How to hinder the work of the Holy Spirit, and what to do about it

(Galatians 4:18-20)

In my last few posts and in the book of Galatians we see Paul’s frustration with the Galatians church as they slipped away from Christ, seeking to develop a self-righteousness of their own based on the law. They had been deceived into believing that they had to follow the law to be saved and they had become confused.

In these few verses we again see Paul’s anguish for the people, how he is perplexed that they would trade the grace and power of Jesus Christ for the bondage and condemnation of life under the law.

Worst of all is the fact that the work that had begun in these people to transform them into the image of Christ Jesus was being undone. They were falling away from the truth of Jesus Christ and preventing the work of the Holy Spirit to transform them into the image of Jesus.

What IS the work of the Holy Spirit?

One of the challenges we face today is understanding the work of the Holy Spirit. I say it is a challenge because too often people in the church have lacked the understanding of why the Holy Spirit was given by God. They have misunderstood the purposes behind one of the major and most common gifts of the Spirit shown in the Bible, and overlooked it’s significance.

We see in the writings of the prophet Joel that were quoted in Acts chapter 2, that God made a promise to all people. After the disciples received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter stood up speaking to the crowds that gathered and quoted the words of the prophet Joel.

17 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)

The promise given by God through the prophet Joel was that God would pour out the Holy Spirit upon ALL peoples and nations of the world. All who came to God and were called by Him were able to receive the Holy Spirit.

Now we see in a number of verses in the Bible that there are requirements to be met in most cases for people to receive the Holy Spirit, but they are relatively simple. First a person must believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and believe in God. Second, they need to ask God for this gift of the Holy Spirit as we are told in Luke 11:13

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13)

And finally we should have hands laid upon us, usually by spirit filled elders of the church, to pray and ask God to give us the Holy Spirit, as we saw occur in Acts 8:14-17 and Acts 19:6.

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Sama’ria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; 16 for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)

And;

When Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:6)

You will note also from these verses, and if you read into the sections in your own bible, that people do not just automatically receive the Holy Spirit as is suggested by some church teachers today. Some teach that the Holy Spirit just comes upon a person when they believe. Others say the Holy Spirit is received when a person is baptised. Some teach that the Holy Spirit is just some kind of a force or power, rather than a thinking and speaking being.

All these beliefs are wrong. The scripture shows us through verses quoted above (and others) that the Holy Spirit does not automatically come upon us and the Holy Spirit is a thinking and speaking spiritual being. In fact the Holy Spirit must be thinking and speaking to be able to do the work that was assigned to the Holy Spirit.

The primary and principle work of the Holy Spirit is to transform those who receive the Holy Spirit into the image of Jesus Christ so that we can live in the presence of God. The work of the Holy Spirit is to restore us to the state that we were originally meant to be when God created Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve were created perfect and without sin. They did not have sin in their lives and so were able to live for eternity. This is how man was meant to be, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit: to bring man back to this state of perfection.

The route through which this is accomplished is by faith in Jesus Christ. We must believe we have died with Christ and been reborn as new creations in Him, which we accept and show through baptism. But after baptism we need to receive the Holy Spirit to complete the work that is begun by accepting Christ. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to transform us after accepting Christ.

We see this truth in the words of Paul to the Corinthians who tells us that we must be transformed and the process of transformation as it takes place.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

We are being changed and transformed into the likeness of God, but it is a slow process. As the verse here says, “…from one degree of glory to another.” The transformation is not instantaneous, but is drawn out as the Holy Spirit deals with our weaknesses, human desires and failings, one at a time until we receive the victory over the flesh.

How the Holy Spirit does this is by a process of walking in the Spirit. As the desires that would cause us to fall or do what is evil in the sight of God rise up, we have the ability in the Holy Spirit to walk in the Spirit and overcome those desires. To learn more about the process of walking in the Spirit I recommend you check out some of the posts linked at the foot of this post, as it is too much to cover here. Suffice to say though, it is essential for Christians to learn how to walk in the Spirit so that transformation can take place.

The work of the Holy Spirit consists of being our teacher, guide, counsellor, comforter, and an intercessory and advocate between us and God the Father, as the Holy Spirit teaches us the truth. (See John 14:16-17, John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:7-15) The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf to God, praying for us for the things we need, and bringing to bear all of the power of God to effect the transformation in us according to the will of God. (See Romans 8:26-27)

What will Hinder the work of the Holy Spirit?

So if the work of the Holy Spirit is to help us by teaching and guiding us so that we are perfected into the image of God, it would not be a good thing to hinder this work. So the question arises; how do we hinder the work of the Holy Spirit?

This is certainly the issue that Paul was concerned about in the Galatians church as he speaks of being perplexed because they are sliding away from Christ.

There are many ways that people hinder the work of the Holy Spirit and we must seek to find out how we might be doing this and ask the Lord to help us to overcome such hindrances.

The first thing that will hinder the work of the Holy Spirit is if we do not receive the Holy Spirit. If we accept some of the false teachings today about how the Holy Spirit is perceived and received, without following the process and teachings of the Bible, then we fail before we even get off the starting blocks. We must first receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands and asking God for the Holy Spirit if we are to begin this journey.

The next thing that will hinder the work of the Holy Spirit is if we reject the gifts of the Spirit that are given to us to help us be transformed. I spoke earlier about walking in the Spirit, and one of the primary gifts given to us by God through the Holy Spirit is the gift of speaking in tongues. Too many people today believe this gift is not required and that it was only given to the early disciples so the gospel could be spread among the nations.

This is a false teaching in the modern church. ALL of the gifts of God, including speaking in tongues, were given for a definite purpose and no gift given by God should be rejected or written off as unnecessary. When speaking in tongues first appeared as the disciples received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter stood and spoke to the people about these gifts saying,

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him. (Acts 2:38-39)

We are those who are “far off” as described by Peter here. And let me ask you the question that this verse hints at: Do you believe you have been called by God? If your answer is yes, and it should be, then the gift of the Holy Spirit AND the gift of tongues are promised to you also. Do not reject this gift as it is by the Holy Spirit that the power of transformation occurs, and speaking in tongues is a primary part of walking in the Spirit.

The next way that we can hinder the work of the Holy Spirit is to fail to understand the purpose of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.

I have just mentioned the failure to understand speaking in tongues, and you may be aware that this gift is predominantly seen operating in the Pentecostal and charismatic churches today. However, having been amongst some such churches, it is evident that even they do not fully understand the purpose and uses of these gifts, especially the gift of tongues.

It is important that if you have received this gift, and all Christians can receive the gift of tongues, that you learn how to use the gift in accordance with the methods laid down in the Bible. Speaking in tongues is a tool that is given to us to help us navigate the path we walk with Christ to keep us on the straight and narrow. It is by walking in the Spirit and exercising the gift of tongues to overcome weaknesses as they arise and to capture our evil thoughts before they turn into action that we hold fast to the right path. There are other ways to walk in the Spirit, but speaking in tongues is the best and easiest way to do this.

Think of it like this. The gift of speaking in tongues is a tool, but it must be used correctly. Imagine it is like an electric drill. How deep a hole could you drill if you did not plug the drill into the power source? You wouldn’t be able to even make a dent in the timber or metal you are drilling if you don’t plug the drill in to the electricity socket and turn it on. But when you have the drill powered on it can drill a hole like a hot knife can cut through butter.

It’s the same with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. If you do not know how to use the gift, or if you do not use the gift correctly, you will not receive the benefit of this gift. Like the drill won’t drill without power, so too speaking in tongues won’t work if it is not correctly received and used.

Another way that you can hinder the work of the Holy Spirit is to ignore the work of the Spirit and to do nothing. If you receive the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues, and then basically put it n a shelf as if it were a collectible item, then you are neglecting the gift of God.

If we do not use the gift then we are neglecting what God has given us to effect the change that we ALL must go through if we are to come into and live in the presence of God.

We have been called to “walk” with Christ, and that means we need to progress. If we neglect God’s gifts we have stopped walking and will fall away and slip back into the ways of the world. Not only will this hinder the work of the Holy Spirit, but it is highly likely that we will grieve the Holy Spirit, which is something that we must try to never, ever do.

Finally, you can hinder the work of the Holy Spirit by failing to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ in the gospel AND especially the teachings of the New Covenant. This is the area that Paul was so concerned with in the Galatians church.

The Galatians church were turning back into the Old Covenant of law and bondage and were rejecting the freedom they had received in Christ Jesus. As a result they were hindering the Holy Spirit from His work because all of the parts of the gospel and the New Covenant MUST work together for the work of the Spirit to be effective.

We must first accept and believe in Jesus Christ. We must receive the grace of God and understand that God has set us free from sin and set us free from the bondages of the law through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We must believe that we have died with Christ and that we enter His death through baptism, believing that we have died and been buried with Him as we enter the water, and we are resurrected with Him as new creations when we are lifted from the baptismal waters.

We must believe that we are dad to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ. And to be dead to sin is to also be dead to the power of sin, which is the law as we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”

If we turn back to the law, seeking to be justified by the works of the law rather than faith in the grace of God, then we are rejecting what Christ did for us when He died. We are severed from Christ and separated from the grace of God as we are told in the first few verses of Galatians chapter 5. And if we are severed from Christ by turning back to the works of the law, then we have hog-tied and hamstrung the Holy Spirit preventing Him from doing His work of transformation in us.

Perfection, which is the aim of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, is not possible under the law because the law does not make anyone perfect, as we are told in Hebrews 7:19 which says, “For the law made nothing perfect.” The law condemns people as sinners and as such it cannot make anyone perfect, because to be perfect is to be without condemnation and sin.

There are doubtless many other ways that the work of the Holy Spirit can be hindered, but these examples above will cover most of the issue that arise. The rest are typically subsets of these.

How to Prevent hindering the work of the Holy Spirit

This raises the final question about what can you do to prevent hindering the work of the Holy Spirit?

First and foremost, you must receive the Holy Spirit. Ask God to give you this gift and seek out elders of the church who are spirit filled to lay their hands on you to receive this gift. This is the first and most important step all Christians need to take.

Next, seek out how to receive the gift of tongues and learn how to use it. This gift is important and should not be considered irrelevant as some churches seem to think, nor shelved as others who have received the gift often do. As mentioned above, it is a tool that needs to be used to get the benefits offered by the tool, especially when you realise the purpose of this tool is to help the Holy Spirit transform you into the image of Jesus Christ.

Do not reject the gifts of God. They are all given for a very specific and definite purpose. God did not do anything or leave anything to random chance. Everything He did and every gift He offers is for our benefit and growth so that we can come to the place where we can live with Him into eternity.

In everything you should follow the instruction of the Lord, especially to ask when you have questions or doubts. In fact you should stop right now and ask God whether what you are reading is truth or not. Do it now! I won’t be offended because like you, I too am looking for the truth in all things so that I can stand in the presence of God.

What to do from here? I suggest if some of these things have struck a chord in you, you need to seek out more information. I have put together something of a Q&A that discusses many of these things, and you can find it in the menu above under the title “Seeking Jesus.” Also you should check some of the relevant posts listed below which will give more detailed information. And finally if you go to my eBooks section, grab the free copy of the “Six Foundations of Christianity,” as I discuss many of these things in greater detail.

It is important if we are to enter the kingdom of God and live with Jesus Christ that we do not hinder the work of the Holy Spirit. So seek the ways of the Lord and learn how to walk so that you do not hinder the work of the Holy Spirit.

You might also like:

Have You Drunk The Living Water
The Peace Of Christ
Pentecost And Receiving The Holy Spirit
Speaking In Tongues
Receiving The Holy Spirit
Restored By Grace
Why We Suffer
You Are Not A Sinner
Change Your Behaviour
Oops I Did It Again
Walking In The Spirit
The Holy Spirit At Work
Walking Properly With Christ
Imitate Christ
Manifestation Of The Spirit
Tongues Build Up
Tongues Do Not Teach
Praying In Tongues
Using Tongues Properly
Becoming Perfect
A Spiritual War
Taught By God
Ask And It Will Be Given You
Who Is The Ultimate Advocate
The Holy Spirit
The Spirit Of Truth