Is being “slain in the Spirit” biblical—or something else entirely?*

General Faith
67

Fire in the fireplace is safe, but sometimes God takes it out of the fireplace like when true revivals happen, but even then the Holy Spirit is a God of order and decency. If fire is outside the fireplace, like on Mt Carmel with Elijah and the prophets of Baal this may be God’s way of bringing truth and that may be preferable. I remember during the Jesus Movement of the early 70’s that fire was outside the fireplace, but it was OK, because many youth woke up to the reality of God in a skeptical age. In extreme situations God may do extreme things that may seem chaotic to us, but He is in control and able to use the unusual for His glory.

When our focus is on the medium or method God is using or the reaction of the people, we may miss God’s message itself and forget to receive what God is sending us. Satan would have us distracted by right-brain criticism when He is doing a work in left-brain people that cannot be reached my right-brained methodology.

68

Absolutely test the spirits and don’t judge based on your emotions or what is rational. God’s people hear His voice and will not follow a false shepherd.

69

@peaceful23

Absolutely, test the spirits.

Where does this practice of slaying in the spirit come from?

Who started it?

While some try to connect it to revival scenes in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801 where people swooned, shouted, or fell under emotional intensity, the specific language and ritual of being “slain in the Spirit” was popularized in the 1960s and 1970s through the Pentecostal and later Charismatic movements. Figures like Kathryn Kuhlman and later Benny Hinn made it central to their ministries, turning it into a visible “sign” of the Spirit’s presence.

Historically, it is not found in the Apostolic era, nor in the early church fathers, but emerges much later as a phenomenon in revivalist and charismatic culture.

Why it is not biblical
First, there is no command, no promise, and no consistent example in Scripture of believers being pushed down or falling backward as a normative sign of the Spirit’s power. When the Spirit comes in Acts 2, He fills them to speak in tongues and proclaim Christ crucified, not to knock them unconscious.

When the Spirit fills Stephen in Acts 7, he preaches Christ and sees the glory of God, he does not collapse.

When Paul prays for believers in Ephesians 3:16–19, the Spirit’s work is strengthening the inner man, rooting them in love, and filling them with the fullness of God, not knocking them to the ground.

Second, falling backward in Scripture is almost always a sign of judgment, not blessing.

In Isaiah 28:13 the disobedient “fall backward, be broken, snared, and taken.” In John 18:6 when Jesus identifies Himself as “I am He,” His enemies fall backward to the ground, not His disciples.

By contrast, when people in Scripture fall forward, it is in reverent worship before God’s presence (Genesis 17:3, Ezekiel 1:28, Revelation 1:17).

This sharp distinction shows that “slain in the Spirit” cannot be reinterpreted as worshipful yielding, since it imitates the wrong posture.

Third, the Spirit’s authentic work is to glorify Christ Jesus (John 16:14), to produce fruit of holiness (Galatians 5:22–23), and to empower witness (Acts 1:8).

None of this is accomplished by an emotional spectacle of people being pushed or falling into catchers’ arms. The apostles preached the cross with clarity and power, they did not cultivate dramatic collapses.

So, in short-

“Slaying in the Spirit” is a modern Pentecostal-charismatic invention, popularized in the 20th century, with no root in the apostolic witness. Scripture consistently shows the Spirit equipping, strengthening, and sanctifying believers through the Word and the cross of Christ. Falling backward as a spiritual sign is foreign to the New Testament and often symbolizes judgment. The true evidence of the Spirit is not a body on the floor, but a life crucified with Christ and raised in holiness.

Take care and shalom.

J.

What is speaking in tongues, and interpretation of those tongues?
70

I don’t think falling is a sign of anything. It is what happens to some people, but it is not a sign of something beyond itself. We should not make a doctrine of things that happen, but are not signs of something beyond themselves. There are lots of spiritual experiences and many of them are good for people having them, but they are not to be recognized as signs of something greater than the experience that they are.

71

From the distant theologian’s perspective these seem to be “dramatic collapses” and we note that some make them signs of this or that as they analyze them. But from up close a person’s experience is harder to interpret. For some falling is simply a way to express a person’s yielding or surrender to the power of God. For another it is just a copying what others do and has no spiritual meaning. We can study the phenomena and not allow ourselves to embrace God because we are too far away, or we can choose to not resist anything God wants to do and perhaps come closer to the God who speaks.

72

The very word “slain or slaying” speaks not of the killing of the worshipper, and certainly does not point to God’s life-giving Spirit. It points to the voluntary laying down of the flesh life of a person in order to receive new birth from God. If there is any slaying going on it is person’s affirmation that he has died to his own ways. He is crucified with Christ and now expects to find his real life in the Holy Spirit. It is counter-intuitive to see good in dying, but that is part of the mystery of godliness. We must die to have God’s life within us. If we hold onto life, Jesus said we would lose it. Pentecostals are often reminded of their need to die or remain dead to themselves that they might be made alive to God. They are also reminded of the blessing of new life when they give up their old fleshly lives.

73

Peaceful23
I appreciate the depth of your esoteric understanding of this event. I admit, I have never heard it explained this way.

I have never heard anyone suggest it may be a moment of conversion event that depicts “the voluntary laying down of the flesh life of a person in order to receive new birth from God.”. Or that the event is a “person’s affirmation that he has died to his own ways”.

The idea that we have been buried with Jesus through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4) is widely understood in most Christian traditions. I have never heard that being “slain in the Spirit” was a depiction of this concept. Furthermore, Paul spoke that he “died daily”, he was in “deaths often”, and that “they were killed all the day long”; but here Paul spoke not of crucifying the flesh, but of his voluntary suffering; his devotion to his ministry was such that his afflictions were near to death, and would lead to death as their result. I sincerely missed any connection between this “slaying” event and any kind of beneficial or sacrificial dying that you are suggesting.

The question remains, and is further muddled by your explanation, is swooning involuntarily, either spontaneously, or at the command of a practitioner, actualized by The Holy Spirit, or by the person who faints? Your explanation seems to suggest it is not spontaneous, not involuntary, and not “of the Spirit”, but an intentional outward depiction of an inner confession of death to self; a reminder of “the blessing of new life when they give up their old fleshly lives.”. So is this something that is “happening to the believer”, a grace that is being dispensed by The Holy Spirit, or is it something the believer is acting out, intentinally, as an expression of an unseen reality in their heart?

I would not have made this connection if you hadn’t pointed it out to me.

KP

74

I strongly hesitate to support a practice that I haven’t seen in the Bible. Do you (or does anyone) have a Scripture reference for this?

75

@Raina

Scripture reference for what?

Side note- I practice a lot of things not found in the Bible. I drive a car, use a phone, watch television, eat pizza, do the neutron dance…. So I may not be the best judge of what should or should not be done.

For instance- I wonder if someone could become addicted to experiencing the Holy Spirit like a drug. Going to church for another fix, to “feel” really good.

Would God promote spending so much time being laid out in the Spirit rather than living our lives or doing Works that promote healing and reconciliation in the World?

I don’t see that question addressed in the Bible. But that doesn’t mean addiction to a Spiritual High cannot be a danger on your journey in Christ.

For some, a Dark Night of the Soul may be a necessary detox to become balanced again.

But again, you should not take my word for it. I don’t look for all my answers in the Bible.

With that said, Mania is not the same thing as being in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a stabalizing force. It raises us up out of the muck and gives us a sure footing. But anyone dealing with Mania should know medications exist that can help treat chemical imbalances.

People sometimes confuse various forms of altered states for God. But there is a difference.

76

Yes, I considered such when I wrote my answer, then I thought, “Tillman is too smart to bring such things up,” so I wrote what i wrote, :slight_smile:

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@Raina

Love, remember, there were times God walked with men before Bibles ever existed. And yet, they walked with God. Do not allow me to become your stumbling block to the Lord. I desire to remove all hinderances.

Always and forever, put God first. And take everything else with a grain of salt.

Mary heard the angel and pondered the words given to her. Sara snickered at the angel’s words. Jacob wrestled with the Lord and was forever changed. If we do not engage the Sacred, beyond a book, even the greatest book, how can we call it a relationship?

78 
One part of salvation is coming to the end of oneself or laying down our own self righteousness in order to receive God's life and His righteousness. We may need to do this many times. Such death comes with surrender and self-assessment that we are hopeless without God. When I have let myself fall under the palpable power of God, I am conscious to such a death.  I am also sometimes in memory of when I let a pastor put me under water and then raise me out again in water-baptism. I relive that experience many times in my mind as a Christian. Pentecostals I think sometimes reminisce about their water baptism and other times of yielding and self-surrender when they fall under what they feel is the power of God.  Anything unusual or unexpected may be God speaking, but we would be amiss if we said it has to be God speaking. The wind and fire and earthquake was not God speaking to Elijah. It was only in the still small voice that time. We can't judge whether the message is true or from God just by the method used in conveying it to man. There are prophets in sheep's clothing.
79

I cannot show you from Scripture “slaying in the Spirit”. I can’t show you from Scripture some other experiences that I believe are real and genuine in Christians’ lives. If a strong believer confesses to have had an experience that has blessed him, who am I to say that it did not? All authentic Christian experiences don’t have to be found in the Bible. Creator God is still creative.

80

I would prefer to call what is usually called “being slain in the Spirit” “being ministered to by the Holy Spirit” and sometimes being “overcome by the Holy Spirit” I think there is also an element of volunteer falling as a person perhaps re-lives or reenacts his/her surrender to Christ. If a person is “overcome”, the falling is not voluntary, but if it is a reenactment of, the falling might be voluntary. I personally volunteer to fall to reenact or to demonstrate my surrender to God. I have personally never felt “overcome” by the Spirit”, but I know some strong Christians who have.

81

Peaceful23, I hear you. You’re trying to give a thoughtful, respectful take. But here’s the issue. Scripture never teaches us to fall to demonstrate surrender. It teaches us to die to self daily, to take up our cross, to obey. That’s the real sign of surrender.

Reenacting surrender by falling might feel meaningful, but feelings are not the measure of truth. The apostles didn’t teach people to act out their devotion. They taught repentance, faith, and obedience. No altar drama. Just transformation.

As for being “overcome,” the only people in Scripture who fell in God’s presence did so out of holy fear or total awe, and always in reverence. Not one fell backwards during a worship service while someone waved a hand at them.

You don’t need to fall to show God you’ve surrendered. You need to walk in holiness, rooted in the Word, filled with the Spirit, and bearing fruit that lasts.

Don’t trade the reality of surrender for the appearance of it.

—Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.

82

I was in a service, praising God and I felt a power so strong it made me weak in the knees and I fell to the floor, to my own embarrassment. I stayed on the floor and got to a kneeling position (to seem more formal). I felt that day that God’s spirit is alive. there was nothing negative or strange, just my body being overwhelmed by the true spirit of God’s holiness and his forgiveness. There are plenty of examples of people falling to the ground in scripture as a theme showing God’s almighty and overwhelming power. I think if we interpret being ‘slain in the spirit’ in the broader terms of God’s power bringing people down unwillingly, we can find plenty of examples. The one off the top of my head is the people falling to the ground at John 18:1–6.

In this case, if you have ever fallen under God’s power it’s not something you need to defend or deny. It’s just God doing what he does, and that is making a powerful impact in peoples lives. I do understand that people can use the slain in the spirit concept and can get fixated on it, taking it to the extreme, but we can’t completely toss out the various effects of God’s spirit moving because of human tendency to fixate on it. It’s still a legitimate experience of God’s power for many people who have experienced it.

83

NSH, I appreciate your sincerity and your restraint. You’re not making wild claims, just sharing what you experienced. That matters. But so does rightly dividing the Word of truth.

Yes, people fall in Scripture, but always in the context of awe, reverent fear, and divine confrontation, not as part of a worship routine. No one in the New Testament ever said, “Line up and get ready to drop.” It happened rarely, and when it did, it wasn’t pretty. It was overwhelming, terrifying, even incapacitating. Think Isaiah crying, “Woe is me” or John falling “as though dead.” Not an atmosphere of music and courtesy catchers.

And John 18:6? The ones who fell back weren’t disciples. They were armed enemies of Christ, and they fell in judgment, not blessing. That’s not a model for a church service. It’s a warning that even His name carries devastating power when you’re on the wrong side of His will.

So your experience… was it sincere? Likely. But was it normative? That’s the question. Scripture is our standard, not feelings, not culture, and not even personal experiences that feel holy. If we go off of feelings alone, we make ourselves the authority. That’s dangerous ground, no matter how reverent it feels.

I don’t deny that the Spirit moves mightily. I deny that He contradicts Himself or that we need to fall to prove He’s working.

God doesn’t knock us down to give us a thrill. He raises us up to make us holy.

Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.

84

what is to be gained by defining the appropriate expressions of spiritual minutia in a culture that is already totally irreverent for God? I”m reminded of Jesus saying “you even tithe your veggies” but you miss the bigger point . . . It is the love of God expressed through Jesus that changes the world . . . not people doing things a certain way in church services.

it’s like complaining about the type of wood used to finish a house while one corner is already sinking into the ground.

I respect that you have an opinion on these matters, but what use is it to criticize being slain in the spirit: like it or not, it IS a cultural norm associated with many people who experience their faith that way. You saying it’s wrong does not change the fact that they will continue to worship that way, and it won’t change anyone’s salvation because salvation is based on faith, not the way church services are performed.

Still, I see your point, but I have to keep asking, what difference does strongly emphasizing ‘doing the subtle and less defined things right’ make in a faith that defines us as saved sinners?

85

NSH, your tone is respectful, and I appreciate that. But the question you’re raising is the same one the modern church keeps tripping over. Does doctrine really matter if the culture is a mess and people are still getting saved?

Yes, it matters. It matters more, not less, when the culture is irreverent. The darker it gets out there, the clearer the Church should shine. That means we don’t just preach truth. We protect it, live it, and worship in line with it.

Jesus didn’t rebuke the Pharisees for caring about details. He rebuked them for obsessing over details while ignoring justice, mercy, and faithfulness. But then He said, “These things you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” In other words, it is not about either-or. It is about both. We love God deeply and we handle His Word carefully.

Calling something a “cultural norm” does not make it right. Golden calves were cultural too. So was Baal worship. So was offering strange fire. Every time God’s people mixed emotional expression with bad theology, it ended in judgment, not revival.

And yes, salvation is by faith, not by perfect church services. But how we worship reflects who we believe God is. If we’re misrepresenting the Spirit, that is not harmless. That is dangerous. Just ask Nadab and Abihu.

So no, this is not about nitpicking. This is about honoring a holy God with holy reverence. If the Church doesn’t get the Spirit right, who will?

Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.

86

Confidential to @NSH
You said:

I don’t think the goal of this discussion is to “gain” something, but to answer the OP’s (@Fritzpw_Admin) question: “Is being “slain in the Spirit” biblical—or something else entirely?” The commenters are sharing their personal understanding, trying to this question. I don’t think the intent is to critisize a personal expression of devotion, but to determione if it is “Biblical” or “something else”. (IMHO) There are expressions of devoton that I practice that are not “Biblical” perse’, but they are expresions of my heart, which is the communicative organ of the Human to the Devine. (1 Sam 16:7)

Peace
KP