As always, I gotta be honest... And I'm gonna be real honest about this phrase right now. And here it is -- If I hear another person say, "I don't need to be their Holy Spirit" one more time... I'm one camel hair and two locusts away from going all John the Baptist on them.
Ok Matt. Take a step back. Re-group.
I get it, I get it. I'm not the Holy Spirit. You're not the Holy Spirit. None of us is the Holy Spirit. And... the Holy Spirit needs no help! He is doing great. He is not putting out any Help Wanted signs. He is not hiring. I know that. I get that.
But people keep using that phrase, and I don't think it means what they think it means.
Every single time I hear that phrase being used, it is in the context of coddling someone in their sin. So they say that to mean that they aren't going to point out that person's obvious and blatant sin. That, by itself, would be fine, but it is almost always partnered with someone attempting shelter that person from any consequences of their sin -- specifically familial and relational consequences.
And I don't get it.
There are about 20 reasons why I don't get it, but the biggest one and the main one is that God gives a prescription for the saving of that person's spirit on judgment day, and this behavior is actively ignoring that prescription.
It is found in 1 Corinthians. The Corinthian church was ... surprise, surprise ... struggling with the same issues that we struggle with, one of them being sexual immorality. They were coddling these people... and being arrogant about it. (See 1 Cor. 5:1-2). So Paul lays out a way of relating to one who is actively involved in immoral behavior, but he gives hope for their soul, for their spirit. He says it plainly in verse 5:
"you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 5:5, ESV)
If you love that person who has walked into open sin, why would you not take God at His word in how to relate to that person? Especially if you desire their soul to be saved on the Day of the Lord?
You might be thinking, "... well... what does that actually look like?" You're in luck! Paul actually goes on to describe what this looks like!
"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one." (1 Corinthians 5:9–11, ESV)
Not even eat! Sure... don't be their Holy Spirit! But don't get in the way of the Holy Spirit! This getting together and pretending like nothing is wrong... like nothing is broken... actively goes against God's prescription for the saving of the soul! This person, in their rebellion against God's laws, has aligned themselves with Satan. Handing them over means that you are giving them what they want. When you attempt to curb any relational deaths, you are preaching -- by your life and your representation of God -- that God is just fine with this and that the Holy Spirit can still bring them (in their sin) all of those Spiritual blessings.
"... don't need to be their Holy Spirit..." I agree. But please stop being the distorted, bizarro version of the Holy Spirit.
Does this all seem judgmental of me? Sure. Unashamedly. But as Jesus said, "...judge with right judgment..." (see John 7:24b) or as Paul said in the same passage I've been sharing:
"For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:12–13, ESV)
