Scriptural Discernment


Vincent Ball

Discern; Scripture / 2 Ti 3:10–17

How do we know what we are gleaning from the scriptures is correct.

 

How do we know if we have the correct understanding of Scripture?


2 Timothy 3:14–17 (ESV)


14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.


And


Ephesians 4:14 (ESV)


14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.





  1. How do we discern what's right? 


  2. How do we discern what's wrong? 


  3. The correct perspective of Jesus through scripture


  4. Why does it matter?





Illustration 


Before I was a Christian I was well into Star Wars. Luke Skywalker was a great example of a hero. His character and life were Introduced to us  through the film and we came to an understanding of who he was. But what if our understanding of him was changed according to other people other than George Lucas, the author? It wouldn't sit right would it? We'd have a different perspective of him, wouldn't we?  And perhaps we wouldn't like it so much. We would prefer authenticity. If we distort The Bibles  meaning by ignorance or by lack of Bible study or on purpose, we get a distorted view of who Jesus is . That's why it's so important to study the Bible thoroughly and get a correct understanding of him. 





1) How do we discern what's right? 


The Bible tells us to diligently seek the truth in Scripture. 


Here are the scriptures addressing diligent study of God’s Word:


  • 2 Timothy 2:15 — Present yourself approved to God as a worker who handles the word of truth rightly


  • Acts 17:11 — The Bereans examined the Scriptures daily with eagerness to verify what they were taught


  • Joshua 1:8 — Meditate on the Book of the Law day and night so you obey all that is written, resulting in prosperity and success


  • Hebrews 4:12 — God’s word is living and active, piercing to discern thoughts and intentions


  • Ezra 7:10 — Ezra devoted himself to studying God’s Law, practicing it, and teaching it


  • Romans 15:4 — Former writings were recorded for instruction, providing endurance and encouragement through Scripture


Study, meditate, examine, drill down, on God’s word, use every tool available to get to the truth so you will be able to discern correctly,


Have conversations about scripture with fellow believers and arrive at the “truth” “Iron sharpens iron” 


I am convinced that scripture has only one interpretation and that is the right one and whatever that may look like!


Do not be fearful to have some preconceived understandings of scripture changed in pursuit of that truth.


Do not sit back and not read your bibles, cut out the TV and any other Idols you may have in order to study and understand the word, Don’t put it off.


Invest time and effort into searching for that hidden gem In Scripture .


If  you do all of this you will closer to the real meaning of scripture.


It’s getting to the bottom of which one exactly is the right one - It is achievable!





2) How do we discern what's wrong? 


Never take for granted what a preacher says. Always examine and understand it for yourselves. Not that they are intentionally deceiving you (They may be) but they may have the wrong understanding. Be a Berean. 


Do not mindlessly quote scripture when you have no idea what it actually says. Do some research and understand exactly what it is saying. 


If somebody says something in scripture that you aren't sure about, go home and do some research. Get to that truth. 


Look at context. Look at the passage. Look at the book. Get to the real meaning. 


Scripture warns against several wrong ways of understanding God’s Word, and each one leads to serious spiritual harm.


Some people twist hard-to-understand Bible passages in ways that destroy them spiritually (2 Pet 3:16). They treat God’s Word like it can be changed to fit what they want. The Bible tells us not to trick people or mess with God’s Word. Instead, we should tell the truth plainly. (2 Cor 4:2) When people claim God said something He didn’t say, they’re perverting His words. (Jer 23:36) Satan did this when he quoted Scripture to Jesus but left out the parts that would have shown he was wrong—that’s what happens when people pick and choose Bible verses without looking at the full message.


People sometimes reject good teaching and find teachers who say whatever makes them feel good. Then they turn away from truth and believe made-up stories instead. (2 Tim 4:3–4) This is backwards—God’s teaching should shape what we believe, not the other way around.


Adding words to God’s message or removing words from it brings serious punishment. (Rev 22:18–19) God commands us not to add to or take away from His Word so we’ll obey what He actually said. (Deut 4:2)


Jesus said people were wrong because they didn’t know the Scriptures or God’s power. (Matt 22:29) Real understanding requires paying attention to the actual words, the history behind them, and what other Bible passages say—not just making up your own meaning.


No Bible prophecy came from someone’s private interpretation. (2 Pet 1:20–21) Some people claim God speaks to them in special ways that ignore what the actual words say—that’s dangerous and wrong.


The bottom line is that the mishandling of scripture erodes the truth of the message and can lead people away from Jesus or to all kinds of misunderstandings of who he is. 


Scripture is our foundation and if our understanding of scripture is shaky then our foundation is shaky. That is why it is so important to study scripture. 





The correct perspective of Jesus through scripture


Several religious groups and theological movements distort who Jesus really is.


Mormonism teaches that many gods live throughout the universe and have spirit children who receive bodies and live on different planets. Jesus is described as a spirit brother to Lucifer. Mormons also accept extra books as Scripture alongside the Bible—the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—which contain teachings that contradict traditional Christianity.


Jehovah’s Witnesses say Jesus was God’s first creation—the archangel Michael. They claim his life force was put into Mary’s body to create the man Jesus. After he rose from the dead, he became an angel again. Their Bible translation is changed to fit what they believe, reading “The Word was a god” instead of saying Jesus is God.


Theological Movements Within Christianity


Progressive Christianity views Jesus as a spiritual teacher who shows people how to connect with the divine power in all things, similar to Buddha. They reject traditional beliefs about Jesus being God’s Son or rising from the dead.


Liberal theology treats the Bible as human stories rather than God’s Word. Some scholars claim we can know almost nothing certain about the real Jesus. They remove miracles from the Gospel accounts because they don’t believe in the supernatural.


Islam


Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet and a good man, but only human—not God’s Son. Muslims deny that Jesus died on the cross or rose from the dead. They say calling Jesus God’s Son is a false and blasphemous teaching.


Unitarianism


Unitarians believe God is one person, not three. They say Jesus became divine only after he went to heaven, and even then he was less powerful than God the Father.


Why does it matter? 


Flawed Scripture interpretation distorts our understanding of Jesus in several fundamental ways.


Bringing Our Own Ideas Instead of Listening to God


When we come to the Bible with our own assumptions already in mind, those ideas act like a dirty lens that distorts what we see. If we force our own theological ideas onto Scripture instead of letting Scripture teach us, we end up with a Jesus shaped by what we want to believe rather than what God actually reveals. Our biases replace God’s truth and actually breaks one of the ten commandments, making a god of our own understanding. 


Taking Verses Out of Context


When we pull Bible verses out of their surrounding context, we misunderstand what Jesus is really saying. For example, when Jesus said “My Father is greater than I,” He meant the Father has a higher position or role—not that the Father is greater in nature. But if we ignore the rest of what Jesus said about being equal with the Father and sharing His glory, we get a completely wrong picture of who Jesus is. Picking and choosing verses creates a false Jesus.


Treating Scripture as Just Human Opinion


When people say the Bible is only human interpretation of God’s actions rather than God’s actual words, they weaken our ability to know Jesus accurately. If we don’t trust Scripture as God’s direct speech to us, our faith in Christ becomes unclear and weak.


Trusting Our Feelings More Than God’s Word


When our personal experience and what feels right to us contradicts what God says, we need to remember that sin has damaged our ability to see clearly. We don’t have all the information, and we can’t see things perfectly—that’s why we need God’s Word instead of trusting our own reasoning. A Jesus we create based on what feels comfortable is not the real Jesus of the Bible.


Getting Jesus right matters because our eternal salvation depends on it.


Salvation Requires Accurate Knowledge of Christ


The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that our salvation through the gospel connects directly to understanding who Jesus truly is. This isn’t optional theology—it’s foundational. To be “born of God,” a person must affirm that Jesus is the Christ through a proper, biblically-defined confession. Our salvation rests upon an accurate confession of Christ’s identity. Simply using the word “Christ” doesn’t guarantee salvation if your understanding is distorted—cults throughout history have used Christian language while denying Christ’s true nature.


Worshiping a False God Cannot Save


To worship God “in spirit and truth” as Jesus commanded, we must know and worship the one true God as He actually is. Failing to do this means we fail to know and worship God, which cannot bring Him glory. Those who reject the Trinity deny God’s nature, which can lead to rejecting the true God and worshiping a false one instead. And faith in a false God cannot save people from their sins. Anything less than the proper confession of Christ is an idol of some sort, and idols do not save. The person who trusts in idols will be put to shame.


Christ’s Person and Work Are Inseparable


While Christians instinctively understand the importance of Christ’s death on the cross, a proper understanding of His person is equally important. In Christ, God was manifested in the flesh for our salvation. His humanity was added to His Deity, not subtracted from it. Distorting who Jesus is inevitably distorts what He accomplished and what His work means for us. If we get Jesus wrong, we get our salvation wrong.


Different denominations and theological traditions often view themselves as being more faithful to the original intent of the Bible. These disagreements typically arise from differing methods of interpretation—often called “hermeneutics”—and varying priorities in how they weigh different doctrines


Debatable doctrines like tongues, healings, and other spiritual gifts for example, occupy a different category than core truths about Jesus’s identity—they don’t determine salvation, but they do matter for how we live out our faith..


The Real Issue


The danger comes when people make debatable gifts,  an example again, central to their faith. If someone believes their salvation depends on speaking in tongues, or if they judge other Christians as spiritually inferior for not having certain gifts, they’ve made something unimportant into something essential. Spiritual gifts are no proof of how spiritual you really are. You can have dramatic spiritual experiences and still lack love, still distort Scripture, and still misunderstand Jesus.


Focus on getting Jesus right. Pursue love. Use whatever gifts God gives you to serve others. But don’t let disagreements about the side issues distract you from the central truth that saves—who Jesus is and what He accomplished.


Personally speaking I don't think I've arrived at the complete truth yet. I'm closer to the truth than I was 30 years ago When I first got saved but I don't think I'm there yet. But onwards I go. 


Please people, study the word. It's so important. Once you get into it, you would be greatly blessed. Don't ignore it please. Why would you not want to hear God's message to mankind?