Truth & Temptation
Dear seeker after the gifts of God, this field of spiritual warfare requires discernment. This is not an intellectual exercise but a discipline piercing the soul, separating truth from deception. How can we be expected to perform on this spiritual battlefield if we cannot discern our spiritual enemies from our allies?
The Discerning Eye
Jesus vividly illustrates the art of this discernment in parables. The parable of the sower (Matthew 13) depicts seeds falling on various soils with some bearing fruit and others choked by weeds. This metaphor illustrates discernment, where truth takes root in receptive hearts, made like fertile land, rather than withering amidst thorns and stones or the weeds.
Discernment, within Structural Virtues Theory, is intricately linked to Temperance and Honour. These are the abilities slingshotting us into the moment of Spirit, divine love, and its attendant virtue in Loyalty also through Honesty. Honour starts with moral honesty allowing discovery of what is truly honourable. Beyond the Morality moment which aligns Honesty in a proper Honour, there is that first taste of propriety as discussed in yesterday’s post, which has to do with restraining dishonourable action and resisting temptation’s allure. Honour, as second of the virtues, serves as our compass through the Spiritual-Material divide atop the duality of reason manifesting as Kratos’s two domains of acceptances and rejections.
The Spiritual-Material Divide
Kratos, the domain of rules and initial community entry and self-definition, is where this divide between the material and spiritual sharpens, due to the Honesty in Spirit. Here, the soldier in Christ navigates a perilous landscape of false doctrines and worldly temptations to give in to seemingly ‘easier’ answers. Discernment here transcends intellectual acuity, becoming a spiritual sensitivity, in keen awareness of divine presence amidst earthly distractions. We cannot always know what we are looking at but we can know what we are not looking for. This ability starts us on the path to discern God’s voice despite all the worldly noise, to see the providence plainly all about.
Consider Christ’s wilderness struggle (Matthew 4:1-11), where He faced temptations. This narrative is a timeless parable for discernment. Here, we witness the ultimate example of confronting temptation with resolve. He was offered ephemeral prospects in promises based in temporary arrangements, without anything to back them up. Each temptation was met with a firm rebuke. Christ responds in scripture and calls out these promises for their false premises. His food was God’s greatest nourishment: the Words of God. He would not test God or go out of the way for the purposes of showing up another. He would not worship nor serve material powers, He would only serve the Lord God by giving all to all, and in alignment with true faith.
Temperance’s Role
Temperance plays a pivotal role in this art. It restrains baser instincts, guiding us towards righteousness. In temptation, Temperance shields against deceit’s arrows, and doubt’s siege. Discernment is about resistance and recognition. Liars, lacking Honesty and Analysis support, falter in discernment. They experience deeper layers of internal sin, diverging from virtue’s path, a warning to the soul desirous of discernment. Seek ever after it and do not stop. The soldier in Christ must remain ever vigilant against such diversions, recognising deception’s subtler signs.
In John’s words, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). Thus testing and discernment mark the soldier in Christ, as exemplar of disciplined faith steadfastly pursuing truth. Beloved, do embrace this art and take it all the way. Cultivate the discerning eye, temperate spirit, and honourable heart. Deny the self and prepare. Pray for greater powers of discernment and strength, and then put in the work to make it happen.