By the Spirit, or Nothing!

Every once in awhile a funny quirk takes hold of human nature, especially in the West, and we begin to think we can conquer the world all by ourselves. Maybe it's from watching those Bruce Willis movies where he keeps going and going, and eventually the bad guys meet an unpleasant end; or
maybe our view of John Wayne is a possible root of our group neurosis.

I remember thinking for decades that I could obey God for about 95% of the way, and then I needed his help to get over the last 5%. Well, in real life you and I can only follow Jesus, learn the will of the Father, turn away from sin or do anything of eternal significance, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Not the last 5%, mind you, but the whole 100%. 

"Are you serious?" I can hear the squawking already. Hey, don't complain to me, complain to Jesus. He told his disciples, "The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing" in John 6:63. In that passage, he was teaching the importance of knowing him intimately, through the Spirit's leading and not through human reasoning. Many left him (v. 66), offended at his words and not understanding them by the Spirit. 

Jesus also says, after healing a lame man on the Sabbath, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does" (John 5:19). So even Jesus, God in the flesh, did not charge off on his own and try to accomplish his ministry on his own strength or ideas. So, then, should we try it? 

Whether it's a desire to live a more godly life, a desire to understand God's will for something in our personal lives, or wanting to know how he wants our local church to function, we must depend on the Spirit's work, always. Our own strength isn't effective, and it isn't even strong (1 Cor. 1:18-31)! 

Finally, Jesus said in John 16:13, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard." To have truth, we must be focused on hearing what the Spirit is telling us, and then follow. That's what it means, in broad terms, to "discern" the will of God. We'll keep looking at that.