Absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit
An aerodynamic metaphor
At the highest level of spiritual growth, our dependence on the Holy Spirit has to be absolute to the extent that we entrust ourselves entirely to Him – the aerodynamic equivalent of such faith being flying only on instruments without having to check landmarks along the way.
The truth about God in Christ comes to us through diverse channels – the Word, the Lord’s Supper, the Church, fellow believers, books, the environment, and most of all through prayer and meditation – but it is the Holy Spirit who works through all of these channels.
Without the Holy Spirit's mediation, the Word is simply a grammatical ordering of letters capable of yielding only literal meaning, the Lord's supper a meaningless formality, the Church an oppressive institution, fellow believers a distraction, books, etc, a diversion, and prayer and meditation a pastime devoid of fruits.
If we are to grow in Christ we must not limit the Holy Spirit exclusively to any particular channel and we must at all times be open to his Still Small Voice. All the great prophets followed this model and it led them to break with the prevailing tradition and voice God's counsel to their people. The classic instance was of course the Lord himself, who dared to break with the powerful prevailing tradition; but such channels always incur the condemnation and the wrath of the people.
However such levels are obviously not attainable to those who insist on hedge-hopping.
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