Articles
Human Feelings and the Holy Spirit
In our subjective, feelings-based culture even God’s guidance has been reduced to a vague impulse that conveniently seems to coincide with one’s own desires. And that is telling. Many want to enjoy a sense of harmony with God without doing the heavy lifting of learning His will and mustering the sacrifice and self-control to actually implement it.
And so we hear someone say, “I don’t care what the Bible says, I feel the Holy Spirit is leading me in a different direction.” Or, “The Holy Spirit is giving me an inner peace that tells me I am ok.” In whatever form it may appear, people repeatedly state their belief that the Holy Spirit guides, affirms, comforts and strengthens not only separately from God’s word but often in contradiction to what is written. Is this the way the Spirit works?
First, let us be clear that the Holy Spirit does produce feelings in believers. He has revealed the Father’s thoughts which ought to promote compassion, hope, joy, dedication, gratitude and other godly emotional reactions. But we take exception to the notion that the Holy Spirit is in some direct way imparting guidance and emotions unlinked to written revelation.
A key word that describes the work of the Spirit is information. Whether through miraculous means – inspiring an apostle or prophet to speak or write the thoughts of God (Mt 10:19-20; 1 Cor 2:10-13; Eph 3:3-6) – or whether through the agency of revelation already established, the Holy Spirit’s main purpose is to educate mankind in the objective truths of God. He does not directly incite or excite our emotions so as to sway us in this direction or that. Rather, He imparts information that assures us of God’s promises, warns us of the nature and tactics of our adversary, provides insight into our own thoughts and motives, explains how to worship God, advises us on how to respond to life’s challenges, etc.
Note some things the Holy Spirit did as the kingdom unfolded (in Acts):
1. Informed Jews via Peter of why and how to be saved – 2:14ff.
2. Directed Philip to the Ethiopian treasurer – 8:29ff.
3. Encouraged Peter to go to Cornelius’ house – 10:19ff.
4. Identified Cornelius as a fit subject for baptism – 10:44ff.
5. Warned of an approaching worldwide famine – 11:27ff.
6. Directed Paul and Barnabas for the first preaching tour – 13:2-3.
7. Guided Paul and Silas on the second preaching tour – 16:6-10.
8. Warned Paul of his upcoming arrest in Jerusalem – 20:23; 21:4, 11.
In addition to this list, see also Ac 4:31; 7:51, 55; 19:6; 28:25ff. We could also add every sermon that is recorded in Acts since the speakers were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit did not make vague, emotional appeals but through Christ’s ambassadors reasoned, explained and demonstrated the true significance of the gospel message (cf. Ac 17:1-4).
When someone says they feel the leading of the Holy Spirit within them, the question I want to ask is, “How do you know it is the Holy Spirit?” If they feel they are being urged to do what is in Scripture, then it is redundant since the information is already revealed. And if the urging is away from Scripture, then the Holy Spirit certainly isn’t the source.
Some brethren speak disparagingly of the Spirit working through the written revelation. They think this is somehow insufficient or weak, that believers need something more than the information and incentive that has been made available (cf. 2 Tim 3:16-17; Heb 4:13). But we must tread carefully here. We should not underestimate the power of God’s word coupled with a heart singularly devoted to honoring and obeying one’s Savior. Sensing our own weakness, it is tempting to believe that the Spirit “makes up the difference” and moves mysteriously within us to guide, urge, protect and comfort. And this opens the door to overemphasizing our feelings, not to mention misreading them as approval.
