Unlock Biblical Discernment: Stop Believing Lies, Live God's Truth
- RD Montgomery
- May 15
- 5 min read
In this day of information at your fingertips, I notice that more and more people who refer to themselves as Christians are on the internet asking questions about what is or isn't a sin or if something is Christian behavior. This brings up some concerns:
They may face a dozen or more situations in which they need to know right from wrong. Will they ask for advice in every case?
How do they know the advice they get is biblically accurate?
If they do not ask for guidance, how is their decision being made?
We need to understand that we are always receiving new information that can act as part of our education. Without the Bible to run interference, we can spend most of our time being discipled/taught the same lessons that non-believers learn and accept. Lessons like:
More money is always better
You deserve nice things, promotions, and relationships that satisfy you.
It is better to have things work out on your terms.
People will envy you the more independent you are
If something gets a lot of upvotes/likes I should pay attention to it if I want to get them too.
Trust yourself/trust your feelings
If a lot of other people are doing it, it must be okay for me to do it too.
Make everyday count.
You can be anything you want to be.
The world also wants us to learn about Christianity from it. Here are some popular lessons:
God helps those that help themselves.
Religion is a private thing between me and God.
Everyone still sins, so I don't need to worry about it.
Becoming a Christian is enough for me. If other people want to do more, that is up to them. I just don't want to go to Hell.
My attendance helps a church, so I will pick one that gives me what I want before I give them my business.
I am better than a non-believer
Those lists could easily have hundreds of lies that a person might believe. Sadly, according to the studies, most people who call themselves Christians believe more lies than truth.
Growing up in the Faith
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:12-14
I sum up this passage of Scripture by saying:
The progression of maturity (from a milk drinker to a meat eater) can be seen as a person goes from being a question asker to an answer giver. It is a given that if you know something well enough, you can, with confidence, give that information to others that need it. That could look like talking to a group or something like talking to a friend over coffee.
The expectation for maturity is not that a person can answer any question or that they stop having questions of their own. However, they should be able to answer the basic principles of our faith.
Also, notice that the author of Hebrews is scolding the immature (milk drinkers) only because sufficient time has passed and they are not making progress. In other words, there is nothing wrong with being immature as long as you are actively doing something about it.
Getting Busy
There are no shortcuts. Knowing the Word of God takes time, persistence, and mostly the Holy Spirit. If you do not know where to start, start with love. Learn how God loves us, how we should love Him, and how we are expected to love others. Why? Look at Mark 12:28-34 & Galatians 5:14.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
If you know something well enough to explain it to others, you also know it well enough to apply it to your life. When faced with daily decisions, you'll be equipped to discern right from wrong. A truly shameless Christian life, one lived with confidence and integrity, is built on a foundation of personal Scripture knowledge, not constant reliance on others.
There is another reason I want you to know your Bible better. You should not base your salvation on what someone taught you or what you think is correct. It is too important. I do not want you to be one of the people that Jesus says that He doesn’t know (Matthew 7:22-23).
Turning Scripture knowledge into discernment
It is time for me to introduce you to my three boxes. These boxes represent a mental discipline that I use for capturing what people try to teach.
The Truth Box: If I hear something that I know aligns with Scripture in context, it goes in this box and I accept it true.
The Research Box: Since I do not know the entire Bible, there are times I can't determine just by hearing and thinking about something whether or not it is true. This box is my way of making a note to study what I have heard in the Bible. I want to put as little in this box as possible because it can get out of hand. This is why I need to constantly be working at knowing the Bible better.
The Lies Box: Anything that I hear that does not align with Scripture in context gets rejected as a lie. If the new information comes from a very reputable source, I will verify it with a fresh look at the Scripture they used and the Scripture I believe disproves it.
This simple exercise will help you to stop being a passive learner and become biblically minded by creating patterns which will help you build discernment. The more it grows, the easier it will be for you to know what is right, be a doer of the word, and take thoughts captive.
The wrap-up
I hope this post encourages you to spend more time in your Bible with the goal of knowing it well enough to be a resource for others as they need it. As you do, you will build discernment and have confidence that you know God's truth.
Scripture used or considered in the writing of "Unlock Biblical Discernment: Stop Believing Lies, Live God's Truth" by RD Montgomery. All Scripture quoted is in the ESV format unless otherwise specified.
Matthew 7:15-23
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Matthew 22:1-14
Matthew 24:45-51
Matthew 25:1-13
Matthew 25:14-30
Matthew 25:31-46
Mark 9:43-48
Mark 12:28-34
Luke 12:4-5
Luke 13:1-5
Luke 13:24-30
John 3:36
John 15:1-11
Romans 2:5-11
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
2 Corinthians 10:5
Galatians 5:19-21
Ephesians 5:5-6
Colossians 3:5-6
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
2 Timothy 2:15
Hebrews 3:12-19
Hebrews 5:12-14
Hebrews 6:4-8
Hebrews 10:26-31
James 1:22-25
1 John 2:4
1 John 3:6-10
1 John 3:15
1 John 4:20-21
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