Background
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:9-11 ESV
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
1 Corinthians 1:20-25 ESV
Discernment is not a skeptical feeling about everything but by wisdom and not just any kind, discerning the right information forms part and parcel of our faith. In walking with God, the ultimate source of all wisdom, His ways differ from ours so do His thoughts. He reproves man of this truth through the message of the cross…let’s get into the Word.
A man of wisdom understands and trusts the source of his information, however in today’s world, many are blown by every wind of doctrine. As Ephesians 4:14 says we are no longer to be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine These doctrines are triggered by men who think spirituality is everything that sounds deep and cannot discern the pure word of truth. Accordingly, 1Corinthians 2: 14 implores, that the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are spiritually discerned, but he who is spiritual judges all things. To spiritually discern is the solution to understanding the foundation and the content of every doctrine. But nevertheless, wisdom applies and not merely the wisdom of man but of the Holy Spirit who teaches and enables the possibility of comparing spiritual things with the spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:13). This means that in discerning there is a place to distinguish all matters spiritual by their scope, or the natural. Acts 17:11 speaks of a people who received the Word with much eagerness and yet examined every day if what they heard was true. That means discernment takes a spiritual man who through wisdom, understands the ways to distinguish, observe and rightly interpret circumstances, and doctrines to the degree as he oughts.
The wisdom of God differs from the wisdom of men. The wisdom from above is so described; it is first pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy(James 3:17). When we have wisdom from this perspective, then we can rightly judge all things. Solomon was a man well known for the measure of wisdom, God granted unto Him in his reign(1 Kings 4:30). It took the wisdom of God for Solomon to rightly judge as a King. Beloved,God reigns as King and judge over the affairs of men and chooses men from this stand, as He wills, with the notion that they will reign accordingly(Daniel 4:17). It took discernment by knowledge for Solomon to make the judgment for a baby to be cut in half, the goal of this arose from a deep passion and understanding of the nature of mankind and a perception of the nature of even objects(2 Kings 3:16-27). Knowing that one with a pure heart would never have a baby murdered for the sake of a claim. Both women in this circumstance were harlots and corrupted judgment would have had the baby seized from both, deeming them incapable. But Solomon by mercy, without partiality nor hypocrisy in judgment, discerned to whom the baby belonged. It takes this kind of wisdom from above to discern and make meaning of all circumstances.
The prayer of Paul from our scripture of study is to the end that we approve that which is excellent, pure, and blameless. The wisdom of God accordingly in our second scripture is not to be compared to that of the world, man does not see as God sees, nor thinks as God does. This is one that is made evident from the context of salvation, “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”, Paul admonishes. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God to use a message as many deem ridiculous for the redemption of many souls. Beloved to properly discern, know God, and seek the wisdom of God, Solomon is an example that indeed if any lacks wisdom let him ask of God, who gives liberally to all without reproach(James 1:5).