Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - Reading the Bible does not Give us the Spirit

Evangelical · 10-18-2016, 11:13 PM

John F. MacArthur, Piper and others are among a number of Christian teachers and authors who are confused on this matter and despite being heralded as great Christian teachers, are teaching something not found in the Bible at all.

The Spirit inspired the Bible but they flip it around and say that the Spirit depends on the Bible , or that the Bible "inspires" or results in the Spirit. They equate the Spirit with what we do, and that is the mistake. Anything that says the Spirit depends upon the Bible or us is to say that the Spirit is not God. This kind of teaching is also prevalent in the denominations that supposedly believe in the Spirit and the spiritual gifts. For example, when a tv-evangelist waves his hands, the Spirit falls on people and they fall down. Churches claim the Spirit comes down to them when the band starts playing during the worship time. Associating the Spirit with any sort of religious activity is a mistake. When the Spirit first fell upon the believers at Pentecost, all they did was wait for it. Nothing they did caused the Spirit to fall. When Jesus breathed the Spirit on the disciples, they did nothing to make that happen.

The proper understanding of the Spirit is to realize that the Spirit may fall upon the saint or the sinner alike, and it has nothing particularly to do with how much of the Bible we know, or how obedience we've been.

There is a number of incorrect teachings found in
MacArthur 2-in-1: 2 Truth-Filled Books in 1 Volume to Strengthen Your Faith
By John F. MacArthur, some quote John Piper.

These teachings include:

"The Spirit goes where the Word goes" - wrong, the bible says - the Spirit goes wherever He likes, like the wind (John 3:8).

"Churches can't be Spirit-led unless they are Word fed" (Bob Kauflin) - it is wrong to equate the Spirit's leading with the amount of biblical knowledge.

"The more of God's Word you know and love, the more of God's Spirit you will experience." - Piper.

It doesn't matter whether it is receiving, being filled or experiencing the Spirit, none of it depends upon reading the Bible or even obeying the Bible.

The Bible says the Spirit is received by grace and it is a gift. If it depended upon us it would not be a gift.

Galatians 3:2 says "Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? "

Did we receive the Spirit by our bible reading or obedience to the bible? (law), no.

There is no verse or example in the Bible of anyone being filled, experiencing, or receiving the Spirit because of reading, studying, or applying the Bible.

It is possible that what people claim to experience as the "Spirit" when they follow or obey the Bible is just an appeasement or satisfaction of their own religious conscience. A person may experience the "Spirit" when they do any sort of religious activity. Just as a Catholic may experience the "Spirit" as they bow to the statue of the virgin Mary, a protestant or an evangelical may experience a similar "religious hot flush" when they devote themselves to reading the Bible.

In the Pentecostal denominations, what they experience when the "Spirit comes" is likewise a heightened sense of zeal, emotion or feeling, aroused by the atmosphere and the particular occasion. It is really no different to the feelings and experiences that a person of any religion might experience they are in a large gathering and devoted to some particular religious cause.

10-18-2016, 11:13 PM	#9
Evangelical Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 3,965	Re: Reading the Bible does not Give us the Spirit John F. MacArthur, Piper and others are among a number of Christian teachers and authors who are confused on this matter and despite being heralded as great Christian teachers, are teaching something not found in the Bible at all. The Spirit inspired the Bible but they flip it around and say that the Spirit depends on the Bible , or that the Bible "inspires" or results in the Spirit. They equate the Spirit with what we do, and that is the mistake. Anything that says the Spirit depends upon the Bible or us is to say that the Spirit is not God. This kind of teaching is also prevalent in the denominations that supposedly believe in the Spirit and the spiritual gifts. For example, when a tv-evangelist waves his hands, the Spirit falls on people and they fall down. Churches claim the Spirit comes down to them when the band starts playing during the worship time. Associating the Spirit with any sort of religious activity is a mistake. When the Spirit first fell upon the believers at Pentecost, all they did was wait for it. Nothing they did caused the Spirit to fall. When Jesus breathed the Spirit on the disciples, they did nothing to make that happen. The proper understanding of the Spirit is to realize that the Spirit may fall upon the saint or the sinner alike, and it has nothing particularly to do with how much of the Bible we know, or how obedience we've been. There is a number of incorrect teachings found in MacArthur 2-in-1: 2 Truth-Filled Books in 1 Volume to Strengthen Your Faith By John F. MacArthur, some quote John Piper. These teachings include: "The Spirit goes where the Word goes" - wrong, the bible says - the Spirit goes wherever He likes, like the wind (John 3:8). "Churches can't be Spirit-led unless they are Word fed" (Bob Kauflin) - it is wrong to equate the Spirit's leading with the amount of biblical knowledge. "The more of God's Word you know and love, the more of God's Spirit you will experience." - Piper. It doesn't matter whether it is receiving, being filled or experiencing the Spirit, none of it depends upon reading the Bible or even obeying the Bible. The Bible says the Spirit is received by grace and it is a gift. If it depended upon us it would not be a gift. Galatians 3:2 says "Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? " Did we receive the Spirit by our bible reading or obedience to the bible? (law), no. There is no verse or example in the Bible of anyone being filled, experiencing, or receiving the Spirit because of reading, studying, or applying the Bible. It is possible that what people claim to experience as the "Spirit" when they follow or obey the Bible is just an appeasement or satisfaction of their own religious conscience. A person may experience the "Spirit" when they do any sort of religious activity. Just as a Catholic may experience the "Spirit" as they bow to the statue of the virgin Mary, a protestant or an evangelical may experience a similar "religious hot flush" when they devote themselves to reading the Bible. In the Pentecostal denominations, what they experience when the "Spirit comes" is likewise a heightened sense of zeal, emotion or feeling, aroused by the atmosphere and the particular occasion. It is really no different to the feelings and experiences that a person of any religion might experience they are in a large gathering and devoted to some particular religious cause.