Jan Griffith, July 2007
A
brother
in Christ recently made the comment that I should write a paper, either
on
discernment or on "striving to humbly become one of the elect," which
in many ways is one in the same. I
responded quickly that since “discernment” is the subject of my
testimony, I
figured most people who read my e-mails or papers would be tired of
hearing it
by now. I didn’t say this to the
brother, but others have also suggested I write papers on certain
subjects. But that isn’t how it works
with me. The Lord has to impress
something upon my heart before I can write.
Most of my papers have come from middle-of-the-night awakenings
where
certain words come to mind. I will
awaken the next morning, look up those words, and find myself strongly
impressed to study them further. Often
times, those studies turn into “papers.”
Well,
interestingly enough, after hearing from this brother, I smiled at his
recommendation, and laid it aside. But
what happened next was interesting.
During scripture readings the following day, I stumbled on to a
few
notable passages concerning “discernment.”
Hmm, I thought, that’s interesting.
Then I laid the thought aside again.
Then today, when I picked up the July 2007 issue of Herald
(journal of
the Community of Christ), the article that lay before me was titled
“Discernment Process.” Okay, Lord, I
get it—you want me to write a paper on Discernment. J
Brother Pat B, I dedicate this one to you, since you are the one who
got this
ball rolling.
The
following definitions are found in the 1828 version of the Webster
Dictionary:
DISCERN:
“To discern is to discover by the intellect; to distinguish; to
see or understand the difference; to make distinction; to discern
between good
and evil, truth and falsehood; to have judicial cognizance;
to judge.”
DISCERNMENT: “The
act of discerning.”
Perhaps
to
everyone’s dismay, the word “discernment” is not to be found in
scripture, even
though other forms of the word can be found.
Scripturally speaking, “discernment” means having the ability to
make
righteous judgments between good and evil.
Remember
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that Adam and Eve ate
from? In the past, I have wrongfully
assumed that
this “forbidden fruit” tree was a “bad” tree, since the Book of Mormon
described it as being in opposition to the “Tree of Life.”
After all, our goal is to eat from the Tree
of Life. If the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil is in opposition to the
Tree of Life, it made some (though little) sense that the Tree of
Knowledge was
a bad tree.
“Even the forbidden fruit
in
opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other
bitter”
(2 Nephi 1:98).
The
Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil was not a bad tree.
It was a “forbidden” tree; forbidden for the purpose that man
might
fall, so that all men might attain a physical body, and have joy in
eternal
life (2 Nephi 1:112-115). It was necessary, and for a wise purpose, that
man would eat from the forbidden tree.
God
said
that the forbidden fruit (from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil)
would be
“bitter.” In what way would it be bitter?
In college, I was asked a difficult question by a woman who knew
very
little about Christianity. She wondered
why God would have allowed Adam to Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. As I sought to answer her question, one of
the main points that came to mind was that “we must taste the bitter to
appreciate the sweet.” And isn’t that
true? What appreciation would we have
of a rainbow if we never experienced a thunderstorm?
What appreciation would we have for life, if we did not
experience death and sorrow? How could
we have joy in reunion if we’ve never had to say goodbye?
How many times have we heard people say, “We learn
from our mistakes.” Mistakes are
painful things, yet we learn
from them, and what joy it is not to make the same mistakes twice. How could there be joy in anything unless
there has also been sorrow?
“And the Lord spake unto
Adam,
saying, Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so, when
they begin
to grow up sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the
bitter, that
they may know to prize the good.” (Genesis 6:57)
Truly,
the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is the “bitter” tree.
Pain tastes bitter. Jealousy tastes
bitter. Guilt tastes bitter.
Sorrow tastes bitter. Death tastes
especially bitter. Watching others do evil
things tastes
bitter. Look what the Lord told Adam
and Eve about that tree:
“And unto Adam, I, the
Lord God,
said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast
eaten of
the fruit of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt
not eat of
it, cursed shall be the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou
eat of it
all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth
to thee;
and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.”
(Genesis
3:23-24)
Jesus
used
this same terminology to explain discernment to his disciples:
“Ye shall know them by
their fruits;
for do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth
forth
evil fruit.” (Matthew
7:25-26; 3 Nephi 6:28)
Is
our
sorrow not increased as our discernment between good and evil increases? As we grow in the knowledge of sin, do we
not recognize it all the more in ourselves?
Do we not recognize it all the more in the world?
“For in much wisdom is
much grief;
and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18)
The
Lord
said that we would eat of this sorrow all the days of our life. These words were not written for the
unbeliever, but for the believer who would seek the Lord with all of
their
heart, might, mind, and strength. For
them, increased wisdom would increase sorrow, yet there are great
promises
attached to this decree.
“…weeping may endure for
a night,
but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5)
The
majority of Christians fail to comprehend this “sorrow,” because they
do not
seek the Lord after the manner he commands them to seek.
They seek him in worldly ways, and thus
conform to the world – the same world which “hates God,” and that
Christ said
would “hate us” if we took up our crosses and followed him (John
15:18-19). If we truly choose to follow
Jesus Christ, then discernment is the sorrow that we eat; it is the
bitterness
of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The more of it we eat, the better at discernment we get, and the
better
able we are to judge fruits – and, of course, the more the world will
hate us
for making those judgments.
Today,
we
are witnessing a new
“We claim a knowledge of
good and
evil which does not exist in fact. It
is an illusion.”
“Man is completely colored
by his own
judgment of good and evil.”
“Do I have true
understanding, and
real conscious comprehension? If
I do, then I have no judgment, sentimentality,
condemnation, or bias; but true empathy and compassion.”
The
coming
pseudo revelations concerning the “mysteries of the kingdom” are
largely about
judgments; or actually, the lack of them.
The general idea is that when man can quit “judging others,”
then
perfect peace on earth can be realized.
God’s Kingdom will have arrived.
A so-called authoritative priesthood will have been prepared,
and
perhaps even endowed, to reveal to the world that “it is
time to stop eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil.” Or in other words, “it
is time to stop making judgments.” Unfortunately,
there is some degree of truth
in this “secret mystery” teaching. That
“degree” of truth is that man does tend to make poor judgments. But that doesn’t mean that he should cease
from making judgments. It simply means
that he needs to spend more time seeking Godly wisdom, so that his
judgments
aren’t poor ones. See the
difference? See the trick in this
so-called mystery? The lie is packaged
craftily.
But
God’s
Word is very clear. His desire is that
we make judgments. He desires that we
discern the difference between right and wrong.
“Whoso keepeth the
commandment shall
feel no evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and
judgment.” (Ecclesiastes 8:5)
“A
wise
man’s heart discerns both time and judgment” means that wisdom and
discernment are
irretrievably related. To use wisdom is
to discern judgment. A person cannot
make righteous judgments without first having wisdom of God’s law, much
like a
Judge cannot make righteous decisions in a courtroom without first
having
wisdom of Constitutional law.
“Get wisdom, get
understanding;
forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her
not (wisdom), and she shall preserve thee;
love her (wisdom), and she shall
keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing (principle
meaning chief, highest in rank); therefore get wisdom;
and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her (wisdom), and she shall promote thee;
she (wisdom) shall bring thee to
honor, when thou dost embrace her. She (wisdom)
shall give to thine head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory shall
she
deliver to thee.”
(Proverbs 4:5-9)
Jesus
repeatedly commanded us to ask for wisdom and to seek his
wisdom. He said that if
we knock, the door of understanding will be opened to us.
But there are two ways to seek wisdom, and
consequently, there are two kinds of wisdom. The Gentiles seek after wisdom, but theirs
is the worldly kind, and they seek it to obtain a corruptible crown (1
Corinthians 1:22; 9:25). Jesus was
clear that he who enters not by the door of the sheepfold is a
thief and
a robber (John 10). It is critical that
we enter through that door which is Jesus Christ, who
is the Word
made flesh. In other words, it
is through the Word that we enter in to Godly wisdom
(John 1:16).
In
vision,
Lehi saw multitudes of people trying to cling to the Word of God. He also saw multitudes letting go. Yet it is this same Word that is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, this Word which discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart
(Hebrews 4:12). It is this same Word
that was made flesh, which tells us all that we should do (2 Nephi
14:4).
In
the book
of Mosiah, we find that the natural man is an enemy to God, and that we
should
put off the natural man and become as a child, meaning we should be
submissive,
meek, and humble, and that we should endure afflictions as the Lord
sees fit
(Mosiah 1:119-120). Paul spoke of this
also when he said that the natural man cannot receive things of the
Spirit of
God, for those things are foolishness to him (1 Corinthians 2:14-15). The natural man cannot make right judgments,
because to judge rightly between good and evil requires spiritual
discernment –
it requires possession of the Holy Spirit which teaches those things
which are
spiritual:
“Now we have received,
not the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know
the
things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak,
not in
the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)
Many
assume
that by “asking” for wisdom or discernment that God will grant it, just
for the
asking. It isn’t that God isn’t capable
of granting it just for the asking, but to expect such from him is
about as
reasonable as someone asking the President of the
But
we have
to be careful about how we apply ourselves and what it is we truly
desire. God’s Word discerns the intents of
our
hearts. That being said, if we desire
wisdom for the wrong reasons, we will attain a kind of wisdom contrary
to that
which is right and good. If we desire
wisdom in order to gain money, honor, power, or glory to ourselves,
then the
wisdom we get may be the kind of wisdom that corrupts us and causes us
to think
we have discernment when really we don’t.
The Word is clear that we receive according to what we desire,
so what
we desire lays the foundation for everything else.
We do ourselves no eternal favors when we pray, ask, seek, and
knock with our lips, while our hearts are far from the Lord.
“Wherefore, beware, lest
ye are
deceived, and that ye may not be deceived, seek ye earnestly the best
gifts (the principal gifts are wisdom and
understanding—Proverbs 4), always remembering for what they are
given; for
verily I say unto you, They are given for the benefit of those who love
me and
keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do, that all may
be
benefited, that seeketh or that asketh of me, that asketh and not for a
sign
that he may consume it upon his lusts.” (Section 46:4)
As
previously mentioned, there are two kinds of wisdom.
The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.
The rich, famous, and power-hungry who think
they are wise, really are fools (Romans 1:22).
In fact, we are told that if we want to be wise in this world,
that we
must first become fools so that we may become wise (1 Corinthians 3:18). To the world, God’s wisdom does indeed sound
very foolish. Therefore, if we are wise
in the Lord, then we can expect the world to reject our usage of
discernment. Sorrow, of course, is the
result.
Solomon
desired to judge the Lord’s people with an understanding heart, having
the
ability to discern between good and evil.
It pleased the Lord that Solomon desired
this thing, and his desire was granted (1 Kings 3).
But too many of the Lord’s people desire things contrary to the
Lord’s will. The majority of his
leaders desire power that they can consume upon their lusts, while the
majority
of his followers simply desire to be led.
Nothing has changed. In the days
of Jonah, there were multitudes of people in
“Son of man, prophesy
against the
shepherds of
Do
we
understand what Ezekiel meant when he wrote that the shepherds feed
themselves,
and that they kill them that are fed?
Too few are willing to become fools (despised, mocked, hated),
so that
they may be made wise, in order to understand what these things mean.
How
important is it that we discern, or make right judgments?
If we partake of communion unworthily, the
Lord says that we are not discerning his body, and that by this lack of
discernment, we condemn ourselves.
“For he that eateth and
drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh condemnation to himself, not
discerning
the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and
many
sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1 Corinthians 11:29-31)
Jesus
called the early disciples hypocrites because they could discern the
face of the
sky, but could not discern the signs of the times (Matthew 16:3). He said that meat (the
mysteries of the Kingdom) belongs only to those who by
reason of use have exercised their
senses to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).
How does one “exercise their senses?”
Senses defined mean judgment.
How does one exercise judgment unless one has wisdom? And how does one come into possession of
wisdom unless one exercises faith? And
how does one exercise faith unless one feasts upon the words of Christ
with a
heart supple enough that his words might be planted and nourished there?
“And now, behold, because
ye have
tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth, and
sprouteth, and
beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. “And now
behold,
is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that
thing, and
your faith is dormant; And this because you know; for ye know that the
word
hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up,
that your understanding
doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. O
then, is
not this real? I say unto you, Yea; because it is light; and whatsoever
is
light, is good, because it is discernible; therefore ye must know
that it is
good. And now behold, after ye have tasted this light, is your
knowledge
perfect? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your
faith, for
ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed, that ye might try
the
experiment, to know if the seed was good.” (
The
Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil is a tree from which we must eat in order to
exercise faith, and acquire discernment.
In time will our knowledge be perfected, and we will attain the
pleasures and joy of eating the sweetest, most white, and most desired
fruit
from the Tree of Life. Today, however,
is a day of exercise; a day of preparation; a day of running the race
so that
we might attain the prize of that Tree of Life (Hebrews 12:1).
“And the spirit and the
body is
restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and
immortal, and
they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us, in the
flesh;
Save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.”
(2 Nephi 6:32-33)
When
Satan’s counterfeiters try to tell us that it is time to stop eating
from the
Tree of Knowledge, it is the Lord’s Word, and nothing else, that will
confound
them. Take another look at it:
“And unto Adam, I, the Lord God, said,
Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten
of the
fruit of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not
eat of it,
cursed shall be the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat
of it all the days of thy life.”
(Genesis 3:23)
Until
we are
changed from mortality to immortality, we will continue eating from
this tree,
and that is according to God’s Word.
“Blessed are they that do
his
commandments (eat
from the tree of knowledge of good and evil), that they may have
right to the tree of life (perfect knowledge), and may
enter in
through the gates into the city (New Jerusalem).”
(Revelation 22:14)
How
important is it to the Lord that his people understand the difference
between
good and evil? Apparently, it is very
important, as he intends to “make up his jewels,” at which time he will
spare
his people who will return and discern
between righteousness and
wickedness – between they who serve God and they who do not serve him
(Malachi
3:17-18, 3 Nephi 11:20-21). Isaiah as
well as latter day revelation confirms these truths in parables. We are told that God will perform a “strange
act” in the Lord’s Day – a “strange work” so that men will be able to
discern
between righteousness and wickedness, between good and evil, between
right and
wrong (Section 98:12e, Isaiah 28:21).
How
do we
know that we are drawing closer to this event?
Because Isaiah described our day, all that we are witnessing,
and all
that we will soon witness. Isaiah
explained that we would lack discernment, even that we would “have it
all
backwards” in the last days. It doesn’t
require deep discernment to know that murder or thievery is wrong. Simple truths are simple even for the world
to understand. But God was not speaking
to the world. He addressed his
people specifically when he said that we would have it “backwards.” Backwards by his definition means that we
would do things like deliver up our brethren to be killed, thinking we
were
doing God’s work, much like the Jews delivered up Jesus Christ to be
killed
thinking they were doing God’s work (John 16:2).
A
good
example of “having it backwards” is illustrated in the latest Herald,
in
President Veazey’s address to the Seventy on March 24, 2007. He said:
“…we need to be called out of our
pettiness in faith matters. Why? So that we can be a genuine Community of
Christ that calls people into love, into abundant life, into
forgiveness, into
reconciliation, into wholeness, into
justice, into God’s peace.”
According
to Isaiah, “none call for justice, nor do any plead for truth; they
trust in
vanity, speak lies, conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity”
(Isaiah
59:4). President Veazey does not know
what justice is.
“For the vineyard of the
Lord of
hosts is the house of
Ephraim,
whom Ezekiel said holds the stick of
Joseph in their hand, has become “drunk;” erring in vision and
stumbling in
judgment, which we know is
discernment (Isaiah 28:7). Isaiah went
on to say that our ways are as crooked paths.
Judgment is far from us; we
walk in darkness; we grope for the wall like the blind, as if we had no
eyes. We stumble at noonday as in the
night. “And judgment
is turned away
backward, and justice standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the
street,
and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from
evil
maketh himself a prey; and the Lord saw it, and it
displeased him that there was no judgment. (Isaiah 59)
Paul
explained that the saints would judge the world. He
said, “if the world shall be judged by the saints, are the
saints unworthy to judge the smallest matters” (1 Corinthians 6:1-2)? If the Lord returned today, would Isaiah 59
be fulfilled? Would he find judgment
turned away backward? Would he find
judgment at all?
Also
found
in July 2007 issue of Herald (www.CofChrist.org),
after President Veazey offered his testimony of the church’s latest
“revelation” (Section 163), is the following:
Growing into a prophetic
people will
require us to learn the principles and spiritual practices of
discernment until
they become a permanent part of who we are together and with God. As part of our ongoing reflections with
Section 163, we will provide discernment processes for you to
engage in
on either a personal or group basis.
“They”
will
provide discernment processes for us?
Here is how “they” defined these processes:
Discernment as a
spiritual
discipline includes specific skills and steps.
We create an attitude of discernment in our lives and
congregations by
continuing to engage in spiritual practices that open us to God’s
Spirit…Choose
one or more of the following as an
experiment to try. After you have
completed the practice, you may wish to engage in prayerful reflection,
journaling, or sharing with a friend. Read the D&C Section 163 slowly and
prayerfully. Then do one of the
following:
-
Take a walk with the words
and ask
for openness to insights, images, or emotions that give you deeper
understanding
of the text.
-
Sit in a chair with the
words and
open your heart and mind to any images
or awarenesses that seem to speak clearly and powerfully to you.
-
Meet with a friend and
share with one
another the parts of Section 163 that are most relevant or significant
for each
of you.
-
Go to church and engage in
the
discipline of silent, compassionate observation…
Where
is
the way to discernment in the above “discernment processes?” Scripturally speaking, the only way to
greater discernment is through seeking Godly wisdom, which requires a
righteous
desire for the Kingdom; a continual feasting on God’s
Word, the Rod of Iron; a determination to keep our hearts
soft and to plant many seeds; a willingness to become fools to the
world; and
all of this in combination with mighty repentance, and a fortitude to
endure to
the end.
The
“discernment processes” of the Herald demonstrate the ways of climbing
up into
the sheepfold in a way other than the door – climbing up as a thief and
a
robber – ways all found in everything from New Age to the most esoteric
of
literature. The Herald suggests we
perform an experiment in order to
acquire discernment, yet speaks nothing of the only experiment God’s
Word
describes – the planting of God’s words in our hearts (
“And again, verily I say
unto you,
my friends, I leave these sayings with you, to ponder in your hearts
with this
commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I
am near;
draw near unto me, and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently
and ye
shall find me; ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened
unto you;
whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you,
that is
expedient for you; and if ye ask anything that is not expedient for
you, it
shall turn unto your condemnation. Behold, that which you hear is as the voice
of one crying in the wilderness; in the wilderness, because you can not
see
him: my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth: truth
abideth
and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.” (Section 85:16-17)
How
many
times have we heard people say, “The Lord told me to do this,” of “The
Lord
told me to do that?” They assume that
they know the sound of the Lord’s voice.
Yet the Lord has a distinctive voice which can be heard only
when his
door is opened to us. Again, that door
is Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
His voice is in his words.
“Listen to the voice of
Jesus
Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is
quick and
powerful.”
(Section
26:1a)
“Bless the Lord, ye his
angels, that
excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the
voice of
his word.”
(Psalms 103:20)
The
thing
that was, is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which
shall be
done; and there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). We’ve heard it before. Can
we bear to hear it again?
“O hypocrites! Ye can
discern the face of the sky, and of the earth; but how is it that
ye do not
discern this time?”