Bible Question: Is the practice of being 'slain in the spirit' a biblical practice? No, I really don't think it is. In fact, not only is the term not in the Bible, the experience is not in the Bible either. There are many examples in Scripture of human beings falling to their knees as they witness the incredible glory of God. This is what happened to the apostle John (Rev. 1). But the idea of being touched by a human being who is "anointed" by the Spirit and then being knocked cold is not a biblical phenomena.How are we to explain these experiences? It may be a psychological or emotional phenomena. Someone may so strongly expect to be knocked cold by the Spirit thought to be present in the anointed preacher that when the preacher touches him or her, down he or she goes. Sociologists have noted that this type of experience is actually common to many religions. There's also the possibility that the powers of darkness may be involved in this experience (2 Thess. 2:9). Many who believe in being 'slain in the spirit' like to cite certain passages such as Genesis 15:12-21, Numbers 24:4, 1 Samuel 19:20, and Matthew 17:6. But in every case they are reading their own meaning into the text instead of drawing the meaning out of the text. These passages in context offer no support for the idea of being 'slain in the spirit'. |
Bible Answer: Nolan: Is "slain in the Spirit" a biblical experience? 1) There is no biblical precedent for slain in the Spirit. 2) Only the enemies of Jesus fell BACKWARD after touching or being touched by Him. His followers fell FORWARD in worship and adoration. 3) God never has to do the same thing in the same way twice. Hypothetically, IF God were to slay people in the Spirit, it is unlikely He would do it cookie cutter fashion. I.e., it is not: "Everybody in the building, line up. You're all going to receive the same experience in the same way." 4) The literal definition of the English word "slay" is "to kill." I don't think I want to be killed -- either in the Spirit or otherwise. 5) Where "slain in the Spirit" is concerned, neither the WORDS nor the CONCEPT appear in the Bible. 6) Hank Hanegraaff, in his Counterfeit Revival, has written about being “slain in the Spirit”: “Despite the pious attribution of this phenomenon to the Holy Spirit as well as the pragmatic addition of ‘catchers,’ multitudes continue to suffer spiritual, emotional and physical damage from this practice. Some have even died.”62 (www.equip.org/ ) 7) "The three-hour repetition of a spiritual song, being slain in the spirit, or even a spiritualistic seance have at least one thing in common — they all involve subjects becoming extremely susceptible to spontaneous suggestions." (www.equip.org/ ) 8) Hank Hanegraaff: "Furthermore, let me underscore the fact that I continue to be gravely concerned about the spiritual and physical consequences of unbiblical manifestations such as spasmodic jerking and being “slain in the spirit.”" (www.equip.org/ ) 9) "Slain in the Spirit "Also "resting in the Spirit" or in the vernacular of movements like the Toronto Blessing and Pensacola Outpouring "doing carpet time." "This manifestation is promoted especially (but not exclusively) by proponents of some current renewal and revival movements. "In a practice said to have been introduced by Kathryn Kuhlman, people who receive what they consider to tbe a "touch of the Holy Spirit" pass out on the floor, where they are said to "rest in the Spirit." Many people do not pass out completely, but rather "yield" - i.e., they voluntarily fall to the floor. "Churches like the Vineyard Movement, the Toronto Christian Fellowship, and preachers like Benny Hinn say they do not completely understand why people fall "under the power of the Spirit." However, they do claim God can more easily do a work of healing, renewal, and/or impartation while a person "does carpet time". "People who do not fall are sometimes referred to as "HTR" - Hard To Receive." (www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex) To click on links to further info on slain in the Spirit cut and paste into your address bar the following link: http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/s00.html#slain --JVH0212 |