For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Brad asks some super questions about the leading of the Holy Spirit as described in Rom 8:14:
I read the book Decision Making and the Will of God by Garry Friesen. Regarding Romans 8:14, what does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit? Can you give examples of being led by the Spirit from Scripture and possibly your own life? Are there times when the Holy Spirit directs believers? Many believers, including myself, can think of times when we felt God was directing us to do something.
I really like Friesen’s book. And I agree with it. God does not guide us by impressions and feelings. He guides us by His Word.
To be led by the Spirit refers to be guided by the Word of God. In his commentary on Romans, Zane Hodges makes this helpful comment:
Here the larger context suggests a life in conformity to the revealed will of God as found in His Word. In such a life, “the righteous requirement of the law” can be “fulfilled” in the believer who walks “in relation to the Spirit” (see 8:4 and discussion there) (Romans, p. 221).
Of course, this raises a question. Is Paul saying that all believers walk in the Spirit and fulfill the righteous requirement of the law?
No.
It is a major interpretive error to understand sons of God in Rom 8:14 to refer to all believers. Paul is speaking there of mature believers who are walking in fellowship with God. Hodges’ comments on that point are insightful:
This statement [“these are the sons of God”] does not simply mean that those led by the Spirit are Christians. Neither is Paul’s point to be related to some supposed proof of one’s eternal salvation…In light of Paul’s teaching in Gal 4:1-7, it is natural here to take the expression the sons of God (huioi Theou) as a reference to the life-experience of the adult son who is not under the law. In contrast to the earlier struggle (described in Rom 7:7-25) in which the regenerate inner man strived vainly to fulfill God’s law, now the one led by the Spirit lives the life of an adult son who is no longer under the law (note especially 6:14) (Romans, p. 221).
This allows us to answer Brad’s other question. Even if Rom 8:14 is not talking about receiving impressions and extra-Biblical leading by the Holy Spirit, does He do that in the lives of believers?
I got to know Garry Friesen during the year I taught at Multnomah School of the Bible (now Multnomah University). I discussed this very question with him.
Garry believes, as do I, that we all have impressions as to what we should do. These impressions are ideas we have. These impressions may be good, better, best, or bad. To make sure they are not bad, they must be checked against Scripture. For example, if a single man thinks it would be a good idea to marry an unbeliever, he can reject that since it is contrary to Scripture. If he thinks it would be a good idea to cheat on his taxes, that too is a bad idea.
If you have an impression that is not ruled out by Scripture, it is what I call an in-bounds option. That is, the idea is not forbidden by God. But that does not mean it is a good idea and certainly not the best choice possible.
To determine whether an idea is worth pursuing requires wisdom we get from Scripture, experience, and the advice of others.
Say you feel impressed to marry a very attractive but immature believer who has only been sober for three months. While not forbidden by Scripture, that is not likely to be a wise choice at this time. If she maintains sobriety for another year or two, then marrying her might be a good idea.
You might feel impressed to invest your life’s savings in a penny stock that a friend recommends. Experience and the advice of others will tell you this is a terrible idea, even if it is not forbidden by God’s Word.
A common impression is I think God was guiding me to witness to a guy I saw sitting alone on a bench, but I chickened out and just walked on by. The problem with this view is that everyone needs everlasting life. Carried to its logical conclusion, we should stop and talk with every person who crosses our path. If we live in a big city, we would never make it to school, work, church, or anywhere. We would stop every time we came across a new person. Wisdom is needed in how we use our time.
Friesen says, and I agree, that we can look back on our earlier life and conclude that God probably was at work beside the scenes moving us in the direction we took. God can use our experiences, the advice of friends, and impressions. But, Friesen warns, we did not know at the time that the decision we made was going to be good, better, or best. All we knew is that it was not forbidden by God’s Word. Only in hindsight can we say it was a good decision and that God may have been moving us in that direction.
There is great danger in seeking impressions and feelings. We are to be guided by God’s Word. Stay in bounds. And as you walk in the Spirit, make the best decisions you can.
Be guided by God’s Word and you will keep grace in focus.
