Perception is how we interpret and understand the world around us. It involves our senses, thoughts, beliefs, past experiences, and emotions. As Christians, how we perceive people, circumstances, and life itself matters a great deal. Our perception affects our relationship with God, our relationships with others, and how we live our lives.
The Bible has a lot to say about perception and gives us guidance on how to perceive rightly. Let’s explore some key insights on perception from Scripture:
Key Takeaways:
- God sees and understands all things perfectly, but our perceptions are limited and flawed. We need God’s wisdom and discernment.
- We are called to perceive and treat others through the lens of Christ’s love, compassion, and mercy.
- Our perceptions are strongly influenced by our hearts. We need to guard our hearts from pride, bitterness, greed, and other sins that distort perception.
- Worldly thinking and values tend to skew our perceptions of what is important. We need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
- Faith in God’s character and purpose enables us to perceive trials and suffering from an eternal perspective.
- Paying attention to God’s Word and Spirit enables us to perceive truth and recognize deception accurately. Discernment is key.
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God’s Perception is Perfect, Ours is Flawed
One clear theme in Scripture is that God’s understanding and perception is complete and perfect, whereas humans have limited perspective and faulty perceptions. Isaiah 40:13-14 states:
Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?
And Psalm 139:1-6 declares:
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.
These and other passages make it clear that God’s perception, insight and understanding surpass ours immeasurably. He sees our innermost thoughts, motives, and the full reality of every situation. We cannot keep secrets from God or comprehend the fullness of His mind and purpose.
In contrast, our human perception is limited, subjective, and prone to error. The apostle Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 13:12:
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
Like looking in a mirror dimly, our current perceptions are obscured and incomplete. We lack full knowledge of ourselves, others, the past, present, and future. We cannot attain the kind of perfect perception that only God possesses.
This is a sober warning for us not to overly trust our own perceptions. We need humility to recognize our limitations. We also need to rely on God’s perfect insight and wisdom rather than our own. As Proverbs 3:5-6 wisely counsels:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Rather than stubbornly insisting we are right in our own eyes, we should acknowledge God in all our ways and seek His higher wisdom to direct our paths.
Perceive and Treat Others with Christlike Love
One area where perception matters greatly as Christians is how we view and treat other people. Scripture calls us to perceive others through the lens of Christ’s love, compassion, mercy and grace.
Jesus directly addressed perception and judgment of others in Matthew 7:1-5:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Rather than self-righteous judgment, Jesus calls us to humility, mercy and graciousness in how we regard others. We are to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) and “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” (Ephesians 4:32).
The apostle Paul instructs in Philippians 2:3-4:
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
We are to perceive others through the eyes of servanthood rather than selfishness or pride.
James 2:1-9 strongly warns against showing favoritism or judgment based on outward appearances:
My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Rather than judging by outward class or social status, we are called to perceive all people as beloved creations of God and treat them with impartial dignity, value, and care.
The more we cultivate Christ’s heart of compassion, the more our perception of others will align with His perfect example.
Guard Your Heart
The Bible often links perception with the condition of our hearts. Our perceptions are strongly influenced by the inner beliefs, desires, and motives of our hearts. That is why Scripture places so much emphasis on guarding our hearts above all else.
Proverbs 4:23 urges, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Thetranslator A.W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Our perceptions of God and truth spring from our inner being.
If pride, bitterness, unforgiveness, greed, envy or other sins take root in our hearts, they will inevitably cloud and distort our perceptions of circumstances and other people. Jeremiah 17:9-10 warns:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
We cannot fully trust our own hearts. This is why King David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me…” Only God can impartially search our hearts and reveal to us areas of distortion and blindness we are unable or unwilling to see on our own.
As we allow God’s Word and Spirit to purify our hearts and renew our minds, we will gain much clearer perception through the lens of Christ. Our outlook on life will align more closely with God’s truth and glory.
Reject Worldly Thinking
Another key that shapes our perception is what kind of thinking we embrace. Do we absorb the wisdom of the world or the truth of God’s Word?
Romans 12:2 instructs believers, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The values and mindsets of the world often contradict God’s perfect will. We need to reject worldly thinking and be renewed by Scripture to perceive life accurately.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 further warns against being corrupted by the world’s wisdom:
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
Relying on our own natural thinking often leads to self-deception. True wisdom comes from humbly fearing the Lord and obeying His Word above all.
Colossians 2:8 cautions believers to avoid being taken captive by hollow worldly philosophies:
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
As Christians, we need to be continually renewed in the Scriptures so we perceive everything through the lens of Biblical truth rather than flawed human viewpoints. This keeps us anchored to God’s eternal perspective.
Perceive Trials with Faith and Hope
Our perception in difficult trials and painful circumstances also reveals much about where our focus lies. Those with worldly outlooks tend to view trials fatalistically or with anger and bitterness. But Scripture calls Christians to perceive life’s storms from an eternal perspective of faith and hope.
Romans 8:28 promises believers:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
This does not mean every circumstance feels good or easy. But it is a lifeline of hope that God ultimately works His purposes through all things for those who trust in Him. This core truth can revolutionize our perception of adversity.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 provides insight on how to guard perception in hardship:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
By keeping an eternal perspective focused on God’s invisible presence and promises, we gain strength to endure and hope to overcome current troubles. This eternal outlook fills our inner being despite outer turmoil.
Psalm 34:18-19 comforts us that in grief and suffering, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” God’s nearness sustains and uplifts when perceptions are darkened by despair.
Clinging to God’s character and promises allows us to perceive trials and pain from a Kingdom perspective. Though we do not deny the realities of adversity and grief, we refuse to abandon hope or allow bitterness to take root in our hearts. Our sovereign God reigns over all.
Cultivate Discernment and Truth
As believers, we are called not just to perceive life through a Biblical lens but also to cultivate discernment between truth and deception. We live in a fallen world filled with lies and falsehood, both subtle and obvious. Developing discernment is essential to accurately perceiving reality.
Hebrews 5:14 notes that maturity in Christ enables us to distinguish good from evil: “Solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” The more we feast on God’s Word, the sharper our perception becomes.
Proverbs 3:21 instructs, “My son, let them not depart from your eyes— Keep sound wisdom and discretion.” Godly wisdom and discernment guide us in navigating slippery paths of temptation and deceit.
In His earthly ministry, Jesus constantly exposed religious deception and hypocrisy. Matthew 16:2-3 records Him rebuking the religious leaders of His day:
He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.”
Though these leaders thought they were perceptive, Jesus exposed their blindness to His Messiahship. Only the Holy Spirit can open the eyes of our hearts to rightly perceive truth.
Paul commends believers in Philippians 1:9-10 to grow in depth of insight:
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.
Perception encompasses not just our physical senses but our spiritual discernment to recognize what is true and excellent in God’s sight. We must rely continually on the illumination of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word.
Conclusion
Perception strongly influences how we process and respond to life as Christians. But our perceptions are limited and prone to worldly distortion. Scripture exhorts us to renounce pride and seek the Lord with all our hearts for pure wisdom and discernment. As we are transformed by renewing our minds in God’s truth, we gain clearer perception through the mind of Christ. Though trials and griefs permeate this fallen world, we can perceive them with eyes of faith fixed on God’s eternal Kingdom and purposes. Our sovereign Father knows all things and works in all circumstances for our growth and His glory.
Key Takeaways:
- God sees and understands all things perfectly, but our perceptions are limited and flawed. We need God’s wisdom and discernment.
- We are called to perceive and treat others through the lens of Christ’s love, compassion, and mercy.
- Our perceptions are strongly influenced by our hearts. We need to guard our hearts from pride, bitterness, greed, and other sins that distort perception.
- Worldly thinking and values tend to skew our perceptions of what is important. We need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
- Faith in God’s character and purpose enables us to perceive trials and suffering from an eternal perspective.
- Paying attention to God’s Word and Spirit enables us to perceive truth and recognize deception accurately. Discernment is key.
Let us keep seeking the Lord with humble hearts so our perception aligns ever more closely with His perfect understanding and purpose. May we reflect Christ in how we view life, others and ourselves.
