The Discipline of Discernment, Chapter 2 (Study Notes)

[The following are my teaching notes for Chapter 2 of Tim Challies’ The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, which I am teaching through in a Sunday school at Kosmosdale Baptist Church. In the following outline, material placed in brackets represents material I have added for teaching.]

The Challenge of Discernment

I. Internal Influences

A. Jeremiah 17:9 [the natural state of Man after the Fall]

B. [Romans 7:21, the state of Christians, still plagued by the flesh]

II. Spiritual Influences

A. Satan questions the Word of God, Genesis 3:1.

B. Satan distorts the Word of God:

1. John 1:1 VS

2. John 1:1, New World Translation

C. But we are equipped for spiritual battle, Ephesians 6:13-18.

III. External Influences

A. Secular Worldview: Truth is viewed as a continuum, with a failure to clearly discern between good and evil.

B. A Low View of Scripture: The sufficiency of Scripture is undermined.

C. A Low View of Theology: The quest for truth about God is replaced by reliance on feelings and experiences.

D. A Low View of God: God’s holiness is ignored.