Discern

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 ESV

“But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

Paul is telling the church at Thessalonica to examine statements, teachings and claims for validity. The best place to discover the truth is to go to the source of truth, the Scriptures. Discernment, especially when evaluating spiritual claims, is just as essential today as it was two thousand years ago. The appropriate standard for testing is comparing statements made to what the Bible says. The information that we receive outside the church is harder to discern, not everything that comes out of the television set is accurate. Not everything that we read on the internet is true.

After testing, “hold fast” or cling to what is true and good, things that edify, build up, strengthen, and mostly the things that affirm Jesus as Savior and Lord and His teachings. “Abstain from every form of evil.” This statement seems to be very direct to the church. We should abstain from anything that is contrary to the Gospel message, or the teachings of Jesus, or the Holy Scriptures. Abstain in the Greek language means to hold oneself away from or keep distance from something. Paul calls for careful discernment, unwavering commitment to truth, and a conscious effort to live in a way that is entirely separate from evil in both action and appearance. 

Prayer:

Lord, give us a discerning spirit not just in the church but outside the church as well. Do not let us take every word that we hear in the church be taken for granted, but test and approve the information against Your words. Lord the words that we hear outside the church help us to discern the right from the wrong, evil from good, trustworthy from untrustworthy. Then help us to hold on firmly to what is good and uplifting and completely repel all forms of evil. In Your name Lord Jesus we ask, Amen!