What does it mean to be led by the Spirit?

[David H.]

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

A lot of the promises and Riches granted us by the grace of God are contingent on being led by the Spirit, But there is very little discussion in the churches as to what this means.

Rather than dictating or trying to expound upon this concept My goal in this post is to see how diverse Christian groups explain this topic and what it means to be led by the Spirit Hence the question in the title.

This post therefore is NOT about debating the merits of your view, but just to see how diversely this is viewed in the various churches and believers out there. Those who like to criticize others for their views, please refrain from doing so here.

Thanks.

 

[Behold]

To be led of the spirit is to be in the mind of Christ.

If you are born again, you already have the Holy Spirit. He is joined to your Spirit. "One with God and Christ".
Being born again, is to be BORN INTO GOD's Spirit....by God's Holy Spirit.
So, to be LED of that same Spirit, is to have the MIND of renewal, or "the mind of Christ".
To be led this way, is to have a totally renewed mind that is created by only seeing yourself as God sees you.
Being led by the Spirit is not to hear a voice that says...>"next red light, turn right".
So, dont confuse being led by the Spirit with your GPS.

Are you being led by a voice that has caused you to make a huge mistake, and you thought it was God telling you do it?
The devil (the demonic) will talk to your mind by putting an idea in it, that you think you thought.
So, you can't trust voices in your head, or a "feeling", as this can be guilt, or regret, or condemnation, that your flesh will have you believe is "God's will".


Being led of the Spirit is to have the mind that is renewed, and then you think according to right believing.
This is the Key.
Right Believing is to be rooted in God's Grace. To understand what this is all about. And once you live THERE. Hebrews 13:9, then God will take you from there.
Until you live there, the devil will keep you confused or make you think you can lose your salvation.

 

[APAK]

To be led of the spirit is to be in the mind of Christ.

If you are born again, you already have the Holy Spirit. He is joined to your Spirit. "One with God and Christ".
Being born again, is to be BORN INTO GOD's Spirit....by God's Holy Spirit.
So, to be LED of that same Spirit, is to have the MIND of renewal, or "the mind of Christ".
To be led this way, is to have a totally renewed mind that is created by only seeing yourself as God sees you.
Being led by the Spirit is not to hear a voice that says...>"next red light, turn right".
So, dont confuse being led by the Spirit with your GPS.

Are you being led by a voice that has caused you to make a huge mistake, and you thought it was God telling you do it?
The devil (the demonic) will talk to your mind by putting an idea in it, that you think you thought.
So, you can't trust voices in your head, or a "feeling", as this can be guilt, or regret, or condemnation, that your flesh will have you believe is "God's will".


Being led of the Spirit is to have the mind that is renewed, and then you think according to right believing.
This is the Key.
Right Believing is to be rooted in God's Grace. To understand what this is all about. And once you live THERE. Hebrews 13:9, then God will take you from there.
Until you live there, the devil will keep you confused or make you think you can lose your salvation.

Pretty good post....living in the mind and spirit of Christ

 

[Nancy]

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

A lot of the promises and Riches granted us by the grace of God are contingent on being led by the Spirit, But there is very little discussion in the churches as to what this means.

Rather than dictating or trying to expound upon this concept My goal in this post is to see how diverse Christian groups explain this topic and what it means to be led by the Spirit Hence the question in the title.

This post therefore is NOT about debating the merits of your view, but just to see how diversely this is viewed in the various churches and believers out there. Those who like to criticize others for their views, please refrain from doing so here.

Thanks.

Hello @David H. and welcome to C.B.!
I would think to be led by the Spirit is to walk in The Spirit and not the flesh. We know right from wrong. And, to walk in the light as He is in the light? There should be nothing we do when nobody is watching (in the dark?) that we would not do if they were watching. (in the light?)
JMHO :)
His blessings,
nancy

 

[Hidden In Him]

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

A lot of the promises and Riches granted us by the grace of God are contingent on being led by the Spirit, But there is very little discussion in the churches as to what this means.

Rather than dictating or trying to expound upon this concept My goal in this post is to see how diverse Christian groups explain this topic and what it means to be led by the Spirit Hence the question in the title.

This post therefore is NOT about debating the merits of your view, but just to see how diversely this is viewed in the various churches and believers out there. Those who like to criticize others for their views, please refrain from doing so here.

Thanks.

An interesting question!

I was thinking over an answer and then realized maybe I'd better go over the passages that actually refer to being led of the Spirit. There are two. The first is in Romans 8:

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:13-15)

Now, these verses say at least two things: Firstly that those "led of the Spirit" and in essence being led by the Father, for the Spirit leading them cries out "Abba Father" as an adopted son or daughter. He gives us a confidence before God, not a spirit of fear. But it also says that this same Spirit will encourage us to put to death the works of the body, i.e. crucify sin, because He is leading us to eternal life, which demands proper obedience from a son to the Father who adopted him into His family. If we would be truly conformed to His image, we must conduct ourselves as our Father does. As the scripture says, "Be holy for I am holy."

The second verse is Galatians 5:18:

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

This is again defining walking in the Spirit as "putting to death the deeds of the body," or as he puts it here, "not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh."

I could go into further discourse here on what it takes to put to death the deeds of the body, but suffice it to say walking in the Spirit involves being led of the Spirit by His voice, being directed by the Spirit to eat spiritual food from the hand of God, and being clothed in the Spirit to walk in holiness and righteousness, having putting on the armor of God as well to make war with the weapons of the Spirit whenever necessary.

That's I guess what my answer would be.

Hope you are having a blessed evening!
Hidden In Him

 

[Hidden In Him]

Greetings Mark!

Apparently my post took 18 minutes to write since I didn't see yours up yet when I started writing.

Just a heads up: The OP requested no debates in this thread, so we'll have to bat heads on this one someplace else, as we usually do, LoL.

God bless, and hope you are having a wonderful evening as well.
- H

 

[David H.]

Thanks for the responses thus far. I will leave this open for a few more days before responding.
God Bless.

 

[APAK]

Well I guess I will add my input into this subject central to one who is truly born-again.

The S(spirit) of Christ and truth is given by the Father's Spirit to a person immediately upon true spiritual rebirth. We live in the Son's spirit, always and thus in the Father and have access to him:

Main points concerning the (S)spirit of Christ, ever active and designed/purposed into leading our lives from our inner core or hearts into the truth:
- We are not under the 'old' Law from before Christ
- We are under the Law of Christ (His Spirit) written in our core being
- We are not 'ruled' anymore by a carnal mind attached to the physical body/flesh
- Christ's spirit moves inside our core/ heart to our minds if we yield our will(empty ourselves)/spirit over the Christ's spirit. Else the mind can wander off at times, in the flesh, and sin - called a carnal mind. This will not cease in this life.
- Christ possessed the Spirit of the Father (Holy Spirit) FROM BIRTH, and yielded (emptied himself) his own human spirit over to his Father. The main difference in this regard between Christ an a re-born person, is that Christ's mind was always spiritually minded with a permanent yield sign, and never carnal. He never operated from the flesh and a carnal mind and was therefore sinless. Christ always did or listened to what his Father's Spirit moved him to do and act.

The 1st Adam also was sinless, although without the Spirit of the Father inside him as with Christ (2nd Adam), until he decided not to yield his spirit to the 'external voice' of the Father. He was therefore permanently subject to a carnal mind and his flesh and eventually sinned. A human being, even Christ, required the Spirit of the Father to stay sinless; there is no getting around it.

Christ was born with the Spirit of his Father inside him, and we as a human beings of the 1st Adam and his sin are not. Therefore as the 2nd Adam, Christ's 'natural' tendency was to always listen to his Father whereas our first natural tendency from natural birth is to be in the flesh, selfish, until we are truly born-again and can then break this natural tendency to sin - most of the time.

The key fruit of being led by the Spirit is love. And in this love we now possess as born-again, we trust in faith, Christ, because we usually do not know where he is taking us to and why, until much later. This is truly the test and experience of faith of a born-again person.

Refs: Psalms 139:7, 143:10, Isa 63:13-14; Matt 4:1; Luke 4:1; John 5:19, 16-13; Gal 5:16-18, 23, 25 and more

Blessings,

APAK