Being Led by the Holy Spirit

What does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit? In the Bible, the phrase “led by the Spirit” is found in two passages:

Romans 8:14

Romans 8:14 says,

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (ESV)

The word “for” or “because” introduces the reason for what was written previously in the passage. In verse 13, the Apostle Paul explained that if we want to live, then we must kill our sin “by the Spirit”—meaning, by the help of the Holy Spirit. This connects together the two mentions of the Holy Spirit in the verses 13 and 14:

If you kill the deeds of the body by the help of the Holy Spirit, then you shall live. Why? Because only those who are led by the Holy Spirit are sons of God.

This shows that being led by the Holy Spirit is equivalent to killing our sin by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:18

Galatians 5:18 says,

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (ESV)

Previously, in verse 16, Paul encouraged his readers to live by the Holy Spirit instead of living by the flesh. In verses 17–23, he contrasted these two ways of living. Essentially, living by the flesh means living in a sinful manner, while living by the Holy Spirit means to live in a righteous manner.

In verse 25, Paul concluded that we should “keep in step” with the Holy Spirit. This indicates that the Holy Spirit is leading us in the direction of living righteously, and we should follow him. Therefore, in context, being led by the Holy Spirit means to follow the Holy Spirit as he leads us to live righteously.

Conclusion

Primarily, being “led by the Spirit” means to live righteously by the help of the Holy Spirit. Living righteously is not something that we can do by our own strength, and so we need the Holy Spirit’s help. When we rely on the Holy Spirit, he leads us to avoid sin and live in a manner that pleases him.