An excerpt from one fellow’s piece on Pernicious Puritan Preparationism:
“…Murray then makes an astounding statement:
“As Paul reminds the Christians at Rome, they had not first known the Holy Spirit as ‘the Spirit of adoption’ but rather as ‘the Spirit of bondage’:”
He goes on to quote from Hooker’s The Application of Redemption:
“The Spirit of bondage is required which may let in the light of the Law into the mind, and set on the power of it mightily upon the consciences of sinners, and so dazzle their eyes, and daunt their hearts with the dreadfulness of their sins, Romans 8.15, ‘You have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear.’ Fear produced by the law was the Spirit’s first work.” [3]
Hooker and Murray believe(d) that the “spirit of bondage” in Romans 8:15 is the Holy Spirit! This explains a great amount as to how the preparationists and false Holy Spirit Conviction advocates can attribute men’s legalistic thoughts and efforts to the Holy Spirit. But that was just Hooker and Murray, who are known for their Arminian-leaning heterodoxies. Those who read on might be in for a surprise as to who else believed that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of bondage.
3. Iain H. Murray, Thomas Hooker And The Doctrine Of Conversion, http://www.puritansermons.com/pdf/murray4.pdf
https://agrammatos.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/pernicious-puritan-preparationism.pdf
A quote from John Owen’s Discourse Concerning the Holy Spirit, from the chapter entitled “Works of the Holy Spirit Preparatory Unto Regeneration”:
Again: What he worketh in any of these effectually and infallibly accomplisheth the end aimed at; which is no more but that men be enlightened, convinced, humbled, and reformed, wherein he faileth not. In these things he is pleased to take on him the management of the law, so to bring the soul into bondage thereby, that it may be stirred up to seek after deliverance; and he is thence actively called the ‘Spirit of bondage unto fear,’ Romans 8:15.
Some reactionary comments by the fellow:
“…Incredibly, Owen believed that the “spirit of bondage” in Romans 8:15 is the Holy Spirit!”
https://agrammatos.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/pernicious-puritan-preparationism.pdf
And:
“Can you believe it?! Incredible!! Will there ever be a point when we’ve found all the heresies (even the blatant ones like this!) of the people I grew up believing were at the pinnacle of orthodoxy? The utter blasphemy of this is breathtaking! To call the Holy Spirit the Spirit of bondage?!! This is the exact opposite of what the Holy Spirit is! When I preached on this passage, I had no idea that this was ever interpreted this way, even by the people who have been known as heretics down through the ages!”
The truth of Romans 8:14-16 is that Paul is CONTRASTING two OPPOSING things. The one who has the Holy Spirit, who is led by the Holy Spirit, who is being operated on by the Holy Spirit, IS NOT and CANNOT receive a spirit of slavery again to fear! Where the Holy Spirit is, there is NO SPIRIT OF SLAVERY AGAIN TO FEAR!! Isn’t that OBVIOUS? Wow. Will we ever cease to be amazed at the heresies we encounter from the “fathers of the faith”?
To see additional quotes by Owen regarding his heretical view of the Holy Spirit see the following:
https://agrammatos.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/pernicious-puritan-preparationism.pdf
https://agrammatos.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/wickedheart.pdf
Agrammatos 