I’m back!
Greetings and blessings to all. If you are familiar with this blog, particularly my posts, you will notice that I try to refrain from personal anecdotes or first-person speech. I do this to shine the light on theology and not myself. I know there have been exceptions to this, but for the most part, I try to abstain from making personal posts that are strictly about me. This will be the exception to that rule.
For anyone who has been reading this blog or following me on various social media (there aren’t many), I do appreciate the support and hope I have not disappointed any of you in my absence. I wanted to pronounce my return to the blogosphere with a confession: I have been quenching the spirit, and I did not find it spiritually, or intellectually, honest to post while battling my flesh.
I understand that the Christian way of life is to constantly battle the flesh (Romans 6:19; Galatians 5:17; James 4:1; Peter 2:11), but in my case, the flesh was winning. This is one of the reasons I have resisted the desire for ordination. I firmly believe that voices of leadership in the religious community should be honest and steadfast to their sancitifcation and in my case, I felt it best to step back from blogging until some of my issues were resolved.
Since I am not a famous man or leader of a church, I do not feel compelled to air my sins, and frankly, I am sickened with the way Christians are obsessed with fallen leaders, Steve Lawson in particular (expect a Vlog coming soon on that); therefore, my sins are my own and that is between God and me.
I learned an important lesson from this experience that could be helpful for anyone struggling with their faith. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have immersed yourself in sinful behavior—though that might be true for some. Instead, it could indicate that you have set an important part of your spiritual journey aside, just as I did. So, let’s dive in, shall we?
I want to share what I learned from this experience, and maybe it will illuminate some struggles and ways to overcome those struggles; after all, we are all one body in Christ (Romans 12:4 – 5). The Bible is replete with passages that explain why humans struggle with sin and step away from God. Many times, God has a purpose for this:
“Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
0All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies”Psalm 25:8 – 10 ESV
God uses our struggles and setbacks to teach us about holy living, which many of you can attest to; it is difficult. Remember that God treats us like children for our benefit: “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:11–12 ESV).
I struggled with a passage in seminary early on in my walk with Jesus that I never figured out until the past year. It was within my first year in my academic endeavors that I came across a wonderful passage in New Testament studies. I was enthralled with a particular passage in 1 Thessalonians:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.”
(1 Th 5:16–21 ESV)
I was immediately captured by this scripture out of my passion for Christian Apologetics. I was raised in a household that viewed questioning, therefore struggling, with God’s word as akin to sin. Reading this verse was the first time I realized that God instructs us to test the spirits and hold on to what is righteous. This understanding came long before I grasped the true meaning behind the name change to Israel from Jacob and all its theological implications.
In the context of this post, the crucial part of this scripture is the “quench” verse that connects verses 16-18 with 20-21. What does it mean to quench the spirit? As a first-year seminary student, I found this question perplexing—how can one possibly quench the spirit? I discovered that this question has baffled some of the greatest theological minds. If you look at commentaries ranging from Ben Witherington III to John Calvin, you’ll see that the term can have various meanings within the context of the passage. While I found each interpretation fascinating, they did not provide clarity for me as a new Christian on my journey toward sanctification. Often, theology can confuse more than it helps.
The Greek word σβέννυμι is used for ‘quench.’ I don’t want to get too technical, but if we do a little research, we will find more information.:
“σβέννυμαι (sbennymai), σβέννυμι (sbennymi): vb.; ≡ DBLHebr 1980, 3882; Str 4570—1. LN 14.69 (dep.) stop burning (Mt 25:8; Mk 9:48+); 2. LN 14.70 extinguish a fire, snuff out (Mt 12:20; Heb 11:34+); Mk 9:44, 46 v.r.; 3. LN 68.52 stop, quench (Eph 6:16; 1Th 5:19), note: the synonymous parallelism in 1Th 5:19 (as well as analogous usage in other particular bodies of Greek literature), strongly suggests that this is prophetic enthusiasm of the Spirit.” – DBLHebr Swanson, A Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament).
What does it mean to quench the Spirit? While theology offers great insights, sometimes its explanations can be more complicated than the question itself. Let me clarify this concept from a practical 21st-century Christian perspective. Simply put, quenching the Spirit means refraining from actions that hinder your relationship with Jesus Christ. It involves stifling the work of the Holy Spirit in your process of sanctification. You might be wondering what that entails.
The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4), The Spirit is the Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2), He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), He is self-existent (Romans 8:2), He is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), He is sovereign (1 Corinthians 12:4-6), He is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17), The Spirit is a comforter (John 14:16), He convicts of sin (John 16:8), He guides into all truth (John 16:13), He empowers believers (Acts 1:8), He intercedes for us (Romans 8:26), He gives spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11), He produces fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23), He teaches us (John 14:26), He sanctifies us (2 Thessalonians 2:13), The Spirit seals us (Ephesians 1:13), He is a witness (Romans 8:16), He brings unity (Ephesians 4:3), The Spirit is the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15), He reveals God’s will (1 Corinthians 2:10-12), He gives us boldness (Acts 4:31), He is the source of our hope (Romans 15:13), He glorifies Christ (John 16:14).………Just to name a few.
How can we understand this in the milieu of quenching the Spirit? It’s quite simple: read your Bible, join and regularly attend your local church, and pray. These three foundational practices will help prevent you from quenching the Spirit. Separating yourself from the body of God, the word of God, and intecessory prayer kills the spiritual walk and leaves the Christian as an empty vessel. While sin can further suppress the Spirit, engaging in these three activities will help you stay away from sin. So, remember to read your Bible, attend church, and pray.
This is the lesson I have learned, and I pray it may help or guide one of you into the light. Look for more content coming regularly, and I appreciate the time you took to read this post. If this is the first time you discovered me, my name is Samson, and I regularly write on what I call the Axis of Mistification: Theology, Culture, and Politics. It is through these three topics that we shape and live out our Christian worldview.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
R-Rated Religion 