HOW ARE PEOPLE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD?

            In the April 22, 2004 issue of THE TRI-CITY LEDGER, a local paper, a questioner wrote James Pugh saying: “Your column last week contained the statement that a good rule to follow in knowing what God wants one to do is the He will never lead anyone to do anything that the Bible forbids. In the light of that rule, what do you say about the female United Methodist pastor who admitted that she is a lesbian living with her lover. The church court which tried her, consisting of a jury of 13 Methodist pastors (eight women and five men) declared her not guilty. They state that they were puzzled about the meaning of words “incompatible with Christian teaching” and felt that they didn’t actually mean that about homosexual activity. When they explained their decision to find her not guilty (despite her own confession, public statement, etc.), they said they just depended on the “leading of the Holy Spirit.”  James Pugh answered, “It is very clear that some of those involved in this shameful violation of God’s Word have no knowledge at all of the Holy Spirit. ...”Such individuals may be very religious, very sincere, and may believe they are genuine Christians, but their refusal to believe and obey God’s Word is certainly evidence that, in reality, they have no relationship with the Lord.” (TRI CITY LEDGER, PAGE 4B under RELIGION Sin and the Holy Spirit don’t mix, Thursday April 22, 2004).  

            1. How are we led by the Holy Spirit? Romans 8:14 teaches that as many as are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. But how is He leading us? In John 16:13, 14 the apostles were told that the Spirit of truth would guide them into all truth and would show them the things of Jesus Christ. The apostles were baptized with the Spirit on Pentecost day (Acts 1:26-2:1-4). Paul states that they were taught what to speak by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:13). Also that they wrote the commandments of God (I Corinthians 14:37). Peter affirmed that all things that pertain to life and godliness has been given (2 Peter 1:3), and Jude says we are to earnestly contend for the faith “Once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). The Holy Spirit has revealed everything that we need to know how to become a Christian and how to live the Christian life. By the close of the first century the 27 books of the New Testament were completed and Revelation 22:18, 19 pronounces punishment on any who would add to or take from the inspired prophecy. In other words the Holy Spirit has given us a plenarily verbally inspired, inerrant message that fills our spiritual needs. Anyone teaching anything contrary to that message shows that they are not Christians, not children of God, and not saved. It is the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2). It is up to us to “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. How do we do this? “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh: but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5). What are the things of the Spirit?  The sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). In Revelation 2 and 3 seven times the churches of Asia are told “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). What was said by the Spirit to those churches? The words contained on those pages of the inspired record.

            2. Who is the natural man of I Corinthians 2:14 which James Pugh quotes in his article and calls the “unregenerate, unsaved person”?  To understand a verse one must study the context of that verse. The context of this verse is the inspiration of the apostles in giving to man the gospel. He shows it comes from the mind of God and not the mind of man. The natural man is anyone who is not inspired. Unsaved people and the saved people are included in the natural men. The “spiritual” man here is the one inspired which were the apostles and those the apostles laid their hands on. No one today receives any direct message from God, Christ or the Holy Spirit. We have the “Perfect” which is the “Perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25).

            3. James Pugh continues “I wonder what those faithful Methodists, who still love the Lord, believe the Bible, hate sin, and desire to be true to the truth of God will now do about this matter.”  They need to give up the doctrine that people are led directly by the Holy Spirit just like all denominationalists need to do. They need to first go to the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ in Mark 16:15, 16 to find out what to do to be saved. They need to corroborate this by looking at the conversions in the book of Acts 2:38; 8:36-38; 10:48; 22:16. They need to start accepting that there is one body (I Corinthians 12:13) and that body is the Lord’s church over which He presides as head (Ephesians 1:22, 23). They need to know that salvation is in the name of Jesus, (Acts 4:12), not in the names of Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Assembly of God, or any of the other concoctions of men which are substitutes for the true way. There is no authority from heaven for any denominations of men. False religion is called Babylon and a Harlot in Revelation 17, 18 and the Lord says, “Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins.”    --Clifford Dixon.

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