Reflections from 1 John series; it is vitally imperative for Christians to develop a discipline of spiritual insight called discernment. Why do Christians need discernment? That is somewhat easy to respond to with even one word: Evil. Evil exists in the world whether people choose to recognize it or not. We have all heard more than once in our lives that there are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing who pose a real threat to the integrity of the church.

“Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” (Revelation 22:15)

Though, when hearing the analogy that there will be wolves in sheep’s clothing, do we take it to heart? Do we apply this warning to ourselves and our lives or let it pass through our ears, perhaps allowing our inner pride to dismiss it on a whim? Dismiss is more than an analogy; it is, in fact, a reality because maybe we believe we are too wise to be fooled, too quick on our feet, and not to know when there is real danger right before us. We need guidance, thus our human flesh supersedes, so discernment (the gift of the presence of the Holy Spirit), is vital to navigating our fallen world. Discernment driven by the Holy Spirit is fundamentally necessary, as it will surpass any amount of prideful wisdom, regardless of the context. 

Recently, I pondered the words of JC Ryle, one of my lifelong heroes. He was a great thinker, and his work was shared well beyond his lifetime. In his book, “Are You Ready for the End of Time?” Ryle shares real wisdom regarding the return of our Lord and restoration of his Kingdom on earth.

“I am fully persuaded. The gospel-net may perhaps be spread far more widely than it has been hitherto, but the angels shall find an abundance of bad fish in it as well as good, in the last day. Reader, how is it with your own soul? Remember, that till the Lord Jesus Christ comes again there always will be wise and foolish in the Church. Now, which are you?” Ryle

Are you a faithful servant of the Lord? Have you died to self to glorify he who died for our sins and our ultimate salvation? Or do you remain clothed in unrepentant sin, unforgiven, unresolved, and unregenerated by the blood of Jesus? Do you live for self-proclamation and gain as a wolf among the flock awaiting the opportunity to gain and devour what is before him? 

“The wise are they who have that wisdom which the Holy Ghost alone can give. They know their own sinfulness. They know Christ as their own precious Saviour. They know how to walk to please God, and they act upon their knowledge. They look on life as a season of preparation for eternity, not as an end, but as a way, not as a harbour, but as a voyage, not as a home, but as a journey, not as their full age, but their time of school. Happy are they who know these things! The world may despise them, but they are the wise.” Ryle

Therefore, it is prudent to acknowledge that the wise and the foolish, the regenerated and unregenerated hearts, will always exist in and outside of the Church. The overarching question is, “What constitutes true fellowship within the belief of Christ as Lord and Savior?” The answer is two-fold, both objective and subjective. Objectively speaking, ask yourself, “What are the irreducible minimums you must believe to be a Christian?” The unequivocal answer is you must believe in the following:

One God, revealed from inspired Scripture, is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, eternal and incarnate, fully God and fully man. Born of a virgin, who lived a perfect life (obeying the law perfectly from the heart, never sinning, fully righteous), died as the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, as the full payment for sin, and rose again to offer salvation that is the forgiveness of sins that is received by grace through faith alone.

A believer repents of his sins and forever believes in Christ as Savior and Lord. A true believer is given a new heart, receives complete forgiveness (immediately), and is covered with Christ’s complete righteousness. The question is whether someone must fully grasp and understand all these truths to be a follower of Jesus. Let alone be able to articulate these truths. The simple answer is no and yes. No, in the sense that faith is never a performance, and yes, in terms of someone truly submitting to learn and affirming the basic understanding of all of this. One way to affirm someone coming to Christ is their determination to willingly affirm the gospel’s truth, even on the simplest level, and not actively deny any of these truths. When people confuse, blur, add or subtract to these fundamental truths with religious works or experiences, they lose the saving message of the truth and thus, the gospel altogether. 

“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

The second way to answer, “What constitutes true fellowship?” Building on the first is the subjective side. The subjective comes down to one thing. Is that individual truly born again? Is there true spiritual conviction based upon being regenerated, truly born again, that is manifested in spiritual illumination? How do you know when someone has the Holy Spirit? Ask yourself whether they believe the Word of God as truth that produces affection for Christ and affection for holiness. When Spirit-based affection for Jesus, which is transforming someone’s life, is manifest, there is fruit born of the spirit, and only then will you have fellowship with that person.

““Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation 22: 17)

“What about secondary issues like baptism or their hermeneutics regarding dispensationalism, conventionalism, or end times positions?” I would say that when you settle the matter of possessing true fellowship, then the secondary issues take care of themselves. “Can a secondary become a primary issue?” Yes. Charismatic doctrine and the continuation of giftings can put what they call New Testament prophecy on par with the authority of Scripture. The Roman Catholic Church poses the same threat, putting tradition on par with the authority of Scripture. This undermines the Bible as our sufficient guide and rules only then to elevate man’s will versus God’s will. What about secondary or tertiary issues in the Church? Peter himself said Paul’s writings were hard to understand. 

“And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:15-16) 

I believe local churches need to settle for themselves what they believe in for clarity’s sake. And for unity’s sake and protection from false teachers twisting it. When you have an anything-goes hermeneutic, this can easily undermine the perspicuous or inherent clarity of Scripture. Revelation 2 might be a good place to close, with Jesus’ warning to the Church at Ephesus.

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:4)

This is a weighted warning from our Lord to the Ephesians. He states that if they do not return to their first love and repent, they will no longer be of existence nor witness to the world. Ephesus is one of the seven churches Jesus addresses here. According to Church history, John was in this Church of Ephesus with Timothy, whom Paul commissioned as the Church’s pastor.  As the inspired author of Revelation, John may connect Jesus’ warning to Ephesus to John’s point on “testing the spirits” (1 John 4). 

Lastly, let us remember the Lord himself warned, “Behold I send you out as amid wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16). Jesus is stating discernment is a must by his flock to survive the attacks and likened to a dove, to fly home to eternity, with a pure heart and love for Christ and Christ alone. Leaving all this world has to offer behind by dying to it and knowing it shall pass away along with all its empty promises and keepsakes galore. 

“One thing I wish to premise, before making my statement. The reader must understand that I do not put forth my prophetical views as articles of faith but only as my private opinions. I do not say that nobody can be saved who disagrees with me about prophecy. I am not infallible. I am very sensible that holier and better men than myself do not see these subjects with my eyes and think me utterly mistaken. I condemn nobody; I judge nobody. I only ask liberty to hold and state distinctly my views. The day will decide who is right. It is the new heart and faith in Christ’s blood that is necessary for salvation. The man who knows these two things experimentally may be wrong about prophecy, but he will not miss heaven.” Ryle

To conclude, I want to address a question that often arises in discussions about discernment: On what issues should we be willing to stand firm? When is it necessary to separate from fellowship due to theological disagreements? When is it acceptable to work alongside those with differing beliefs if we agree on the overall mission? To clarify my approach to discerning these matters, I consider one key question: Am I in fellowship with this person or group? This means determining whether the individual is part of our Christian community and sharing common commitments to membership, faith, beliefs, and convictions. Suppose they are not part of that community. In that case, I choose not to align with them in any way that could confuse others—whether they are individuals or observers—about my beliefs regarding salvation. In such cases, failing to draw a clear line could ultimately harm everyone involved.