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“A failure to think through the moral challenges of 21st century life shows a lack of moral diligence.”

What makes you think a person is refusing to think thru moral challenges if they say the scriptures contain all you need to be “equipped for every good work”? If you apply what you learn from scripture, you will be prepared to handle the questions that come up.

“If it’s “all there” in the pages of Scripture, why would we need to be instructed by the Holy Spirit?”

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is revealed to us thru scripture. The ability to be filled by Him, and what is required to be guided by the Holy Spirit, is revealed in scripture. All you need to know to be guided by the Holy Spirit is found in scripture.

Nothing developed by ‘doctors of the Church’ in the last 1900 years has been necessary for the Holy Spirit to act in my life. I don’t need to rely on the various councils held by the Catholic Church to be filled with the Spirit.

“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

We also know how to tell if the Holy Spirit is at work in someone’s life:

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

How did the Apostles and all the believers during the first 1,000 years receive and listen to Him? How did anyone in the New Testament receive the Holy Spirit? Who was required to study theology and philosophy before receiving the Holy Spirit?