Reference: Discerning Of Spirits
American
1Co 12:10, a miraculous gift of the Holy Ghost to certain of the early church, empowering them to judge of the real character of those who professed to love Christ, and to be inspired to teach in his name, 1Jo 4:1; 2Jo 1:7. Compare Ac 5:1-10; 13:6-12.
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And one Ananias by name, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and he kept back a part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and bringing a certain part laid it at the apostles' feet. read more. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart that you should lie to the Holy Spirit, and that you should keep back a part of the price of the land? Continuing unsold was it not yours, and when it was sold was it not at your disposal? Why did you propose this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down and expired; and great fear was upon all who heard. And the young men arose and laid him out, and having carried him out buried him. And after an interval of about three hours, his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in. And Peter answered her, Tell me whether you sold the field for so much? And she said, Yes; for so much. And Peter said to her, Why have you agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those that buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out. And she fell down immediately at his feet, and expired; and the young men coming in found her dead, and carried her out, and buried her by her husband.
And having gone through the whole island to Paphos, they found a certain magian, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus, who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man having called for Barnabas and Saul desired to hear the word of God; read more. but Elymas the magian, for so his name is interpreted, opposed them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith. But Saul, [called] also Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looking steadily at him said, O full of all deceit and all craft, son of a devil, enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell upon him a mist and darkness, and going about he sought guides. Then the proconsul seeing what was done believed, and was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
and to another the performance of mighty works, and to another prophecy, and to another discrimination of spirits, and to another different tongues, and to another an interpretation of tongues;
BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Fausets
1Co 12:10. Discerning between the operation of God's Spirit and that of the evil spirit, or unaided human spirit claiming to utter the dictates of God's Spirit. Ac 5:1-11; 8:28; 1Co 14:23,37: "if any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." It is this which assures us of the inspiration of the New Testament The books were accepted as inspired, by churches having men possessing" the discerning of spirits" (1Jo 4:1; 1Ti 4:1).
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And one Ananias by name, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and he kept back a part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and bringing a certain part laid it at the apostles' feet. read more. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart that you should lie to the Holy Spirit, and that you should keep back a part of the price of the land? Continuing unsold was it not yours, and when it was sold was it not at your disposal? Why did you propose this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down and expired; and great fear was upon all who heard. And the young men arose and laid him out, and having carried him out buried him. And after an interval of about three hours, his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in. And Peter answered her, Tell me whether you sold the field for so much? And she said, Yes; for so much. And Peter said to her, Why have you agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those that buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out. And she fell down immediately at his feet, and expired; and the young men coming in found her dead, and carried her out, and buried her by her husband. And great fear was on all the assembly [church], and on all that heard of these things.
and he was returning and sitting in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah.
and to another the performance of mighty works, and to another prophecy, and to another discrimination of spirits, and to another different tongues, and to another an interpretation of tongues;
BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Morish
This was one of the gifts in the early church, needful for 'testing the spirits,' because even then many false prophets had gone forth into the world. 1Co 12:10; 1Jo 4:1-3. This gift was especially necessary at the time when the word of God was not fully written.
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and to another the performance of mighty works, and to another prophecy, and to another discrimination of spirits, and to another different tongues, and to another an interpretation of tongues;