Welcome back to the blog! In our last post, we kicked off an exciting two-part series exploring a topic that matters deeply to all of us: how God leads us.
We previously looked at a fascinating survey by Teleios on how millennials perceive God’s direction, establishing that Scripture serves as the true foundation of His leading (if you missed it, you can catch up on the full results here: God and Leadership: How does God Lead?
Today, we are diving into the practical side: how do we actually implement these scriptural directives into our daily lives?
God’s Leading in Practice
The Bible does not indicate that God or the Holy Spirit leads us around like a dog on a leash. God’s leading is not micro-guiding; rather, it is observed as a result.
The Scriptural Basis of Leading
The New Testament explicitly mentions being “led by the Spirit” in two key verses.
- Romans 8:14 – This verse indicates that those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God. Being a Son of God is demonstrated by being pure and blameless while living in a sinful world (Philippians 2:13-15). In other words, living a Christlike existence in the world shows you are a son of God and so are led by the Spirit.
- Galatians 5:18 – This verse notes those Christians who are led by the Spirit, are benefited by not being under the Old Testament law. Further, not being constrained by the law allows the Spirit to produce mature fruit (Galatians 5:23). In other words, Christians who demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit show not only they are not constrained by the law (verse 23) but are led by the Spirit (verse 18) to a mature result (verses 22-23). Therefore, someone who demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit indicates they have been led by the Spirit, as per Romans 8:14.
Functional Outworking of ‘God’s Leading’
The details of the biblical principles of God’s leading might be the 5 ‘Fs’:
- Foundation (start with the Bible) – Hebrews 1:2 states that in the church age, God speaks through His Son. His words are in the Bible. Specifically, for the church, God’s guidance for our decision-making is in the epistles. Further, the Spirit uses God’s expressed word as His sword, both internally (Hebrews 4:12) and externally, to demonstrate His power (Ephesians 6:17).
- Freedom (we possess broad choice in our life’s path) – We have relatively few specific commands in the scriptures, but the ones that exist protect us from going ‘out of bounds’ from God’s playing field. Therefore, when we act in life within His gracious boundaries, we possess wide freedom to serve Him in faith. We can choose to use in this world what we wish through prayer and the Bible (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
- Further, our wonderful freedom in Christ is greater than the world’s because we know that we are liberated from sin, have a heavenly home and we have truth, as revealed in the Bible, to live wise and useful lives (Colossians 2:3).
- In contrast, the world is bound by cultural norms, fads, jealousies and a quest for truth. All these efforts are ultimately fruitless in the spiritual sphere as well as costly in time and money.
- Faith (our action) – We are commanded to do everything by faith (Romans 14:23). Knowing scripture leads us to make choices in faith that will please and glorify God (Colossians 3:16-17). Importantly, we should not condemn ourselves when stepping out in faith in accordance with scripture. In other words, do not feel guilty (Romans 4:22)
- Filling (maturing) – The relevant vital verse, Ephesians 5:18, uses alcohol as a negative example of mental control. The alcohol contrasts to a mature Christian who is controlled by the Spirit. The verse indicates that being controlled by the Spirit is through being ‘filled’ The word ‘fill’ in Greek (Gr: pluroo, πληρόω) has a secondary meaning of ‘complete’ or ‘mature’. Maturing (filling) occurs by the Spirit as we live by faith and seek God through the Bible (Galatians 3:3-5, 2 Corinthians 3:18). Importantly, the Spirit uses the Bible to mature us (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). As we mature by the Spirit we are able to make better life choices as we live by faith (Hebrews 5:13-14).
- Fruit (the results) – This is the outcome of God maturing us, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9). There are other signs of maturity (undoubtedly caused by the Spirit) in Scripture but these are the ones directly related to the Spirit by the Bible.
To summarize, God’s leading in scripture is by His word, applied in faith and freedom (individual choice). By this method of knowing the Bible, applied in faith and freedom, we learn to make better choices in life. Over time we then develop a pure and fruitful individual character (this is His leading). His leading is only observed by the results of the Spirit maturing us.
Thank you for joining me today! Please come back next time as we continue our lively discussions on Scripture and practical Christian living. Praise God that He has given us the absolute truth of Scripture to live a wise life.
William C. Stewart, MD
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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.
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