An "Ask the Preacher" article as it has appeared in the Santa Rosa Press Gazette (Milton, Florida). The author is Pastor Carl Gallups of Hickory Hammock Baptist Church in Milton, Florida. Click HERE to go to the Main Index page of Hickory Hammock Baptist Church to read many more such articles. This article is copyrighted by Carl Gallups and may be reproduced provided that copyright notice is given.



Dear Pastor Gallups, “What does it mean to be SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT? The people at my mother’s church talk about this all the time...” D.L. - Pace

Dear D.L., The term “slain in the Spirit”, is a relatively new term in the Christian culture, finding its invention in the United States. Neither the term, the words nor the concept are found in a contextual interpretation of Scripture.

“Slain in the spirit” is usually defined as being so filled or overwhelmed with the presence of the Holy Spirit of God which is instantly manifest in you - that you would “fall out” or loose your ability to control your normal facilities. This phenomenon usually occurs in a worship service setting and is usually accompanied by several people experiencing the same thing. It is practiced most profusely by the more “charismatic” denominations. The implication is that one who is “slain in the spirit” is one who is “particularly blessed” or is “spiritually mature”or very “closely connected” to the Holy Spirit.

Whenever I have asked someone who believes in or practices the phenomenon of “being slain in the Spirit” to give me a Biblical example of this practice, the following passages are usually mentioned.

1. When Paul and his entourage were on the Damascus Road and Jesus appeared to them and they “fell out” on the ground.

2. When Jesus spoke to the guards and officers in the garden of Gethsemane and identified himself, they fell backwards on the ground.

The problem in both of these cases is the same. Paul, his entourage, the guards and officers were ALL trying to arrest, kill or attack Christians! They certainly were not “blessed” or “close” to Jesus. In both cases this “falling out” was a kind of “punishment” or acknowledgment that they were sinners in the presence of an angry and Holy God! There was no act of worship involved.

Being “slain in the Spirit” simply is a cultural, religious, phenomenon with NO BIBLICAL GROUNDING. It is not scriptural, nor is it honoring to the Lord or His Holy Spirit. Rather, every biblical instance of a “filling of the Holy Spirit” results in a greater control of one’s facilities accompanied by boldness, wisdom, and the ability to clearly share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.