“… those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil”
(Heb. 5:14, NKJV)
In the previous teaching we concluded our discussion of the five spiritual senses. It was a subsection of the larger theme we are concerned with, that of examining “the spirit of the Lord,” one of the seven Spirits of God that are specified in Isa. 11:2.
But before we turn away from the topic of the senses, it is important to consider one specific Scripture that is explicitly concerned with the senses, and that is Heb. 5:14: “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Interestingly enough the term “full age” is the word teleios in Greek, of which the root word is telos, the exact same word that is used in 1 Pet. 1:9: “receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls”. According to Thayer this could also be translated as “the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose”, and is therefore also presented as “eternal”! Seen in this light it is very clear that this is not an end goal in the sense of the end of a period (which it CANNOT be – read the teaching of Days 1410-1412 again). In the latter teaching it made clear: The word end, in Greek the word telos, means “end … termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be (always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time)”. The word end may in no way be understood as the future completion of the sanctification of the soul!
But what characterises those who are of “full age”? Who are these “mature people,” “the perfect” (Douay-Rheims), the “complete” (ANT), “full men” (NLV)? It is very clear that these are the people who possess the ability to, through their senses, discern good from evil.
The question remains – are these physical or spiritual senses? My understanding is that it necessarily has to be both. To discern is a natural ability of all people, but it is clearly also a spiritual gift – 1 Cor. 2:15 spells it out: “But he who is spiritual judges all things …” “All things” is then obviously both natural and spiritual things. For this reason, Paul prays for the believers in Phil. 1:9 (ACV) – “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment …” The Greek word for discernment, aisthēsis, is however also the word that is translated as “perception”, which is likened to the concepts realisation, insight and understanding. From this it becomes clear that both natural and spiritual senses need to be exercised in order to discern good from evil.
- Selah: Are your senses developed to discern good from evil?
- Read: 52-54
- Memorise: 53:5
