DENOMINATIONAL DOCTRINES: Pentecostalism and Other Errors About the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit came to earth in the first century on the Day of Pentecost in a way unlike anything that had ever been manifest by God before (Acts 2:1-4). The Holy Spirit has always been active in the affairs of mankind. After his prayer of repentance to God concerning his sin with Bathsheba, David asked the Lord not to take the Holy Spirit from him (Psalm 51:11).
And yet the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit was not given until Jesus was glorified upon his final return to heaven after his death, burial and resurrection (John 7:37-39). Therefore, what happened on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, all of which occurred after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, was a new chapter—and the final one here on earth—in man’s relationship with his Creator. God applied the saving work of Jesus to the hearts and lives of his people through the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The New Covenant is the ministry of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:7-18). The Holy Spirit is God, just as Jesus is God and the Father is God. The fact that Jesus is the “Son of God” points to his deity. The fact that the Holy Spirit is the ”Spirit of God” points to his deity. The Holy Spirit is part of the “Godhead”—the Trinity—and he is to be viewed as God. Therefore, when we think of the Holy Spirit, he is the one who tells us what and how to think. Only God can tell us what to think and believe about the Holy Spirit.
Many people speak and act as though the Holy Spirit is their best buddy, there to give them whatever they want and to remove any difficulties from living the Christian life. People are drawn to instant gratification, even when it comes to living for Jesus. They don’t want to think in terms of spending time in prayer, diligently studying the Bible, and denying self. They would rather talk about how the Holy Spirit “comes upon them” and gives them some emotional feeling, instantaneously makes them “spiritual” and puts them “in the Spirit.”
That is not how the Holy Spirit works. There are many false ideas about the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, particularly among the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements and churches—although certainly not limited to them. We hear people claim that the Holy Spirit takes them over, similar to a possession of some kind, and causes them to fall down or run around church buildings or jump over church pews. They fall on the floor and roll around. They speak in some weird, jumbled up gibberish that they claim is from the Holy Spirit. They act as though when they are totally “anointed” by the Holy Spirit, he takes them over.
The Holy Spirit is involved in none of that. That is all sensational emotionalism driven by the doctrines of men. When you tell a group of people something repeatedly and they believe it strongly enough, it will manifest itself in a type of self-hypnosis. But it has nothing whatsoever to do with the Spirit of the living God.
Finding where the Holy Spirit is truly active is a very simple matter. Look for where people are focused on Jesus. When people are constantly doing weird things that they attribute to the Holy Spirit’s influence upon them, that’s not where the Holy Spirit is. Wherever the Holy Spirit is truly working, people will be talking about Jesus. They will be celebrating Jesus, happy in Jesus, and seeking to please Jesus in a very dedicated and non-confusing way.
“Spirit-filled” people will manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). They will look very different from the world, but not so different that people think they have lost their minds. Pentecostalism, like every other man-made denomination or group, is based on the ideas and doctrines of men. It is a silly movement that has done as much to make Christ and his work upon the earth look foolish as anything ever could. Because Pentecostalism in all of its forms is man-made.
God decides what his role in our lives is. We don’t decide that. And the Bible teaches that the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to help us focus on Jesus Christ. Both the Father and the Son give the same instructions: focus on Jesus. We are not surprised in the Bible to find that the Holy Spirit’s role is to direct our attention to Christ and glorify Him alone. Just as Christ “points to” the Father, so the Holy Spirit “points to” Christ (John 16:14-15; 12:49; 17:3-4).
We can be biblically certain that there are no divine intentions for the Holy Spirit’s work except those that we find revealed and embodied in Christ. The Holy Spirit, contrary to popular religious notions, is not to be the center of our attention. He instead helps us to emphasize and trust in Jesus Christ. People truly “filled with the Spirit” will be calm people of love and peace.
Dewayne Dunaway
