Spiritually Discerned

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:12, 14, ESV 2016).

My Musings – There are many (but not all) “theologians” who deny the deity of Christ, the infallibility of Scripture, and the exclusivity of “by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.” They dismiss these as foolishness. This, obviously, is the “natural person” speaking. They may have “letters” behind their name, but they do not have the Spirit behind their words. They have worldly wisdom but lack spiritual understanding. Unfortunately, due to their “great learning,” many are led astray.

Spiritual discernment is “freely given” to all who place their trust in Christ, and by so doing have the “Spirit of God” residing within. It does not take a theological pedigree to be spiritually discerning. It is available to “ordinary unschooled” men and women as much as it is to the “wise and learned.”

I am an ordinary layman, unschooled in advanced theology. My musings are hardly inspired, in the sense that Scripture is. But I believe, for the most part, they contain some degree of spiritual discernment. Not from me, naturally, but as the Holy Spirit gives understanding and insight as well as the ability to communicate them in simple terms. At least I hope so.

Through my musings, I scatter some “seed.” “Some [fall] along the path, and the birds [come] and [eat] it up. Some [fall] on rocky places, where it [does] not have much soil. It [springs] up quickly, because the soil [is] shallow. But when the sun [comes] up, the plants [are] scorched, and they [wither] because they [have] no root. Other seed [falls] among thorns, which [grow] up and [choke] the plants. Still other seed [falls] on good soil, where it [produces] a crop.” (Matthew 13:4–8, NIV 1984).

My Advice – May you be “good soil” and spiritually discerning.