The Holy Spirit Told
Me...
There are approximately 37,000* non-Catholic Christian sects in
the world today with more new ones appearing every week. All use the same Bible,
yet each interpret it differently, and consequently they end up teaching
"another Gospel" (Galatians 1:8-9). The sad part is that they all try to justify
their existence, and thus their actions of further dividing the Body of Christ
by claiming,
"The Holy Spirit Told Me".
*World Christian Encyclopedia,
2004, a Protestant publication.
Common sense and reasoning by intelligent
people quickly show that this mentality is not in line with the teaching of
Jesus Christ, as He called for "One Fold with One Shepherd" (John
10:16).
These divisions of the Body of Christ are in opposition to the
teaching of Holy Scripture, so how could it ever be possible that the Holy
Spirit is prompting those who cause them?
"Now I beseech you, brethren,
by the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, THAT YOU ALL SAY THE SAME THING; AND THAT
THERE BE NO DISSENSIONS AMONG YOU, BUT THAT YOU MAY BE PERFECTLY UNITED IN ONE
MIND AND IN ONE JUDGMENT."
1Corinthians 1:10. See also 1Corinthians
11:17-22
"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation,
and every city or house divided against itself will not stand."
Matthew
12:25
"Anyone who advances and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ,
HAS NOT GOD; he who abides in the doctrine, he has both the Father and the
Son."
2John 1:9
"For the time has come for judgment to begin with the
household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do
not obey the gospel of God?"
1Peter 4:17
The Bible is very explicit that those who cause these divisions
are not from GOD, so therefore, the Holy Spirit could not possibly be prompting
them.
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are of GOD; because many false prophets have gone forth into the
world. By this is the spirit of GOD known: every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh , is of GOD. AND EVERY SPIRIT THAT SEVERS
JESUS, IS NOT OF GOD, BUT IS OF ANTICHRIST, of whom you have heard that He is
coming, and now is already in the world."
1John 4:1-3
Satan will give
you 99 truths if he can get you to swallow one lie.
"And I will ask the Father and He will give you another
Advocate to dwell with you forever, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH WHOM
THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE, BECAUSE IT NEITHER SEES HIM NOR KNOWS HIM. BUT YOU
SHALL KNOW HIM, BECAUSE HE WILL DWELL WITH YOU AND BE IN YOU."
John 14:16-17
"Many things yet I have to say
to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, has
come, HE WILL TEACH YOU ALL THE
TRUTH. For He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He will
hear He will speak, and THE THINGS THAT ARE TO COME HE WILL
DECLARE TO YOU."
John 16:12-13
What message do these verses
convey?
*To whom did Jesus speak in these verses?
This dialogue was during the Last Supper and the only ones' present with Him
were the Apostles. He told them that the Holy Spirit will dwell within the
Church which He will found. He was not speaking to the masses
here.
*That ALL is NOT in the Bible since there
will be future declarations.
*That since truth is
ONE, and is the person of Jesus Christ (John 14:6), that the Spirit certainly
cannot declare a differing truth to each of 37,000 divisions of His
Body.
So how do we answer each of those 37,000 divisions when they make
the claim that "The Holy Spirit told them"?
For those who claim that "The Holy Spirit told them", I must
ask, "Are there 37,000 Holy Spirits telling each division a different truth, or
is there only one Spirit which speaks truth to the only Church which Jesus
Christ founded and speaks lies to the rest?" Which option would answer the
question? It is obvious that neither does, for Holy Scripture gives us the
answer.
"We are of GOD. He who knows GOD listens to us; he who is not of
GOD does not listen to us. BY THIS WE KNOW THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT OF
ERROR."
1John 4:6
There are three spirits, anyone one of which could be the one
who is prompting a person.
1. There is first the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
Truth, and His prompting is from GOD.
2. Then there is the human spirit which
manufactures the prompts through the imagination and other human traits.
3.
Finally, there is the evil spirit and its prompting is straight from
Satan.
The Spirit of truth is in the Church of truth, the Church which
Jesus Christ founded.
How do we determine which Spirit is prompting each
of us? Holy Scripture gives us the answer.
"And we are witnesses to these
things, and SO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN TO ALL WHO OBEY
HIM."
Acts 5:32
All who obey Him are prompted by the Holy Spirit. The
disobedient are prompted by one of the other spirits.
"Obey your prelates and
be subject to them. For they watch as being to render an account of your souls:
that they may do this with joy and not with grief. For this is not expedient
for you."
Hebrews 13:17
This is a command from GOD.
Was Martin Luther and the other reformers obedient to their
superiors?
Did they obey GOD's command in this verse? No? Then which of the
other two spirits was guiding them?
We obey GOD by keeping His
Commandments and His Word whether by word or by letter. In the first
Commandment, GOD tells us that He must be first in our lives.
What is most
important in our lives is the god of our lives. Do we put GOD first, or do we
put money, or power, or worldly things, or the flesh first? If GOD is first in
your lives, it is a good sign that the Holy Spirit is prompting you.
©
Written by Bob Stanley, August 21,
2000
Updated September 7, 2004
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