Rooted in Jesus Grace

In many Christian circles today, being “led by the Spirit” is often framed as a kind of mystical experience: a nudge, a whisper, a spontaneous inner prompting that gives divine insight into specific decisions—what house to buy, what job to take, who to marry, what to say in a conversation. While these moments may feel spiritual and meaningful, they can give the impression that being led by the Spirit means following a trail of personal revelations from heaven, like breadcrumbs guiding us through life. But the New Testament offers a far more grounded—and far more profound—understanding of what it means to be led by the Spirit. What Scripture Actually Says Two key passages are frequently quoted on this subject: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18) It’s telling that in both of these verses, Paul isn’t talking about guidance for personal decisions. He’s talking about the bat...

Few phrases in Christian culture carry as much weight—or as much potential for confusion—as these three words: “God told me.” They’re often said with sincerity. Sometimes in awe. Sometimes in humility. But increasingly, they’re used in ways that are troubling—ways that elevate personal impressions to the level of divine authority.  And when that happens, this well-worn phrase becomes more than a testimony. It becomes a weapon. The Power Behind the Words When someone says, “God told me…,” what’s the appropriate response? You can’t really question it—after all, who wants to argue with God? You also can’t debate it, because it’s not presented as an opinion. It’s divine revelation. It short-circuits the conversation. • “God told me to take this job.” • “God told me we’re supposed to get married.” • “God told me I need to confront you about this.” • “God told me to leave this church.” Sometimes those statements reflect careful prayer and biblical wisdom. But sometimes, t...

You’ve probably experienced it.  You read a Bible verse with a friend, and the discussion quickly turns into, “That’s not what it means!” How is it possible that the same sentence — in the same Bible — can lead to completely different conclusions? The short answer: We don’t start from the same place. Before we ever open our Bibles, we already have a set of starting assumptions — beliefs about God, the Bible, history, language, and even how truth works. In theology, these starting points are called prolegomena (“things said before”). They quietly shape how we read Scripture, and sometimes they make the difference between two very different interpretations of the same verse. Let’s look at three examples. Example 1 — James 2:24 “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” • Catholic View: Scripture and Church Tradition are both authoritative; justification is a process involving both faith and works. Conclusion: Works are part of being justified before ...