This weekend, I made one of my rare trips to the movie theatre to watch The Running Man. The movie follows Ben Richards, a good man and father, who enters himself into a game show where he will be hunted so he can get the money to pay for his daughter’s lifesaving meds. The remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic is full of gratuitous violence, over-the-top dialogue, and surprisingly, sorely-needed social commentary.
For me it’s a solid 6/10 action flick, but similar to the Stephen King book it’s based on, it has an ironic setting of a dystopian future where truth is suppressed by billion dollar media companies and fed to an American public that is unable to differentiate fact from fiction. Early in the story, Ben films a tape (which is a rule of the game) that is shared with the American public. In this tape, Ben tries to explain his noble motivations for participating in the game and bring light to the suffering of impoverished families in this dystopian society. The tape is altered by the TV station before airing to make him sound like a bloodthirsty criminal who nobody should side with. The tape is then used by media companies to demonize impoverished people, like Ben, as thieves, freeloaders, and enemies of their fellow Americans. Sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?
Some will probably dismiss this recurring plot point as heavy-handed and unsubtle, but that’s the point. The people in this story can’t see through the constant lies, placing their full faith in greedy, self-serving people that want to take advantage of them and turn them against “the other.” Essentially, the general population lacks discernment.
Funny enough, I was writing parts of this article before I watched this movie. I’ve noticed a general decline in the discernment of this entire country over the last decade. Several weeks ago, someone showed me a supposed “CCTV video” of bunnies jumping on a trampoline. I knew it was AI-generated immediately, but the person insisted that this was real and amazing. But after pointing out the video artifacts and the ridiculous, impossible circumstances of the video, I finally convinced them it was not a true video.
Why am I talking about a secular R-rated movie and a Facebook reel? Simply, I’m trying to illustrate the lack of discernment in our world today. This doesn’t just involve politics or entertainment, but it has sadly been an epidemic in American Christianity for some time now. In the past three decades, millions have fallen for false gospels: Prosperity gospel, Oneness, Seven Mountain Mandate, New Apostilic Reformation, and so on. “Why should we care about theology as long as we love Jesus?” is something many in these American churches will ask. However, the contradiction is we cannot love Jesus if we don’t understand Him, and thus theology becomes essential. Further, if we can’t love the true Jesus, then we can’t love each other, making it easier for us to be turned against “the other.”
Accepting a false gospel is a great danger. In Galatians 1:8, we see that even if “an angel from Heaven” preaches a false gospel, they would be “accursed.” The Greek word used here for accursed is anathema, meaning one who spreads a false gospel would be consigned to damnation and destruction. That’s immensely serious and we should respond as such.
Discernment Defined
Simply, biblical discernment is the process of separating good from evil, truth from falsehood, and God’s will from personal desires, guided by the Holy Spirit and Scripture. It is a gift that the believer develops as they walk through the Christian life and study Scripture. The Greek word anakrino in the New Testament means “to distinguish, to separate out by diligent search, to examine.” Thus, we can say that it’s something that requires a lot of effort and intentionality.
The Christian’s Duty of Discernment
If it’s a gift, does that mean all believers are called to discern? Well, yes, without a doubt. Discernment is something all Christians strive for if they desire to live a life in the light of God’s righteousness:
“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.” – Hosea 14:9 ESV
Furthermore, we are told by The Apostle Paul that discernment is one of the marks of a good Christian:
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” – Romans 12:9 ESV
With that in mind, it’s obvious we should all strive to be discerning individuals. It’s essential in maintaining our purity and avoiding evil.
How to Grow In Discernment
Now that we know discernment is an expectation for the believer, how can we respond? Simply, one could say read your Bible and live in God’s righteousness and be that would be correct. However, what does that look like for the modern believer? Below, I’ll quickly highlight some ways I have myself or have seen others do.
Read the Bible With Intention
Anyone, even a non-believer, can read the Bible and understand its story and message. So then, how should the believer be reading it? Unlike the unbeliever, we should read the Scriptures in context and look for how that points us to Jesus (also known as exegesis).
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Tim 3:16-17 ESV
Meditate
When most people hear meditation, they probably think of Hinduism or Buddhism, but Christians have been meditating for nearly two millennia. After properly reading a passage of Scripture, we should be meditating on those truths and asking how we can apply to our lives. As we do, we can look within ourselves and determine what our internal desires are so we can help determine if those are in accordance with Scripture.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” – Psalms 19:14 ESV
Be Patient (and A Little Skeptical)
Often, we are quick to believe people at their word, especially if they are someone with authority or influence. However, this is how false gospels are spread. Believers will hear the words of a pastor or elder and not compare what is said against Scripture. We ought to slow down and verify that what others are trying to “teach” us are indeed true. Again, The Apostle Paul directs us to not accept teachings blindly, but to examine them against the Bible itself:
“Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” – 1 Thess 5:20-21 ESV
Seek Counsel
One of the wonderful things about the Christian life is that we never walk through life alone. Once you have found a fruitful discipling relationship, you can ask others if they can discern or if it’s something you just can’t find an answer on. To realize such is wisdom:
“Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” – Proverbs 11:14 ESV
Spend Time in Prayer
Finally, prayer is a way God reveals himself to us. The Holy Spirit guides our words, Jesus intercedes on our behalf, and God hears our pleas; a beautiful illustration of the Trinity. Not only can we pray for discernment, but also by repentance we can further see sin in our life that may negatively affect our ability to discern.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” – James 1:5 ESV
Conclusion
It is our duty as Christians to be discerning in all things. If anyone is able to find the truth, it should be us, because we have already accepted THE Truth. But unfortunately, many inside and outside the faith forsake reason and sound doctrine, leading to the vanishing of discernment we’ve seen in the last decade. We all need to look inward, reach outward, and strive upward to bring back sound doctrine to the American church.
Have questions or further discussion? Reach out in the comments or by email.
Faith, Food and Pharmacy 