Paul's Idea of Being Led by the Spirit as it Relates to the Necessity of Obedience.

On Romans 8:14-17 Schreiner notes that "those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God (8:14)." The Spirit's leading does not involve guidance for everyday decisions but submission to the Spirit's authority (I do not think he is making an absolute statement). Those who are part of God's family yield to the Spirit's direction. Subjection to sin is equated with "slavery," for the very mark of the Spirit's presence is liberation form sin and a joyful and heartfelt acclamation of God as Father (Rom 8:15). The Spirit also witnesses with our spirits that we are God's children (Rom 8:160. This witness of the Spirit is ultimately inseparable from a changed life, and yet it is not precisely the same thing as our moral transformation. The Spirit communicates in an ineffable way that we are part of God's family. Such communication form the Spirit cannot be objectively discerned since it is subjectively experienced. Nonetheless, this inner witness of the Spirit can never be divorced from obedience. Believers must not herald a subjective witness that is contradicted by their everyday lives. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ, p. 284-85; italics mine.