"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Gal. 5:18) Many preachers and religious people in our day are saying they are "led by the Spirit." They use this as a ground for believing as they believe and doing as they do. But this one thing I know, the Spirit of God does not lead anyone contrary to the Word of God. What these people believe and do cannot be by the leadership of the Spirit of God because it is in direct opposition to the scriptures. Our Lord said of the Holy Spirit that He would send, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:13,14) The Holy Spirit leads men to Christ! Since He glorifies Christ, those He leads glorify Christ. They are led by the Spirit to Christ through the truth. He reveals Christ in the hearts of God's elect by guiding them into all truth. "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." (John 6:45) Paul says that if we are led by the Spirit, we "are not under the law." The Holy Spirit leads men out from under the law by revealing Christ as the One who "hath redeemed us from the curse of the law." By the gospel He shows us how that Christ's blood shed as the payment required for our having broken God's law, satisfied all the claims of divine justice. He reveals the obedience of Christ to be His obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. He leads us from the ground of our trying to establish righteousness before God to faith in Christ and that righteousness which is by faith. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh (our weakness), God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Rom. 8:3,4) Led by the Spirit we know, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." (Rom.10:4)
--- Gary Shepard
OUR INTERCESSOR
"Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Romans 8:34). Our Lord Jesus Christ has fully accomplished His great work of redemption, substitution and sacrifice. He has already suffered, bled and died, "the Just for the unjust to bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:17). Christ did not remain in heaven, pitying us from a distance, but came and was "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8) by which He put away our sins, saved us from the curse of the law, justified us by His imputed righteousness and rescued us from Satan’s captivity. He arose, ascended and now sits at the right hand of the majesty on high.
Though the reconciliation of His people is finished, Christ is still active in heaven for us as our Intercessor. We have a glorious Advocate and Mediator between God and us, One who is always representing us and our eternal interests before the Father. He sees to it that the benefits of His death are applied to all those for whom they were designed. It is because of Him that we are constantly accepted by the Father, for God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, always mindful of the blood of His Son. Christ prays for us, not to supplicate an angry Judge, for God’s anger against our sins has been pacified by the Savior’s death, but rather He prays that we will be provided with daily supplies of mercy and grace, and His prayers are always answered. As the Old Testament high-priest carried the names of the tribes of Israel upon his breastplate and shoulders, so our Great High-Priest carries the names of all His elect upon His heart, the place of love, and upon His shoulders, the place of power and authority. When we worship and serve the Lord, He presents those feeble efforts to the Father and our worship and service is made acceptable to God by Him. We are closely monitored by our Savior so that He is always aware of every detail of our lives and sees to it that all things fulfill His purpose and work together for our spiritual good. Christ our Elder Brother is our Intercessor in the court of heaven, and He represents all of His earthly brethren. "What a Friend we have in Jesus!"
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