Question:  Hello Greg,

            I visited your web page for the first time and I enjoyed the Q/A very much.  Thank you for including it.  My question is: in Ephesians 6:18 and Jude 20 it speaks of praying in the Spirit.  Would you please explain what it means to “pray in the Spirit”?  Thank you

Nella.

Answer:  Dear Nella,

            We are delighted that you enjoy the PTM web site, and hope you will be a frequent visitor, and that God will use us to help you with spiritual issues and concerns.

            Praying in the Spirit, especially the passages in Jude and Ephesians.  Several points:

1.      There is prayer, and then there is Christian prayer—prayer by a spiritual child of God who has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.  God hears all prayers—whether the prayer is from a Christian or not.  But prayer “in the Spirit” specifically refers to those who are in Christ (Romans 8:9).

2.      As Christians, the Holy Spirit guides our prayers, for there are many times when we don’t know exactly what to say, what words to use, how to even frame our request, how to express our need.  The Holy Spirit does this “with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26).

3.      The Holy Spirit is the atmosphere in which a Christian lives.  It is the “state” of residence or being, much like one might say that they live in New York or Alabama, the province of Alberta in Canada, Yorkshire in England, etc.  The Holy Spirit is where we live, and it is in that locale/attitude/culture/atmosphere that we pray as Christians.

4.      Some believe that these passages, mentioning “prayer in the Spirit” refer to the New Testament teaching about tongues.  The context of these passages does not support that.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht