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Question: "Is being slain in the Spirit biblical?"
Answer: Most commonly, being “slain in the Spirit”
happens when a minister lays hands on someone,
and that person collapses to the floor, supposedly
overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those
who practice slaying in the Spirit use Bible passages
that talk about people becoming “as dead” (Revelation 1:17)
or of falling upon their face
(Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 8:17-18, 10:7-9). However, there are a
number of contrasts between this biblical falling on one's
face and the practice of being slain in the Spirit.
1. The biblical falling down was a person's reaction
to what he saw in a vision or an event beyond ordinary
happenings, such as at the transfiguration of Christ
(Matthew 17:6). In the unbiblical practice of being slain
in the Spirit, the person responds to another’s touch or
to the motion of the speaker's arm.
2. The biblical instances were few and far between, and
they occurred only rarely in the lives of a few people. In
the slain in the Spirit phenomenon, falling down is a repeated
event and an experience that happens to many.
3. In the biblical instances, the people fall upon their
face in awe at either what or whom they see. In the
slain in the Spirit counterfeit, they fall backwards, either
in response to the wave of the speaker's arm or as a result
of a church leader's touch (or push in some cases).
I am not claiming that all examples of being slain in
the Spirit are fakes or responses to a touch or push. Many
people claim to experience an energy or a force that
causes them to fall back. However, we find NO BIBICAL
BASIS for this concept. Yes, there may be some energy
or force involved, but if so, it is very likely NOT OF GOD and
not the result of the working of the Holy Spirit.
It is unfortunate that people look to such bizarre
counterfeits that produce no spiritual fruit, rather than
pursuing the practical fruit which the Spirit gives us for
the purpose of glorifying Christ with our lives
(Galatians 5:22-23). Being filled with the Spirit is not
evidenced by such counterfeits, but by a life that overflows
with the Word of God in such a way that it spills over in
praise, thanksgiving, and obedience to God.
Answer: Most commonly, being “slain in the Spirit”
happens when a minister lays hands on someone,
and that person collapses to the floor, supposedly
overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those
who practice slaying in the Spirit use Bible passages
that talk about people becoming “as dead” (Revelation 1:17)
or of falling upon their face
(Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 8:17-18, 10:7-9). However, there are a
number of contrasts between this biblical falling on one's
face and the practice of being slain in the Spirit.
1. The biblical falling down was a person's reaction
to what he saw in a vision or an event beyond ordinary
happenings, such as at the transfiguration of Christ
(Matthew 17:6). In the unbiblical practice of being slain
in the Spirit, the person responds to another’s touch or
to the motion of the speaker's arm.
2. The biblical instances were few and far between, and
they occurred only rarely in the lives of a few people. In
the slain in the Spirit phenomenon, falling down is a repeated
event and an experience that happens to many.
3. In the biblical instances, the people fall upon their
face in awe at either what or whom they see. In the
slain in the Spirit counterfeit, they fall backwards, either
in response to the wave of the speaker's arm or as a result
of a church leader's touch (or push in some cases).
I am not claiming that all examples of being slain in
the Spirit are fakes or responses to a touch or push. Many
people claim to experience an energy or a force that
causes them to fall back. However, we find NO BIBICAL
BASIS for this concept. Yes, there may be some energy
or force involved, but if so, it is very likely NOT OF GOD and
not the result of the working of the Holy Spirit.
It is unfortunate that people look to such bizarre
counterfeits that produce no spiritual fruit, rather than
pursuing the practical fruit which the Spirit gives us for
the purpose of glorifying Christ with our lives
(Galatians 5:22-23). Being filled with the Spirit is not
evidenced by such counterfeits, but by a life that overflows
with the Word of God in such a way that it spills over in
praise, thanksgiving, and obedience to God.
