What Does it Mean to be Led by the Holy Spirit? - by Eric Davis

Found here. My comments in bold.

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The author would have us believe that there is a single manifestation of being led by the Spirit: "The only situation in which an individual can say that they are being led by the Holy Spirit is a regenerate individual actively putting sin to death."

In other words, our personal activities regarding sin in our lives is the only part of being led by the Spirit. It's almost as if Ga. 3:3 is coming to bear here: 

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

We do agree that the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us does include the putting to death of the sinful nature. But as we will demonstrate, this is not the only way we are being led by the Spirit.

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We face a lot of decisions in life. Many of these can be tricky, having no particular Bible verse directly associated. Nevertheless, we are commanded to glorify God in everything we do (1 Cor. 10:31). And Christians want to honor God in all they do. But it’s not always easy to discern how to do so.

Related to that, there are many who often affix the phrase, “The Holy Spirit led me to,” upon their decisions. Perhaps that may seem like the easier way to discern things in life. But, isn’t that subjective and experiential? What does it mean that the Spirit led them? What did the Holy Spirit do to lead them? How can they be sure he is leading them? (The author seems doubtful that anyone can be led by the Spirit. But he will continue on to explain how to be led by the Spirit. So we wonder why he's asking these questions, unless his intent is to impugn those who would say, “The Holy Spirit led me to.” 

But to answer his question, "How can they be sure he is leading them," we offer Scripture:

1Jn. 3:18-22 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 

1Jn. 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.

Being led by the Holy Spirit is not particularly controversial.) 

Most importantly, what does Scripture teach about this? (Indeed, we hope he will tell us.)

These questions must be addressed by those who claim such leading. The Holy Spirit is the glorious third Person of the Trinity. He is God; a divine Person, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity. In all the divine attributes he is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son. Thus, we must speak reverently and correctly about his Person and work. So, if he is personally leading us in our daily decision-making, we must be sure. And, we can expect that he would give objective criteria in Scripture for discerning so.

To begin, we will identify a few things which indicate that we are not being led by the Holy Spirit. Then, a few things which indicate we are being led by him.

How to Know that We Are Not Being Led by the Holy Spirit
(...)

Relying on an internal peace, feeling, dream, vision, or impression as indication that we are in the will of God. 

Scripture gives us no permission to interpret such experiences as God’s affirmation. (Here's where we begin to wonder about the author's presentation. This is one of the few sections that provide no Scriptural references.

The obfuscating phraseology makes it difficult for us to assent to the author's prescriptions. Are people always "relying" on these things? Are people really using them to look for God's affirmation or being in the will of God? Does God really give us no permission to have experiences like this?

The author makes categorical statements about vague possibilities as if they represent the entirety of the issue.) 

In fact, it may be the opposite. (May be? The author now backtracks.)

The Christian life involves denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. It’s a war at times. Thus, the right decision might be accompanied, not by peace, but a battle. (Non sequitur. The author sets us up for a false binary choice, as if people who have these experiences always expect peaceful circumstances and are not taking up their crosses. 

It is entirely possible to have the peace of Christ in the middle of great troubles. In fact, Jesus goes out of His way to tell us that His peace is what we should possess:

Jn. 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The author does not seem to understand the peace of Christ, suggesting that "the battle" is somehow at odds with peace.)

God gives Scripture to affirm that a matter is within the will of God. If the Bible does not speak directly upon an issue, then we can be affirmed through the study of related principles, living a godly life, and counsel from godly Christians. (What about the counsel of the Holy Spirit? 

Jn. 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you for ever — 17 the Spirit of truth.

Jn. 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Re. 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see.

And lest we forget, the counsel of godly Christians is borne by the Holy Spirit:

1Co. 14:31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 

1Th. 4:8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 

1Ti. 1:18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight... 

But if we rely solely (Weasel word. What about partially? Or are we being forced into a another false binary choice? ) 

upon inner peace, feelings, dreams, visions, or impressions, then we are not being led by the Holy Spirit. We are merely being led by ourselves, or worse. (This is an astounding assertion. The author makes a sweeping statement about the leading of the Holy Spirit, attributing His influence as fleshly or evil. Amazing.

When the Apostles were considering what to write to the gentile believers, Luke wrote

Ac. 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements...

So the Holy Spirit was communicating via an impression? 

1Co. 4:9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena.

1Co. 16:4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Paul clearly relied at times on impressions.

Further, Scripture is clear about the Last Days, which we are in right now:

Ac. 2:17-18 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

It is clear that dreams and impressions are a legitimate part of the Christian experience.)

Those are a few ways we know that the Holy Spirit is not leading us. But what are some ways that he does lead us?

How to Know that We are Being Led by the Holy Spirit

Notwithstanding how much the phrase gets used (and misused), the idea of being led by the Holy Spirit only appears twice in the New Testament. (Incorrect. 

Mt. 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Lk. 2:27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.

Ac. 20:22 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

Ro. 8:6, 9 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace... 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. 

Ga. 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

1Jn. 3:24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

And in fact, the number of mentions is not relevant.)

The first occurrence is in Romans 8:14, (Actually, Ro. 8:4 is the first mention: 

...in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

(In fact the whole of Romans chapter 8 is about being led by the Holy Spirit.)

which says, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” The context tells us what the subject matter is:

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Rom. 8:12-14).

So, from this mention of the Spirit’s leading we can say that to be led by the Spirit means to put to death sin, or, “the deeds of the body” (v. 13). (No, Paul makes a categorical statement that we are led by the Spirit. He then derives an application of this truth: "So, then..." 

That is, because we are led by the Spirit, one of the manifestations of that is an obligation to not live by the flesh.)

This makes sense that putting sin to death is to be Spirit-led. We cannot effectively put one sin to death until we are regenerate and indwelt by the Spirit. We only live in the flesh (Rom. 8:6-8), which means we can only cater to our sin. That the Spirit’s explicit role is also to convict of us our sin (John 16:8) further supports the truth that to put sin to death is to be Spirit-led. (This is curious phraseology. The author makes a hard and exclusive link between sin, contrasted with being led by the Holy Spirit. But these elements are not the only ones. Only a few verses after the referenced John 16:8 we read,

Jn. 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.

We also read:

Ro. 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

1Co. 2:9-10 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” — [Isaiah 64:4] 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

1Co. 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Ga. 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Ep. 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Ep. 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

There is so much more we could quote regarding the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Suffice to say, the author's boundaries are incorrectly drawn.)

The only other place which mentions Spirit-leading is Galatians 5:18. Here is the context

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is… (Gal. 5:16-22).

The context of this passage is similar to Romans 8. The issue is putting sin to death. Since believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they can put to death the desires and deeds of the flesh. They will no longer perpetually walk in the flesh because the Spirit battles against the flesh within the regenerate. So, according to Galatians 5, to be led by the Spirit also refers to putting sin to death. (It seems obvious that one of the purposes of the Holy Spirit living in us is to put to death the sinful nature so as to then be able to walk according to the Spirit. This is a recurring theme all over the NT. The author is attempting to suggest that the idea of obeying the Spirit is only regarding not sinning. However, there is much more:

1Co. 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

1Co. 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

Ep. 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 

Ph. 2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion...

2Ti. 1:14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

2Pe. 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

1Jn. 3:24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

The Holy Spirit is our counselor, our helper, the empowering presence in our lives. We aren't simply led by the Spirit to avoid sin, we do so in order to live the life He has created us for.

Paul says as much:

Ep. 1:18-19 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Col. 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Conclusion

(From the author's erroneous analysis comes the erroneous conclusion.)

Therefore, we have identified the one circumstance in which an individual can claim to be Spirit-led. (As we have seen, this is woefully incorrect.)

The only situation in which an individual can say that they are being led by the Holy Spirit is a regenerate individual actively putting sin to death. This will involve a holy, inner sorrow over the knowledge of one’s sin, whether in attitude or action. It will include a humble willingness to hear about one’s own sin without defensiveness or blameshifting, but personal confession and ownership. And, Spirit-leading will involve taking specific biblical action to discontinue the sin in motivation, attitude, and action, and live under the authority of Scripture. That is what it means to be led by the Holy Spirit. So, unless Christians are referring to putting sin to death, they must avoid saying that the Holy Spirit is leading them. Instead, we might say of an action, “I think this would coincide with Scripture,” or, “It seems to me that this would be in line with God’s word.”

In light of who the Holy Spirit is and what he wants to do, it makes sense that his leading refers to putting sin to death. He is holy. He desires to transform all we are into more accurate reflection of the Person of Jesus Christ. And by his grace, may we all embrace what it means to truly be led by the Holy Spirit.