Be Filled with the Spirit
Ephesians 5:15-21
By Steven W. Cornell
Senior pastor,
Millersville Bible Church
In Ephesians 5:18 we find a command to be filled with the Spirit. It is not a suggestion; not a recommendation, but a command. Are you filled with the Spirit?
Are you living in obedience to the command: “Be filled with the Spirit”?
What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
To help us understand what the bible teaches on this, let’s begin in the book of Acts.
In Acts 6 we observe one of the first internal problems faced by the early church. “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word’” (Acts 6:1-4).
Though waiting on tables seems like a task that anyone could do, there were qualifications necessary for those assigned to it. Specifically, the congregation must seek out men who had a reputation for “being full of the Spirit and of wisdom.” Verse 5 also mentions “Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”
In Acts 11:24 we find mention of Barnabas with a similar description. “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”
How should we understand the description: “full of the Holy Spirit?” First, notice that it is used in a descriptive way to speak of the governing characteristic of someone’s life.
Remember, in scripture, we learn that all Christians are indwelt with the Holy Spirit at the time of salvation (Ro. 8:9; I Cor. 6:19-20; II Cor. 1:21-22).
And, the Spirit of God, who dwells in our hearts, plays a vital role in our daily lives:
Consider the references in Galatians 5, concerning the Holy Spirit. “... live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” “walk by the Spirit” (v. 16); “if you are led by the Spirit” (v. 18); “let us keep in step with the Spirit” (v. 25).
In Galatians 5, we also learn that the Holy Spirit produces specific qualities: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
When a person (like Stephen or Barnabas) is described as full of the Spirit, would it be right to look for these specific qualities? To look for “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?”
In this sense, we should not reduce the filling of the Spirit to a subjective, emotional experience. Although it might include that element, it must also include measurable, objective characteristics –demonstrated godly character.
Ephesians 5:18 comes as the crowning exhortation in a long series of exhortations which began in Ephesians 4:17.
The whole section of 4:17-5:21 works on a before/after structure (Before Christ/after Christ). It is a call to break with the old patterns that are not appropriate to those in Christ.
Ephesians 5:18 simply continues the contrast by presenting two commands.
The first command is in a tense that suggests you should never do it: “do not get drunk on wine.”
The second command is in a tense suggesting that you should always do it. “Be ‘continually’ filled with the Spirit.”
The second command in 5:18 is followed by four supporting participles in verses 19-21 - speaking, singing, giving thanks, and submitting.
As participles, they flow from obedience to the command in verse 18
This grammatical structure lends further insight on what it means to be spirit-filled: Spirit-filled people are full of joy, thankfulness, and ready to submit to others.
Or, to help us get the point, grumpy, ungrateful and rebellious people are not spirit-filled.
Which list characterizes you? Again, if men like Stephen or Barnabas were grouchy, ungrateful, or unwilling to submit to authority, they could not be described as spirit-filled.
Before we look at the means provided for living spirit-filled, there are two other considerations that shed light on the meaning of being spirit-filled.
The first one focuses on the contrast with drunkenness. Why did the apostle place “drunk on wine” in contrast with being Spirit filled? Well, lets consider some possibilities. The person who gets drunk on wine chooses to allow the alcohol to be the controlling influence of every aspect of his being. (I say “he chooses” because he is commanded not to do this). The person filled with the Spirit is also a person who chooses to allow the Spirit of God to be the controlling influence (for he is commanded to do this).
This brings us to our second consideration: the word “filled.” The word is used of wind filling a sail, of someone being filled with an emotion like joy or grief, of someone being filled with leprosy (Lk. 5:12), or of someone being full of deceit (Lk. 13:10). The ideas of permeation or total denomination are involved. And since we know that the Spirit of God already dwells in each believer, being filled with the Spirit must speak of the dominating influence of the Spirit as He permeates every aspect of our being. (Cf. 3:19)
Referring to “being filled with the Spirit”, Dr. Gordon Fee offers this helpful comment: “The richness of the metaphor comes in part from its contrast to being drunken with wine and in part from the verb ‘be filled.’ Together they do not picture a person who is ‘drunk on the Spirit,’ as it were, as if there were virtue in that, but a person — and in this case, a community — whose life is so totally given over to the Spirit that the life and deeds of the Spirit are as obvious in their case as the effects of too much wine are obvious in the other.”
Evidently being Spirit-filled has more to do with choice and character than it does with emotion or the experience of a moment or an event.
Being filled with the Spirit means that you bring yourself under the control of the Spirit. But how does one continually be filled with the Spirit?
1) Recognition of our need for the empowering presence of God’s Spirit;
2) A choice to give control over to the Holy Spirit (moment by moment), who then produces in you self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
3) A discipline of feeding on God’s word (which is the “sword of the Spirit” Eph. 6);
4) A vital connection with God’s people (Eph. 4:11-16).
The results are joy, thankfulness, and submission.
Living under the Controlling Influence of the Holy Spirit
Humble yourselves under God’s rule
Let God’s word dwell in you richly (compare Colossians 3:16-17)
Keep short accounts with God
Stay connected with God’s people