AROME OSAYI AND THE ALLURE OF ESOTERIC CHRISTIANITY (PART I)

“The Holy Spirit, Self-Control, and the Test of Spiritual Manifestations”

By Akin Ojumu

Does the Holy Spirit cause people to lose control of themselves—to fall repeatedly, writhe on the floor, jerk uncontrollably, laugh hysterically, scream, or enter a state resembling delirium?

Can such behavior legitimately be presented as evidence that a person has been “overpowered,” “intoxicated,” or “possessed” by the Holy Spirit? Can we truly or reasonably conclude that the person who manifests these euphoric and ecstatic episodes “filled with” or “under the influence of” the Holy Spirit?

The biblical answer requires both discernment and theological balance.

Scripture unquestionably teaches that an encounter with God may profoundly affect a person’s emotions and physical strength. People may tremble under conviction, weep in repentance, rejoice with great gladness, fall down in reverence, become physically weak, or cry out in anguish or praise.

However, Scripture does not present uncontrollable writhing, repetitive jerking, hysterical laughter, prolonged screaming, or the suspension of personal responsibility as normal or necessary evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence.

The issue is not whether human beings may experience powerful emotions in the presence of God. They certainly may. The issue is whether the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit ordinarily manifests His presence by depriving believers of self-government and producing disorderly behavior.

It does not.

The Holy Spirit is sovereign and may work in ways that surprise us, but He never acts contrary to His revealed character. The Spirit who inspired Scripture does not contradict the principles He established in Scripture. Therefore, every alleged manifestation of the Spirit must be tested by the written Word of God.

1. The Fruit of the Spirit Includes Self-Control

Paul identifies self-control as part of the fruit produced in believers by the Holy Spirit:

Galatians 5:22–23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

The Greek word translated “self-control” is enkrateia. It communicates the idea of mastery over one’s appetites, impulses, passions, and conduct.

This does not mean that a Spirit-filled Christian will never experience powerful emotions or moments of physical weakness. Nor does it prove that every involuntary physical response must necessarily be false or demonic.

It does mean, however, that the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit strengthens rather than habitually destroys moral and personal self-government. The Spirit produces sobriety, restraint, discernment, holiness, and disciplined obedience.

A theology that routinely identifies the loss of bodily control as evidence of a superior anointing moves in the opposite direction from the ethical fruit Scripture attributes to the Spirit.

The normal evidence of the Spirit’s work is not uncontrollable behavior but an increasingly Christlike life.

2. Spiritual Activity Does Not Eliminate Personal Responsibility

Paul directly addressed the conduct of spiritual gifts in the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 14:29–33

“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

The expression “the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets” teaches that prophetic inspiration did not render the speaker incapable of restraint. A prophet could remain silent, wait his turn, shorten his contribution, and yield the floor to another person.

Paul did not permit anyone to excuse disorder by claiming, “The Spirit took control of me, and I could not stop myself.”

Even when genuine spiritual gifts were operating, the participants remained morally accountable for their conduct.

This is one of the clearest principles governing Christian worship: the operation of the Holy Spirit does not abolish personal responsibility.

Paul concludes the chapter with this command:

1 Corinthians 14:40

“But all things should be done decently and in order.”

The context is not lifeless formalism. Paul was not trying to suppress the Holy Spirit. He was regulating genuine spiritual gifts so that they would glorify God and edify the congregation.

Absence of external spectacles is not indicative of absence of spiritual empowerment. God is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order. Biblical order is not the enemy of spiritual power. It is one of the safeguards God has established for its proper exercise.

3. Being Filled With the Spirit Is Not Spiritual Intoxication

In his prison letter to the Church at Ephesus, Paul writes:

Ephesians 5:18

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”

Some interpreters treat this verse as though Paul were comparing Spirit-filled believers to intoxicated people. In reality, Paul is establishing a contrast. He is here condemning the drunken orgies commonly associated with many pagan worship ceremonies of that day. Adherents of pagan cults of that era customarily drank themselves into stupor to induce some ecstatic communion with the pagan deities. Paul refers to such drunken orgies as partaking in the “cup of demons.”

1 Corinthians 10:19-21

“What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”

Drunkenness impairs judgment, weakens restraint, distorts perception, and diminishes control. Being filled with the Spirit produces the opposite kind of life.

Paul immediately describes the results of Spirit-filled living:

Believers speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. They sing and make melody to the Lord. They give thanks to God. They submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

These are coherent, purposeful, relational, and morally responsible actions. The Spirit-filled believer is not spiritually drunk. He is spiritually governed.

4. Pentecost Was Not an Outbreak of Religious Delirium

On the Day of Pentecost, some observers mocked the disciples and accused them of being drunk. But the narrative does not affirm that accusation. Peter immediately rejected the malicious insinuation and malevolent characterization.

Acts 2:15

“For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.”

So, what actually occurred?

The disciples spoke recognizable human languages they had not learned. Diasporan Jews from various nations heard them declaring the mighty works of God in their own ethnic languages. Peter then stood before the crowd and delivered a coherent, theologically rich, Scripture-saturated sermon about Jesus Christ.

Pentecost produced intelligible proclamation, biblical exposition, conviction of sin, repentance, baptism, fellowship, prayer, generosity, and devotion to apostolic teaching. It did not produce senseless pandemonium.

Elsewhere in the Book of Acts, being filled with the Spirit resulted in believers proclaiming the Word of God boldly, worshipping God, bearing witness to Christ, speaking in tongues, i.e., speaking in known human languages, prophesying, and enduring persecution faithfully.

The consistent emphasis is purposeful witness to Christ—not the loss of rational or moral control.

To be continued.