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Should a Christian Pray to be Filled with the Holy Spirit?
Preface
It is unfortunate that many Christians, even those who have been saved and associated with a church for many years, are essentially ignorant of Bible doctrine. And being such, they practice their faith not so much by firm conviction but by tradition and imitation. Their mannerisms, their communication and their actions are often replications of what they see and have seen others do and say in given situations, never questioning if such mannerisms, communications or actions are grounded in Scripture. Many are scriptural to be sure, but many may be legitimately questioned in light of God’s Word.
For instance, addressing a follow Christian as “brother” or “sister,” can be clearly established in God’s Word (Acts 9:17; 21:17, 20; Romans 14:10; 16:1; 1 Corinthians 7:15; James 2:15; etc.). It is also scriptural to congregate on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), yet it should be understood that congregating on any other day of the week is an outgrowth of tradition that carries no basis in Scripture. Even so, many ministers today would have their “flock” believe that missing the “mid-week prayer service” is at best an act of disloyalty or lack of dedication; or, at worst, tantamount to sin. The use of the term “revival,” “rededicate,” and “rededication” are never mentioned in the Bible, although, their concepts may be. The same is with the practice of “walking an aisle” and making a “public profession” of one’s faith in Christ—the concept may be drawn from Romans 10:10, 11, even if such phrases are never used in the Bible.
Other local church matters may be legitimately questioned by the earnest student of God’s Word when considering the light of Scripture and the impact of “tradition.” Such matters as the “order of service,” the manner and the length of appointment of deacons, the proliferations of various programs and many other local church activities, all differ from local church to local church—products derived mostly from local church traditions and decisions (either by a few—an autocracy; or the church as a whole—a democracy), rather than from strict adherence to any specific dictate within God’s Word. These comments are not to denigrate any of these practices by local churches, as long as they were arrived at and are performed with proper (biblical) motivation and for the purpose of pleasing the Lord Jesus Christ.
This study will endeavor to establish between what is clearly stated in Scripture affecting the subject. It will also entertain scriptures that would convey the spirit or concept of the subject. The study is undertaken upon the conviction that God has impressed upon the writer to make this issue clear and convincing in accordance with what the Bible has to say regarding a Christian’s responsibility for being “filled with the Holy Spirit.”
This study and previous comments are made with certain reservations when this writer considers his conservative Christians friends and associates. To take such a position is to invite criticism of being “Pharisaical,” “legalistic,” or adhering to the “letter and not the spirit” of the Word of God. Often when one wishes to really study and understand God’s Word, his theological inquiries and investigatory efforts in pursuit of truth is often made fun of from well-meaning ministers from the pulpits of churches throughout the land. Such theologically-determined students of God’s Word are labeled as being too fastidious, too meticulous or too arrogant to be of any “practical” use in Christian service. Their involved study of Scripture is disparaged and belittled. Those who do this dishonor and deny God’s clear instruction that Christians should really study (not merely read) God’s Word and thoroughly learn Bible doctrine (2 Timothy 2:15), not to mention the insult made to the Holy Spirit who has the specific purpose to guide every believer into all truth (John 14:26).
The Question
The question this study will endeavor to answer is, “Should a Christian pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit?” Without question, the Bible instructs us to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Christians who firmly believe in the Bible as the inerrant Word of God and who attend thousands of local churches throughout the world often pray both privately and publicly to be “filled with the Holy Spirit.” They may state the matter in various ways, but their request or plea conveys the same meaning and appears to indicate that unless asked, the Holy Spirit either will not or cannot have influence in whatever activities in which the believers are involved. There is further indication that many believe that the filling of the Holy Spirit is contingent upon how earnest one prays for Him; and in some cases, how long one prays for Him.
It is interesting to note that no where in the New Testament is there a command or a specific instruction to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, no where in the New Testament is there found an example where someone prays using the words “fill me (us) with the Holy Spirit.” And if this is the case, then how did this “practice” of praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit ever come about? Often the Christian flees to the book of Acts to demonstrate the connection between prayer and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Such occurrences in the book of Acts will be considered within the context of this study.
The Book of Acts and the Filling of the Holy Spirit
When considering the book of Acts, the Bible student should understand that it is primarily an historical account of the transition between the former covenant of law as established in the Old Testament and the new covenant of grace that God established for mankind as a result of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It basically is not a book on doctrine. It provides a record of the actual events as God changes from one dispensation or “age” (“administration”—the manner in which God deals with man) to another, as well as the early exertions of the Church (body of believers). It was never meant to be a book on doctrine, as the various epistles written specifically by the apostles. Yet many sincere Christians (particularly those in the “charismatic” and “Arminian” camps) derive much of their beliefs and practices from this book of history, while avoiding the more detailed theological works of the New Testament.
The following passages of Scripture in the book of Acts are employed by various churches and those of their membership to convey their particular beliefs regarding the connection of prayer and other actions with the filling of the Holy Spirit. Although the Holy Spirit now comes instantly to fill and unite the believer to the Body of Christ, there were several instances, as will be seen, when He came after a demonstrable act as the laying on of hands—each done for a specific reason.
These chapters depict the permanent provision of the Holy Spirit for believers, initiating the Church Age. Prior to this time the Holy Spirit came upon believers for specific purposes, but He never permanently indwelt them. Jesus had instructed His apostles to remain in Jerusalem and wait (not “pray for”) for the gift of the Holy Spirit (vs. 1:4). In unity and with prayer they waited, and on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was given—due to promise, not prayer (John 14:15-26). The arrival of the Holy Spirit baptized the believers into one Body (of Christ), thereby forming the Church. His coming was accompanied by signs and wonders. The purpose for these outward signs and wonders (i.e., sound of strong wind, “tongues of fire,” the use of “other languages” and great boldness in testifying), all of which were in accordance with the prophecy in the book of Joel (2:28-32), was to authenticate the link between Judaism and Christianity, so that there would be no doubt in the minds of the Jews that Jesus Christ was indeed their promised and anticipated Messiah.
This is an account of Christians lifting their voices up in prayer and praise to God after hearing the report of Peter and John who had just been released from their imprisonment by the chief priests and elders of Jerusalem. Among other things, they prayed that God would enable His servants to speak His Word with great boldness and that He would stretch out His hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Jesus Christ.
Although there is no mention of any specific prayer for the “filling of the Holy Spirit,” a safe inference may be made that their prayer for “boldness” and miraculous signs and wonders was indeed the same—it is only by means of the Holy Spirit that these attributes are exercised through believers.
Here is a case where believers from Samaria were given the initial filling with the Holy Spirit after they were baptized and upon the “laying on of hands” by Peter and John. This was an extraordinary procedure designed by God to insure that there would be no division between the church in Jerusalem and the church in Samaria. There had always been an emphatic division between the Jews and the Samarians; therefore, it is believed that God delayed the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Samarian believers until there was a notable and demonstrative action by the apostles from Jerusalem precipitating the action. Normally the Spirit comes at the moment of faith (10:44; 19:2; Ephesians 1:13), but in this instance it was imperative that the Samaritans be identified with the apostles and the Jerusalem church so that there would be no rival Samaritan Christian church.
This is the account of how Saul, after his conversion on the Damascus road, received the Holy Spirit. And notably, the Holy Spirit was given to Saul (to later be known as the apostle Paul) prior to his water baptism (just in case anyone is inclined to believe “water baptism” has anything to do with salvation or the filling with the Holy Spirit).
Upon receiving instruction from God in a vision, a layman in Damascus by the name of Ananias went to Saul, placed his hands upon him, addressed him as “Brother Saul,” and spoke to him. Saul was then filled with the Holy Spirit. This was another extraordinary and demonstrable giving of the Holy Spirit provided by God in order that the believers in that area who were extremely fearful of Saul would know for certain that he was now one of them.
Here is another case where the Holy Spirit comes on believers after the “laying on of hands,” this time by the apostle Paul. It concerns a group of twelve individuals who professed to be disciples of Christ, but who had been “converted” under an incomplete gospel message. Once they understood the complete gospel message from the mouth of Paul, they believed and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. After this, Paul placed his hands on them and they received the filling of the Holy Spirit. Again, this was an extraordinary and demonstrable filling of the Holy Spirit designed to forestall the possibility of a charge being made later that Paul was inferior to Peter, John, or the other apostles.
Clear Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament
A study of the New Testament indicates the following clear and definite doctrines of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible plainly teaches that although God is One, He manifests Himself through three distinct personalities. They are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The word Trinity, just as many other words commonly used to represent doctrine, is not mentioned in the Bible. But the truth of the Trinity is inductively concluded and proven in many passages from God’s Word. The plurality of God is first seen in the creation of man, when God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness.” It is seen in the plural form of His name, Elohim. The Trinity is seen in the New Testament by its use of (a) the names of God, (b) the attributes of God, (c) the works of God and (d) the worship of God, as follows:
The Holy Spirit is not an “it.” He is a person and should always be referred to with the personal masculine pronoun. To refer to Him with the neuter pronoun “it” is to deny personality to the third person of the Godhead. This impacts on various Bible doctrines, not the least of which, is who uses whom in Christian service. The concept of the Holy Spirit as an “it,” which equates to some form of impersonal and supernatural force, proliferates the view that Christians use this power in spiritual service. On the other hand, to see the Holy Spirit as a person encourages the biblically correct view that the Holy Spirit uses the Christian in spiritual service.
It is true that in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible the neuter pronoun is used in various locations in reference to the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; 8:16, 26; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14; 1 Peter 1:11 and 1 John 3:24). Nouns in the Greek are in one of three genders. They are masculine, feminine or neuter—depending upon their alphabetic ending. The word “spirit” (Gk. pneuma from pneo, “to breathe) is neuter, but the Greeks did not consider that which was designated by the word as being an inanimate object and therefore impersonal.
Just as the Greek word for “wine” (Gk. oinos) is masculine and the Greek word for “wisdom” (Gk. sophia) is feminine, it does not mean that the Greeks ascribed personality to either of these words. The Greek word for “child” (Gk. brephos) is neuter, but the Greeks never thought of a child as an inanimate object. The gender of a personal pronoun in the Greek is determined by the gender of its antecedent, but the conveyance of meaning is often idiomatic.
Whereas the use of the gender is decisive in English, it is necessary to consider Greek idiom when translating gender, which establishes the presence or absences of animation when translating Greek to English. This is particularly true when translating passages about the Holy Spirit.
A careful study of God’s Word establishes that the Holy Spirit is a person and not an impersonal force. He has personality, He has various duties and He maintains a personal relationship with every believer in Jesus Christ. In English the appropriate pronoun used to refer to the Holy Spirit should be masculine in nature, thus showing that He is a person, since this is exactly the meaning that Scripture conveys.
(Matthew 3:11; 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27; Romans 6:3)
(John 14:17; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19, 20; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 John 2:27)
(John 14:16)
(Luke 12:12; John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 1 John 2:27)
(John 16:13)
(Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 4:31-33; 1 Corinthians 2:4; Ephesians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:7)
(Romans 8:16)
(Galatians 4:6)
(1 John 3:24; 4:13)
(Ephesians 4:30)
(Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18; Acts 10:19, 20; 13:2; 16:6)
(John 6:63; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-54; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Peter 3:18
(Romans 8:26, 27)
(1 Corinthians 12:8-11)
a. He speaks of, speaks about, points to, honors, and glorifies Jesus Christ. (John 5:23; 15:26; 16:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 1:16; 6:14)
b. He mirrors the image of Christ through specific spiritual fruit. (Galatians 5:22, 23; Ephesians 5:9)
Note: This writer suggests that when the Holy Spirit is speaking about, honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ, He does so without confusion and in unambiguous simplicity.
Defining the Filling of the Holy Spirit
The apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:18 commands believers to be “filled with the Holy Spirit.” The words “fill” or “full” as they relate to the Holy Spirit and the believer come from the Greek word pleroo, which in essence means to be completely influenced and empowered by. In effect it is the condition that exists when the Holy Spirit is allowed (a conscious act of will and trust by the believer) to control a believer both inwardly (his thoughts and motives) and outwardly (his actions). This is confirmed by various scriptures whereby a person who is full of the Holy Spirit evidences the “fruit of the Holy Spirit” and is “led by the Holy Spirit.”
New Testament phraseology representing the concept (meaning) of the being felled with the Holy Spirit follows:
What Impedes the Filling of the Holy Spirit?
The filling of the Holy Spirit in any believer can only be impeded or hampered by sin. When the believer, who always has the God-given ability to exercise choice, selects to sin against God, he thereby quenches (Gk. sbennumi—literally to extinguish; figuratively to dampen, hinder or repress) and grieves (Gk. lupo—to cause sorrow or emotional pain to) the Holy Spirit. This in effect limits the Holy Spirit’s influence in the believer’s life. In other words, the Holy Spirit when confronted by willful sin in the believer withdraws His ability to empower and lead the believer. Note: Since the Holy Spirit is a person, He initially indwells the believer at salvation “in full.” And as the believer’s seal, He never departs (in full or in part) the believer. It is only His influence in the believer’s life that is curtailed by sin or the lack of faith in the believer’s life.
The rub comes when various Christian elements attempt to explain how a believer is to achieve the filling with the Holy Spirit. Most simply have no scriptural step-by-step method of how it is accomplished, elevating it to the “mysterious” and/or the “unknowable.” Others make it a convoluted (complicated and complex) process of “merit-steps” by man, i.e., a reward of one’s self-efforts in living the holy life. Many relegate it to the charismatic and emotional realm. In fact, they believe it is evidenced by various emotional gyrations—such as “speaking in mysterious or unknowable tongues,” the swaying of arms and public outbursts, which have no bearing in Scripture. On the contrary, the filling of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by peace, joy, order, direction (purpose), the “fruit of the Spirit” and service (witnessing to the lost). So, how does one achieve it?
Achieving the Filling of the Holy Spirit
Although there is no clearly definable formula expressed in any one place in God’s Word, a concerted study of Scripture reveals two distinct factors which apply to the process. They follow.
If we [believers] confess [own up to or admit accountability—but not beg—for forgiveness] our [known] sins, He [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our [known] sins and to cleanse us from all [unknown or forgotten] unrighteousness [sins].
As [in the same manner] you have therefore received [by faith alone] Christ Jesus the Lord, so [by faith alone] walk in Him [be filled with the Holy Spirit].
Other verses of Scripture that show the relationship between the filling of the Holy Spirit and faith are Ephesians 3:16-19 and Acts 6:5; 11:24; 15:8, 9. They confirm that once a believer has confessed to God any known sin in his life and, knowing that the filling of the Holy Spirit cannot be due to any self-effort or merit on his part, simply trusts (a willful act of faith) in Jesus Christ (God) for the filling (in the same manner that he did when he was saved), he will in fact be filled with God’s Spirit. Note: If anything, Christianity is a life of “faith,” from start to finish (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 11:6). There may or may not be any emotional experience associated with this—it is a matter of trust. The believer should therefore entertain no doubt as to the matter.
Conclusion
Although it is clear to this writer that the “filling of the Holy Spirit” is primarily a matter of confession of sin and faith, he finds no prohibition or harm in a Christian expressing his desire to God in prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit for empowerment in Christian service. For in at least “one” scripture in the New Testament (Acts 4:31), a prayer of this nature appears to be not out of line. But, the Christian should know this—such a prayer has little meaning if there is known sin in his life that has not been confessed, and/or he does not truly believe that God will fill him with the Holy Spirit. Confession and faith are the primary keys to being “filled with the Spirit of God.” Once confession is made and faith is exercised, the Christian must rest in confidence that the filling has taken place.
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