How can a Christian NOT believe in the Holy Spirit?

[debrakay]

I read this article from 2021 a few days ago and it will not leave my mind. 

Study: Majority of Self-Identified Christians Don’t Believe the Holy Spirit Is Real (thegospelcoalition.org)

I cannot understand how over 50% of Christians say they do not believe the Holy Spirit is real.  What part of the Bible are they not reading? Where is their Trinity, Father, Son, Spirit?  How can they deny a part of God when it is clearly spelled out in scripture after scripture from Old Testament through New Testament?  How can they ever discern and know the will of God?  Are these who deny the Holy Spirit truly Christian?  I am truly worried about the souls of those who deny the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told Nicodemus;

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”' John 3:5-8 

[Michael37]

3 hours ago, debrakay said:

I read this article from 2021 a few days ago and it will not leave my mind. 

Study: Majority of Self-Identified Christians Don’t Believe the Holy Spirit Is Real (thegospelcoalition.org)

I cannot understand how over 50% of Christians say they do not believe the Holy Spirit is real.  What part of the Bible are they not reading? Where is their Trinity, Father, Son, Spirit?  How can they deny a part of God when it is clearly spelled out in scripture after scripture from Old Testament through New Testament?  How can they ever discern and know the will of God?  Are these who deny the Holy Spirit truly Christian?  I am truly worried about the souls of those who deny the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told Nicodemus;

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”' John 3:5-8 

In other words, apostasy, and pseudadelphos. See 2 Corinthians 11:26 false brethren.

[Alive]

1 hour ago, Michael37 said:

In other words, apostasy, and pseudadelphos. See 2 Corinthians 11:26 false brethren.

“I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;”

(2 Corinthians 11:26 NAS95)

[Jayne]

5 hours ago, debrakay said:

I read this article from 2021 a few days ago and it will not leave my mind. 

Study: Majority of Self-Identified Christians Don’t Believe the Holy Spirit Is Real (thegospelcoalition.org)

I cannot understand how over 50% of Christians say they do not believe the Holy Spirit is real.  What part of the Bible are they not reading? Where is their Trinity, Father, Son, Spirit?  How can they deny a part of God when it is clearly spelled out in scripture after scripture from Old Testament through New Testament?  How can they ever discern and know the will of God?  Are these who deny the Holy Spirit truly Christian?  I am truly worried about the souls of those who deny the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told Nicodemus;

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”' John 3:5-8 

It's 7:12 AM here and I've been trying to Google this research with no luck.  I find many articles ABOUT this, but no articles with hard and fast data.

I am a research skeptic.  I was trained in post-graduate school how to take data and spin it.  

Here's what I want to know.

What was the sample size?  In other words, how many people checked "yes" or "no" or "sometimes" on the survey?  What was the margin of error?  What were the questions asked on the survey?  Was there REALLY a question that said, "Do you believe the Holy Spirit is real?"  Or was it another nebulous question whose answers could be twisted.

I never accept research results until I see the hard and fast data.

I do NOT believe that 58% of genuine Christians do not believe the Holy Spirit is real.

[Alive]

8 minutes ago, Jayne said:

It's 7:12 AM here and I've been trying to Google this research with no luck.  I find many articles ABOUT this, but no articles with hard and fast data.

I am a research skeptic.  I was trained in post-graduate school how to take data and spin it.  

Here's what I want to know.

What was the sample size?  In other words, how many people checked "yes" or "no" or "sometimes" on the survey?  What was the margin of error?  What were the questions asked on the survey?  Was there REALLY a question that said, "Do you believe the Holy Spirit is real?"  Or was it another nebulous question whose answers could be twisted.

I never accept research results until I see the hard and fast data.

I do NOT believe that 58% of genuine Christians do not believe the Holy Spirit is real.

I see the operative word there is ‘genuine’.

[Jayne]

22 minutes ago, Alive said:

I see the operative word there is ‘genuine’.

Exactly.  I would also like to know how did they determine the Christian faith of the subjects?  Did they just ask them on the phone,  "Are you a Christian?"  I was just thinking, surveys like this are usually done on the phone.  Many people think they are Christians and some people will say "yes" when they really don't have a clue.

[ChristB4us]

6 hours ago, debrakay said:

I read this article from 2021 a few days ago and it will not leave my mind. 

Study: Majority of Self-Identified Christians Don’t Believe the Holy Spirit Is Real (thegospelcoalition.org)

I cannot understand how over 50% of Christians say they do not believe the Holy Spirit is real.  What part of the Bible are they not reading? Where is their Trinity, Father, Son, Spirit?  How can they deny a part of God when it is clearly spelled out in scripture after scripture from Old Testament through New Testament?  How can they ever discern and know the will of God?  Are these who deny the Holy Spirit truly Christian?  I am truly worried about the souls of those who deny the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told Nicodemus;

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”' John 3:5-8 

And

3 hours ago, Michael37 said:

In other words, apostasy, and pseudadelphos. See 2 Corinthians 11:26 false brethren.

One should consider apostate movements of the "spirit" like holy laughter movement, slain in the spirit, being drunk in the spirit, Toronto's Blessings, Pensacola Outpouring, & even Ernest Angley's Healing Crusade for when he announced the Holy Spirit is falling on already saved believer for a miracle that by touching their foreheads and saying "Whooooo!  they fall backwards to get that supposed miracle.  With all that confusion and signs and lying wonders, is it any puzzle why some Christians do not believe in the Holy Spirit when that was not the Holy Spirit at all? 

And you have to wonder about that report about the % of those that do believe, how much of that % is because of those apostate movements of the spirit?

At Azua Street Revival when they had placed the emphasis on the baptism with the Holy Ghost with evidence of tongues, they had the same kinds of phenomenon like being drunk in the spirit happening there too, and yet modern tongues for private users would condemn holy laughter movement or being drunk in the spirit as not of God.

Thus brings the baptism with the Holy Ghost with evidence of tongues for sinners to seek after has to be discerned & judged as well.

What did Jesus say?

Matthew 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

If Jesus told Nicodemus how he can know one is born again of the Spirit, would He not say by them speaking in tongues?  But no.  He said that after His ascension vs 13 which is after His crucifixion vs 14 for whenever anyone believes in Jesus Christ, shall have eternal life vs 15 hence born again of the Spirit.  John 3:6-15

Then Jesus said this that we would not be receiving the Holy Spirit the same way the world receives spirits by seeing it happen for why we are not to seek the receiving of the Holy Spirit by a sign when tongues are to serve as a sign towards unbelievers.

John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

We shall know Him by Him dwelling in us.  So the survey may be askew if the people that did not believe, were saying so in relation to those apostate movements of the spirit for why they do not believe the Holy Spirit is real since God is not the author of confusion as in all churches of the saints.  Is it any wonder why that tongue for private use is gibberish nonsense & thus seen as confusion?

1 Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

The way that article is worded makes me wonder how that survey was presented and to what mindset the people that had answered.

[FJK]

1 hour ago, ChristB4us said:

With all that confusion and signs and lying wonders, is it any puzzle why some Christians do not believe in the Holy Spirit when that was not the Holy Spirit at all? 

Everything that comes from God, from Christ, is also presented as a counterfeit by Satan to lead us away from God.

Something every Christian should be keenly aware of at all times lest he be deceived and led astray while also leading others astray with him.

[ChristB4us]

5 minutes ago, FJK said:

Everything that comes from God, from Christ, is also presented as a counterfeit by Satan to lead us away from God.

Something every Christian should be keenly aware of at all times lest he be deceived and led astray while also leading others astray with him.

But it should be discerned that which was before Pentecost, is of the world since God would not mimic that which is of Satan's.

John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

Isaiah 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

There is a pagan supernatural tongue that is gibberish nonsense that was in the world before Pentecost had come with the real God's gift of tongues of another man's lips to speak unto the people. 

Now some members doubt Isaiah 8:19 is really testifying to that, but there are historical accounts of this existing in Roman idolatry.

The History of Tongues: Pagan Practices

Since we are to prove all things and abstain from all appearances of evil with His help, then we need to know God would not mimic the works of the devil that has been in the world before Pentecost, otherwise how can sinners & the church know that converted sinners have departed from those spirits and that kind of tongue?

1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 25 Brethren, pray for us.

[FJK]

11 minutes ago, ChristB4us said:

But it should be discerned that which was before Pentecost, is of the world since God would not mimic that which is of Satan's.

I didn't mean to imply that, Satan mimics -counterfeits- God to deceive man, God does not mimic Satan ever for any reason.

God is God and Satan is Satan.  Satan deceives, God does not.

Hopefully I said it right this time.