In the scriptures, Jesus Christ tells us that we can discern the true actions of others by the results of their actions ( Matthew 7:17 ; Matthew 12:33 ; Luke 6:43 ; Moroni 7:5 ). Why is it then that Jesus Christ also teaches not to judge by outward appearances? ( John 7: 24 ). It seems confusing when matching these scriptures together. Unfortunately, many will fail to understand how to use this power of discernment because of this confusion and instead opt out by labeling it as one of God’s untold mysteries. This would be a grave mistake for those who do that, especially in these last days when we must gain the knowledge, skills and experience to discern between good and evil when faced with false miracles and false teachers and prophets, for there shall be many.
As Jesus taught an evil tree cannot bear good fruit, he speaks about any person who commits an evil act and tries to misrepresent it as something different, is revealed to his true intentions by discerning the true nature of the act. In this case, Jesus says that an evil act carries the nature of evil within it.
The judge not by appearances refers to outward appearances and not the inward nature. For us to be able to make a righteous judgement, we must be able to discern the true nature within the act for that judgement to be just and right. Again in the same context of the act as being evil, judgement does not refer to imposing penalty or railing accusation, it refers to the determination or discern of what is true and making your own choice in regards to yourself and for those under your purview. This basically addresses events and situations within a person’s personal life, the place where each person has authority and power to judge, choose and act freely, which is where the freedom and right to choose between good and evil resides.
To relate this to everyday life, Jesus spoke about the discernment of actions, not only of yourself, but of others, in other that a proper address is made rightly and righteously. In reference to your own life, it is the power to address the true nature of events and achieve a resolution, much needed change or change of direction.
Every action committed carries within it, its true nature. This is seen in circumstances created by the action taken. Let me give an example, one that most people do.
A person acts in a manner that keeps his or her distance from another person, from a place or from any thing. The act reveals choices that avoids the other person, place or thing all together and that person makes no effort to connect with or include the other person, place or thing. The nature of the act is “avoidance”. The circumstances created by the act manifests itself as intentional avoidance no matter the reason. True, some avoidances are good, such as avoid sin, sinful things or places, but when it comes to home, family and relationships, avoidance only breeds contention or upset.
For example, a stranger who walks down the road past one car dealership and enters another, based on these circumstances, one cannot discern anything more than a matter of preference or choice, where avoidance does not exist. In contrast, a married couple, where one spouse avoids the presence of the other, making more effort to be at a distance than together. Based on these circumstances, the spouse is avoiding on purpose and there seems some estrangement between them. If the spouse claims he or she is busy, this would be an excuse because this excuse is to hide the true nature of the act of avoidance. It does not matter that the spouse is a work alcoholic, or constantly busy with social appointments, the act, in this case, avoidance, remains true since that spouse has chosen to be elsewhere instead with their partner. They are avoiding their true responsibilities to the relationship.
The nature of the act is visible at all times, it is a matter of perceiving it. A person who gets into a habit of fearing “judgement” or makes excuses for the actions of others, is a person who will be unable to discern the true nature of the act, because they have chosen to ignore it. Interesting that in doing this, they have also acted to avoid. Such a person will find him or herself caught into many bad situations when they could have taken the needed steps to make the right choices and taken the right and proper actions.
Acting against others is another common act that people usually tend to hide or cover-up, claiming something different than what the result and circumstances of the act reveals. This is where deceitful, untrustworthy and manipulative people do their evil and wicked work. Hiding behind false claims or excuses to hide their true selfish and prideful intentions and desires.
The true nature of the act will always be present to see. What matters is what others do when they see it. Many can act unrighteously, even without right or authority against another or others. This is where Christians are persecuted. People see the faithful acts of true Christians. People who act unrighteousness and selfishly act to harm, undermine, attack, circumvent, degrade, downgrade, humiliate or take any other negative and wicked action. Such people are revealed as persecutors of Christ, no matter what they claim or say about themselves. This is why this Church promotes and teaches respect to others and do no harm or evil to those who attack us. To defend as required, but once the defence is no longer needed, love must be given thereafter. In this our righteousness is assured.
The discernment as to the true nature of the act requires knowledge, practice, experience and any needed chastening from God. Chastening is to remove anything within us that blocks or hampers learning this skill to discern. This skill of discernment is also called “spiritual discernment”. The discernment of the true nature of the act is the act of spiritual discernment. Joseph Smith was quite good at spiritually discerning others and acting righteously. He had to learn it and since he did have to learn it, so shall we be tasked with this same learning process. God provides good experiences to learn between good and evil, but there are sad experiences that come because of personal failure, sin or bad choices. A sad experience is the “reaping” of what we sowed.
Brother Joseph laid before us the cause of those men turning away from the commandments of God. He hoped we would learn wisdom by what we saw with the eye and heard with the ear, and that we would be able to discern the spirits of other men without being compelled to learn by sad experience.
It is important to learn how to spiritually discern, because it is through this ability and skill that many Saints shall overcome. The greater the skill in discerning, the greater the power to overcome evil and all that Satan tries to do and the safer we shall be in these latter days. Learning and knowing God’s principles of good and truth is at the basis of all good discernment and righteous judgments. In likeness, in regards to our everyday lives, increasing the skill to spiritually discern, the better life will be and more peace would exist for ourselves, our loved ones and for others we affect. How wonderful this is for us, for our relationships and work for God.
It is true then, to know the true nature of the act is life saving in these latter days, but most of all, to know the true nature of the act brings each of us in line with God’s will and righteousness. Paying mind and truly knowing our own actions and what they truly mean, what they truly are, without trying to make excuses or rationalizations for them, or without having to justify them so we can feel good about it, is a kind of power unmatched in individual freedom. It is this power that Jesus possessed and others felt when he was present with them. To know and perceive the true nature of your own actions requires that truth be established within you first, but to do this requires a removal of sin and wrong first.
As Jesus said,
Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. (Luke 6:42)
As Jesus said and taught, so he did first also. This means that Jesus removed any mote in his eye first, if there was any, to establish righteousness and truth in him so he can use it to discern others. No truth is established within us until the inner soil is properly prepared. Using the seed parable in the scriptures, this refers to removing the rock, tainted soil, hard pan and thistles in order that the seeds of truth can take root. That is part of the process inner cleansing and change, the “carrying your own cross”.
It is not hard to see the truth when you establish the truth within first, for if there is no truth established within you first, neither shall you see it anywhere else for there is nothing in you to compare in order to know it.
Jesus Christ stood as a righteous figure with much power and many felt this power when in his presence. The impression of good and right is powerful and it is only achieved when a person successfully sees, knows, understands and maintains full awareness to his or her own actions and the true nature of them. Without this, true peace cannot be made, not within neither outside of you. To know and understand your own actions and the true nature of them, is the key to discerning the true nature of the actions of others and taking the right course of action when needed.
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