Receiving Wonderful Counsel

Paul had a revelation that he shared with the Roman Church in chapter 8 of his letter to them: that for Jew or gentile, the righteous requirements of the law are fully met in us if we walk after the Spirit, not after the flesh.

“When we have a set of rules, we don’t need the Holy Spirit, because we know what is right and wrong, and therefore, we can be good.” That’s what our flesh would have us to believe! If step by step, we are seeking the will of the LORD, and doing what He answers us, we will be doing better than if we were just following a set of rules. Here’s why: When we are able to be led by the Spirit, it is because we have a relationship with the King!

The work that Yahweh has been doing since He created Adam is to birth people with whom He may have a relationship. When Adam sinned, the relationship was broken, and he knew it immediately. He hid from God. God threw him out of the garden.

God is so interested in the plan being fulfilled, though, that He sent His Firstborn Son to pay a redemption price to get us back from sin. When we look in the Bible, especially at what Israel experienced (1 Corinthians 10:1-12, especially verse 11) we are able to learn from God lessons on listening and obeying. Not because we have received such a wonderful set of rules to follow, but because we have received a Wonderful Ruler! A Wonderful Counselor!

(From “The Tithe,” which can be found here.)