The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Foreword by John MacArthur)

by Timothy Challies; John MacArthur

Publisher:

Crossway

, 2007

Spiritual discernment is good for more than just making monumental decisions according to God's will. It is an essential, day-to-day activity that allows thoughtful Christians to separate the truth of God from error and to distinguish right from wrong in all kinds of settings and situations. It is also a skill-something that any person can develop and improve, especially with the guidance in this book.

Written by a leading evangelical blogger, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment is an uplifting, scripturally grounded work that explains the need for discernment, its challenges, and the steps that will cultivate it. Author Tim Challies does not do the discerning for readers; he simply shows them how to practically apply scriptural tools, principles, and wisdom so that their conclusions about everything-people, teachings, decisions, media, and organizations-will be consistent with God's Word.

Contents

Top Highlights

“We live in an age where too many who profess to be Christians rarely consider their spiritual maturity—an age when many consider spiritual immaturity a mark of authenticity, and when people associate doubt with humility and assurance with pride. Far too many people consider sound theology the mark of a person who is argumentative and proud. Far too many people are just like the audience to whom Hebrews is addressed. This letter draws a clear line connecting a lack of discernment with spiritual immaturity so that those who lack discernment are those who are spiritually immature. Scripture makes it plain: if you are not a person who exhibits and exercises discernment you are not a mature Christian.” (source)

“wisdom and discernment are inexorably connected as with the two sides of a single coin.” (source)

“There seems to be a progression from knowledge, which refers to bare facts, to wisdom, which refers to understanding moral and ethical dimensions of facts and data, to discernment, which is the application of wisdom. Wisdom is a prerequisite to discernment. Discernment is wisdom in action.” (source)

“Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God . Even more to the point:truth is the self-expression of God. That is the biblical meaning of truth. . . . Truth is theological.’⁵ Truth is what God thinks; it is what God does; it is what God is; it is what God has revealed of himself in the Bible. Truth is found in its fullest form in God, for he is truth; he is the very source and origin of all truth.” (source)

Product Details

• Title : The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Foreword by John MacArthur)
• Authors:
  • Challies, Tim
  • MacArthur, John
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2007
• ISBN: 9781433520525

About the Authors

Tim Challies (BA, McMaster University) is a self-employed web designer and a pioneer in the Christian blogosphere, having one of the most widely read and recognized Christian blogs, Challies.com. He is also the editor of DiscerningReader.com, a site dedicated to offering thoughtful reviews of books that are of interest to Christians. Tim lives in Oakville, Ontario, with his wife, Aileen, and their three children.