Dear Kent,

Yay for the very clear line of distinction!

By the grace and truth of Christ, you really made the line clear. Yes! That explains it! It was the Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit making the words jump off the page!

I am thankful to have roots in a stream of faith whose foundation is the Bible. However, a shortfall there is thinking that we would never hear-or could never trust-hearing from His Spirit. Yet, training in understanding and knowledge of Scriptures uniquely qualifies a person to trust hearing from the Holy Spirit because he/she will know His Voice, having studied His way of doing things in the Bible.

The balance-and an anchor point–you wrote: “the Bible is the tuning fork” so we will know what is God and what is not. Then, we can pray, hear and obey His Spirit, trusting we hear His Voice which brings illumination to the Bible not contradiction.

This is balance-the Word and the Spirit. It is wise to spend time to know the Scriptures so that we can trust that the Voice we follow is the Holy Spirit, not another.

So. . .the purpose-not the end point–of learning Scripture is to be led by the Holy Spirit. Thank you for making this clear!

Thank you for sounding this very clear trumpet, and may the Lord make that stone you threw in the water have great and far-reaching ripples for His Kingdom.

Thank you and blessings.