Bible Myth #6 God wants you to be spiritually hungry all the time

Peter J Barban · Aug 31, 2017

Modern Christianity is oversaturated with the notion of "hunger for God". This hunger is often seen as a synonym for spirituality itself. Meaning that if you aren't hungry for more of God, then you are spiritually unhealthy. There is a kernel of Biblical truth to the importance of spiritual hunger as well as brokenness and the like, but it has been exalted into a myth.

The truth is that God does use these tools (hunger, brokenness, etc) to bring us closer to him, but these experiences are not promoted or celebrated in the New Testament. There is no teaching of permanent hunger for God. The truth is that God wants you to be full and whole (and humble of course), not broken and empty.

Here is one of Paul's prayers for the church:

Phillipians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Paul doesn't pray or teach that they should be hungry for God. He asks that they be abounding and filled, not empty. The New Testament does not urge us to be hungry, but if you are hungry then eat and be filled.

Note: Paul desires to experience the suffering of Christ, does else anyone seek that?

Ultimately we have left the sound teaching of the Bible because it was seen as boring and powerless. In its place, we have created a new teaching that exalts fleshly desires with undeserved spiritual status.

Peter J Barban · Aug 31, 2017

My personal testimony:

When I was in seminary, I became hungry for God and dissatisfied with my spiritual life. Some of my classmates had experiences with God and spiritual gifts that I envied. Honestly, a lot of "spiritual hunger" is really unfulfilled personal ambition, sin that pretends to be holy; but some spiritual hunger is from God.

I sought God in a variety of ways but remained unsatisfied. A few years later, I went to the mission field in Taiwan and somehow (I am not sure how it happened), I became filled with the Holy Spirit. I have never felt that spiritual hunger or spiritual envy again. I live every day filled with the Holy Spirit. Of course, some days are high and some are low, but that old spiritual emptiness has never returned.

People may ask, "How can you be spiritual if you aren't hungry or broken? I tell them, "When I am hungry, I eat". In fact, I eat before I'm hungry. That means that I spend time with God in meditation, prayer, the Word, worship, etc. before I "need" to. Also, I am thankful for who God has made me and what he has given me.

Not that I am content with my sin, or the sins of the church and the world. But, the challenge for me is not getting more from God, rather my challenge is being faithful to God with what he has already given me.

Halbhh · Aug 31, 2017

Peter J Barban said:
My personal testimony:

When I was in seminary, I became hungry for God and dissatisfied with my spiritual life. Some of my classmates had experiences with God and spiritual gifts that I envied. Honestly, a lot of "spiritual hunger" is really unfulfilled personal ambition, sin that pretends to be holy; but some spiritual hunger is from God.

I sought God in a variety of ways but remained unsatisfied. A few years later, I went to the mission field in Taiwan and somehow (I am not sure how it happened), I became filled with the Holy Spirit. I have never felt that spiritual hunger or spiritual envy again. I live every day filled with the Holy Spirit. Of course, some days are high and some are low, but that old spiritual emptiness has never returned.

People may ask, "How can you be spiritual if you aren't hungry or broken? I tell them, "When I am hungry, I eat". In fact, I eat before I'm hungry. That means that I spend time with God in meditation, prayer, the Word, worship, etc. before I "need" to. Also, I am thankful for who God has made me and what he has given me.

Not that I am content with my sin, or the sins of the church and the world. But, the challenge for me is not getting more from God, rather my challenge is being faithful to God with what he has already given me.

Good testimony, but very many, not a few, but very many are indeed hungry and should be, of course, and we can't even guess for them. It's better to trust Christ for them, that knowing Him, reading His Words, they will get there.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled." (Matthew chapter 5)

Amen! Praise the Lord!

Bible Highlighter · Aug 31, 2017

Dear Peter:

Not sure which Bible your reading, but it doesn't sound like the one I am reading. The Bible says,

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13).

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." (Luke 10:27).

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6).

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Peter 2:2).

"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live." (Deuteronomy 8:3).

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;." (Psalms 63:1).

....

Bible Highlighter · Aug 31, 2017

If one is not always spiritually hungry or focused on spiritual things then I would say that they need to check their spiritual pulse with God.

...

toLiJC · Aug 31, 2017

Peter J Barban said:
God wants you to be spiritually hungry all the time

hungering/thirsting for God is a matter of abstaining from following/doing unrighteousness, IOW, if we (want to) believe in God, we have to be careful not to practice the faith wrong or commit spiritual unrighteousness/lawlessness/wickedness...

Blessings

SkyWriting · Aug 31, 2017

Peter J Barban said:
Ultimately we have left the sound teaching of the Bible because it was seen as boring and powerless. In its place, we have created a new teaching that exalts fleshly desires with undeserved spiritual status.

I didn't know we did that.

Peter J Barban · Sep 1, 2017

I am reading the responses to my post and they confirm what I said. There is no New Testament teaching that Christians should be hungry for God, that they should stay hungry, or that spiritual hunger is a mark of spiritual health.

What you all have done is show how flimsy the Biblical basis for the Doctrine of Spiritual Hunger really is. All you can do is take a number of Bible verses out of context and insist that they mean whatever you want them to mean. This is how one creates false teaching!

Paul, Peter, James, and John wrote many letters to the church.
Never do they teach:
1. Christians should be spiritually hungry.
2. Spiritual hunger is a useful measure of spirituality.
3. If you are not spiritually hungry, then there is a problem.

Of course, spiritual hunger is real, but the NT church is not told to seek it or exalt it. Instead, we are told to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Please stop this false teaching which exalts hunger and brokenness above fullness and wholeness. Let's major on the major teachings of the New Testament.

Bible Highlighter · Sep 1, 2017

This is like saying darkness is like light. You are not making any sense.

...

Peter J Barban · Sep 2, 2017

Jason0047 said:
This is like saying darkness is like light. You are not making any sense.
...

The truth is simple, but it can be hard to understand if you cling to bad teaching.

Paul, Peter, James, and John wrote many letters to the church.
Never do they teach:
1. Christians should be spiritually hungry.
2. Spiritual hunger is a useful measure of spirituality.
3. If you are not spiritually hungry, then there is a problem.

These are facts, you can verify them.

Bible Highlighter · Sep 2, 2017

Peter J Barban said:
The truth is simple, but it can be hard to understand if you cling to bad teaching.

Paul, Peter, James, and John wrote many letters to the church.
Never do they teach:
1. Christians should be spiritually hungry.
2. Spiritual hunger is a useful measure of spirituality.
3. If you are not spiritually hungry, then there is a problem.

These are facts, you can verify them.

I am not going to try and convince you if you are not getting something that is so obviously wrong in the Bible. That would be like trying to convince a Christian who thinks inappropriate content is okay. If a Christian does not get that such a thing is wrong, then they need to check their own spiritual pulse with God.

Moving on.

May God's love shine upon you.

...

Peter J Barban · Sep 3, 2017

How can we promote Christian hunger for God when Jesus is the Bread of Life?
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Come to Jesus and be full, forever. Jesus does not promote hunger, he promotes satisfaction.

It would be so easy to read a few short books such as Philippians, Galatians, 1 Peter, or James and prove that the Bible does not teach that we should be hungry for God all the time.

Where can I find people who search the Bible for truth such as the Bereans?

Acts 17:11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

miknik5 · Sep 3, 2017

Peter J Barban said:
I am reading the responses to my post and they confirm what I said. There is no New Testament teaching that Christians should be hungry for God, that they should stay hungry, or that spiritual hunger is a mark of spiritual health.

What you all have done is show how flimsy the Biblical basis for the Doctrine of Spiritual Hunger really is. All you can do is take a number of Bible verses out of context and insist that they mean whatever you want them to mean. This is how one creates false teaching!

Paul, Peter, James, and John wrote many letters to the church.
Never do they teach:
1. Christians should be spiritually hungry.
2. Spiritual hunger is a useful measure of spirituality.
3. If you are not spiritually hungry, then there is a problem.

Of course, spiritual hunger is real, but the NT church is not told to seek it or exalt it. Instead, we are told to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Please stop this false teaching which exalts hunger and brokenness above fullness and wholeness. Let's major on the major teachings of the New Testament.

John 6
Sufficient

John 15
Sufficient

miknik5 · Sep 3, 2017

Peter J Barban said:
The truth is simple, but it can be hard to understand if you cling to bad teaching.

Paul, Peter, James, and John wrote many letters to the church.
Never do they teach:
1. Christians should be spiritually hungry.
2. Spiritual hunger is a useful measure of spirituality.
3. If you are not spiritually hungry, then there is a problem.

These are facts, you can verify them.

So why are you trying to correct what was never taught?

Where have you heard anyone here saying anything other than our sufficiency in and by and through CHRIST JESUS ?

miknik5 · Sep 3, 2017

This forum is Christian scripture/exposition and bible study

Could you at least provide the scripture you are pointing to which Christians (according to your op) are confused by

Peter J Barban · Sep 3, 2017

miknik5 said:
John 6
Sufficient

John 15
Sufficient

I hope you are not a Bible teacher because what you posted would be malpractice.

As I already posted in John 6, Jesus is promoting spiritual fullness, not hunger. Anyone who reads these verses and thinks that God wants them to be hungry instead of full has been deceived.

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Likewise, Jesus says in
John 15:5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Clearly, Jesus is not promoting emptiness, hunger or brokenness. Living in the vine brings fullness, life, and fruit. Of course, if you do not remain in the vine, you will experience hunger, brokenness and even death. To exalt hunger over fullness is insanity.

miknik5 · Sep 3, 2017

Peter J Barban said:
I hope you are not a Bible teacher because what you posted would be malpractice.

As I already posted in John 6, Jesus is promoting spiritual fullness, not hunger. Anyone who reads these verses and thinks that God wants them to be hungry instead of full has been deceived.

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Likewise, Jesus says in
John 15:5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Clearly, Jesus is not promoting emptiness, hunger or brokenness. Living in the vine brings fullness, life, and fruit. Of course, if you do not remain in the vine, you will experience hunger, brokenness and even death. To exalt hunger over fullness is insanity.

Why don't you let your yes be yes and your no be no

In this way, you won't cause unnecessary confusion

Someone coming into your thread for the first time (as I have) reading your personal input (sans scripture) would have (and should have) responded in the same way by providing you with both John 6 and John 15 as I have done

Peter J Barban · Sep 4, 2017

miknik5 said:
Why don't you let your yes be yes and your no be no

In this way, you won't cause unnecessary confusion

Someone coming into your thread for the first time (as I have) reading your personal input (sans scripture) would have (and should have) responded in the same way by providing you with both John 6 and John 15 as I have done

I don't understand the point of your correction. I have posted scripture on this thread. No one has responded to it.

Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is the vine. If you are hungry for God all the time, that is a spiritual problem.

Here is another verse:
Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

A mature Christian should be characterized by an overflowing of God's love. How can a truly spiritual person be hungry for God when God's is pouring love into our hearts?

So I will say again, the Bible says seek fullness, not hunger. Spirituality is measured by fullness of the Spirit, not emptiness, hunger or unfulfilled desire. Those who are led by hunger for God are by nature either immature, carnal or unsaved.

Peter J Barban · Sep 6, 2017

I just had an inspiration while reading about the notes someone took of a teaching by Jack Hayford:
"He became incarnate to be our Savior but also to demonstrate how a human being can function in the power of the Spirit. He chose to lay aside his own capacities and rely on the Spirit. The same thing happens to us. When Peter was asked what we must do to be saved, he replied repent, be baptized, and receive the Spirit. How do you lead a congregation in this way? Church is about more than evangelism. It’s not just getting people saved and nicer than they were before, it’s about getting people to surpass their potential through the power of the Spirit. He came to bring Christ in us. Not just the hope of glory one day, but exceeding human capacity even now. Becoming instruments of Christ. Jesus has come to enable human flesh to experience an inflow of a life quality that reveals Jesus in us."

Perhaps so many ministries stress hunger for God is that they are, in effect, Christless and have nothing to feed their people with. So, clever devils that they are, they make hunger for God into a goal in itself.

Bible Myth #6 God wants you to be spiritually hungry all the time

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Everything You say is Life to me

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Senior Member

The Librarian

Well-Known Member

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Well-Known Member

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Well-Known Member

"Let not your heart be troubled"

"Let not your heart be troubled"

"Let not your heart be troubled"

Well-Known Member

"Let not your heart be troubled"

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads