I’m Not Dead and the Holy Spirit Is Not a “Force”

“That’s not what I said!” “I didn’t do that!” “He doesn’t really know me!” “That never happened!” These are common expressions of someone who feels they have been misrepresented. Misrepresentation is one of the most frustrating dynamics in the human experience. To be misrepresented by a friend, a critic, a gossip or a public report is infuriating. Whatever the motive, the effect is troubling. All of us like to be portrayed to others as accurately as possible. We want to be known correctly and honestly.

If you were to search for me on Google, the top result would feature a picture of me and a brief description of my pastoral ministry. Then you would observe that, according to Google, I was born in 1880 and died in 1955! As you know, I am fully alive but I am also being dreadfully misrepresented. (Maybe one of these days Google will respond to our multiple requests and make this correction.)

Misrepresented Spirit?

I noted in a previous post that, according to a recent study by Lifeway Research, 56 percent of evangelical Christians say the Holy Spirit is a force rather than a person. In that same study, a quarter (28 percent) said the Spirit is a divine being but not equal to God the Father and Jesus. Half (51 percent) disagreed. Twenty-one percent were not sure.[i] Why do so many evangelicals have a warped understanding of the Holy Spirit? Could I suggest that, in large part, this is rooted in what we publicly say, sing, write and teach (or fail to teach) in our Christian circles.

I am convinced that even among those who intellectually and theologically affirm that the Holy Spirit is a person, many still speak of Him as a “force” that mysteriously arrives from some obscure location. They describe Him in obscure third person language as “The Presence” or a “power” in the atmosphere. I am deeply concerned that the Holy Spirit, even in contexts where His work is emphasized and His presence evoked, has become the “misrepresented God.”

Francis Chan agrees: “He is not an indistinct ‘power’ or ‘thing.’ I often hear people referring to the Spirit as an ‘it,’ as if the ‘Spirit’ is a ‘thing’ or ‘force’ that we can control or use. This distinction may seem subtle or trivial, but is actually a very serious misunderstanding of the Spirit and his role in our lives.”[ii]

This confusion ultimately detracts from the compelling New Testament teaching on the person of the Spirit dwelling within us. This can subtly diminish our conscious, moment-by-moment enjoyment and consistent empowerment by the indwelling Christ. Most troubling, a confused view of the Holy Spirit can distort the sufficiency of our promised new covenant experience based on the glorious person, sufficient work and clear promises of Jesus Christ.

Toward a New Covenant Vocabulary

Scottish New Testament scholar I.H. Marshall once noted, “Christians are adept at the loose use of language.”[iii] In Appendix Two of my book Transforming Presence, I offered what I believe are some essential correctives in how we speak about the work of the Holy Spirit. I hope these clarifications will be helpful to you—particularly if you believe that the gospel changes everything, the finished work of Christ is monumental, that the new covenant is important, and that words matter. Martin Sanders, CEO of YouthScape, once tweeted, “If worship is an act of total devotion, then it demands our minds as well as our hearts.”

While discussing this book project with a theologically astute president of a Midwestern Bible college, he was somewhat astounded by my thesis. He admitted that what I was proposing was correct but that he, and many of us, would need to be more careful about how we typically speak about the work of the Holy Spirit. He suggested the clarification of a better vocabulary. So, with the belief that such a recommendation is profitable, here it is:

(NOTE: If you have questions about any of these, please read the book for an extensive biblical background and clarification).

This article originally appeared here.