The Counterfeit Holy Spirit

In all of this that we’re speaking about, this worldwide phenomenon, I believe there is one central, underlying issue which is often obscured. In fact, very seldom do we really come to grips with this issue. This issue is the identity of the Holy Spirit.

How do we recognize the Holy Spirit? How do we know what the Holy Spirit is like? And how do we distinguish the Holy Spirit from other spirits?

I read a statement recently by some New Ager in which she said about the New Age, “When the Holy Spirit comes, then the New Age will be here.” Of course, I’m sure most of you would understand that when she talks about the Holy Spirit, she is not talking about the same Holy Spirit that the Bible speaks about. This is one of various indications that there is a counterfeit Holy Spirit.

It’s nothing new for Satan to produce a religious counterfeit. Since the time of Jesus, history records a whole series of counterfeit Messiahs who have risen among the Jewish people. All of them had a following. Some, like Sabbatai Zevi, had a widespread and enduring influence. The latest of them died in 1994. Another religious counterfeit is the being titled “The Blessed Virgin Mary.”

With all the claims that have been made for her, and all the titles that have been ascribed to her, she bears no resemblance to the humble Jewish maiden who became the mother of Jesus and later of his brothers and sisters. Yet, over the centuries, this counterfeit has claimed the devotion of millions of sincere Christians.

We need to be on our guard, therefore, that we do not entertain a counterfeit Holy Spirit. I want to suggest to you three ways to identify the Holy Spirit, to recognize who the Holy Spirit is. The first way I refer to in my little booklet, Uproar in the Church, which I wrote about two years ago. I’ll just quote a few paragraphs.

“Another danger that threatens those who minister in the supernatural realm is the temptation to use spiritual gifts to manipulate or exploit or dominate people. At one period in my ministry, I found myself casting spirits of witchcraft out of church-going people. Eventually, I asked the Lord to show me the true nature of witchcraft. I believe the Lord gave me the following definition: ‘Witchcraft is the attempt to control people and get them to do what you want by the use of any spirit that is not the Holy Spirit.’ After I had digested this, the Lord added, ‘And if anyone has a spirit that he can use, it is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and no one uses God.’”

That is very important. The Holy Spirit is God, and no one uses God. Then I went on to say in the booklet, “Today, I tremble inwardly when I see or hear of a person who claims that he has spiritual gifts which he is free to use just as he pleases. It is surely no accident that some of those who have made such claims have ended in serious doctrinal error.”

It’s important to see that there is a difference between the Holy Spirit Himself as a person and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 11:29, Paul tells us that

“the gifts of God are irrevocable.”

In other words, once God has given us a gift, He never takes it back. We are free to use it, not to use it, or to misuse it. But even if we misuse it, God does not take it back. Otherwise, it would not be a genuine gift. It would only be a conditional loan.

It is a fact that people do misuse gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul provides a clear example in 1 Corinthians 13, verse 1:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

Obviously, the Holy Spirit Himself does not become a clanging cymbal. But the gift of speaking in tongues, when misused, can become an empty, discordant noise. Unfortunately, this often happens in Pentecostal and charismatic circles.

I believe it is possible to misuse other spiritual gifts, such as a word of knowledge or a gift of healing. This can happen when a person uses a spiritual gift to achieve a result or promote a movement which is not in harmony with the will of God. One obvious misuse would be for personal gain. In such a situation, our safeguard is to be able to recognize the Holy Spirit as a person and to distinguish between Him and His gifts.

This then is the first and most important fact about the Holy Spirit: He is God. And we need to relate to Him and treat Him always as God.