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"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children
of light; (for the fruit of the Spirit [or light] is in all goodness and righteousness and
truth) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord" (Eph. 5: 8-10).
So then our Christian attitude should be to prove or test all things, so that we can
choose what is good, and what is acceptable to the Lord in our daily lives.
It is right that we should learn what is good, but we read in Hebrews about some
things which are better. Here are some examples:--
"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the
which we draw nigh unto God" (Heb. 7: 19).
"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament" (Heb. 7: 22).
"It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be
purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these"
(Heb. 9: 23).
". . . . . took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in
heaven a better and an enduring substance" (Heb. 10: 34).
". . . . . others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better
resurrection" (Heb. 11: 35).
To appreciate the values of spiritual things, we need more than an agile brain. The
natural man may be clever, but it is only by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit that we
can assess spiritual things, for they are spiritually discerned:
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we
speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned" (I Cor. 2: 12-14).
The need for the wisdom that we receive from God is emphasized in the prayer that
Paul prayed for the Ephesians, so let us refer to Eph. 1: 16-23. We will only quote
verses 17-19 to save space:--
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches
of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power . . . . .".
So if we are to understand what is the hope of His calling, we need enlightenment, we
need the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Writing to the Philippians, Paul told them of
his prayer that their love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in judgment
(intelligence) "that ye may approve things that are excellent . . . . ." (Phil. 1: 10). The
margin gives the translation "that ye may try the things that differ". In Ephesians we read
that we are raised up together and "made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus" (Eph. 2: 6).
As we try the things that differ and so approve things that are excellent, we see that we
have a hope at the right hand of God where Christ sits (Col. 3: 1-4).