not to be consumed.

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