Don't Lose Your Discernment

Have you ever accepted or justified a book, movie, or teaching that misrepresented the gospel, simply because it contained some good elements? Sadly, more and more Christians are doing this.

This has always been a dangerous type of compromise because it leads to a loss of discernment. But it's especially dangerous considering our present spiritual climate with so many people redefining Christianity to fit cultural values.

We must be careful not to make "ungodly alliances," approving of things which mix truth with error (2 Corinthians 6:14). Satan loves mixing Scripture with his lies. He couldn't fool Jesus with this "trick" (Luke 4:9-13), but he has much more success with undiscerning Christians.

For example, when I first wrote about the serious errors in The Shack, many Christians defended the book because it contained some "good" parts. Most of them claimed I'd totally misunderstood the author's portrayal of God.

A few years later, my concerns were proven true when the author wrote a book about the beliefs he'd presented in The Shack. He claimed that God did not plan Christ's redemption on the cross because only a "cosmic abuser" would do that. What "good" in the story could justify such a serious mockery of God's
character?(1) 

Accepting half-truths is the same as – or worse than – accepting outright lies. It causes us to lose our discernment, our ability to separate right from wrong, truth from error.

May we have far greater loyalty to God and His Word than we have to the "good parts" of anything which misrepresents Him.

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(1) Please see He's Calling God a "Cosmic Abuser" to read multiple Scripture passages that explain that the cross of Christ was a deliberate part of God's plan to redeem mankind.

Additional thoughts on this subject: 

If you affirmed the teachings in The Shack, ask God to restore the discernment you've lost. The articles in this collection will help: Examining The Shack. 

For those who are serious about keeping and/or restoring their discernment:

Beware of Sarah Young's claims! See Jesus Calling: Are Sarah Young's Claims Biblical?

Beware of yoga! Even if you don't use Hindu words like Namaste, yoga can cause a loss of discernment. See Examining Yoga Biblically. 

Bible Love Notes