“Filled with the Spirit”

Saturday, May 24, 2025

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:18-21

In last week’s article, we began with the text above to explain the concept of Christian submission. This week, let’s back up and give this text a fuller treatment. Paul has already stated in his letter to the Ephesians that they were “sealed with… the Holy Spirit” (1:13) and warned them not to “grieve the Holy Spirit” with ungodly behavior (4:30). Now he tells them to be “filled with the Spirit” (5:18). Chapter 5 began with a call to “imitate God” (5:1-2). What better way to do this than be filled with God’s Spirit? The passage falls into two main parts: the influence of the Spirit (18) and the evidence of the Spirit (19-21).

First, the influence of the Spirit (18) — Paul cleverly compares the effects of wine with the effects of the Spirit. One who is filled with wine is “drunk.” We sometimes say they are ‘under the influence’ of alcohol. This leads to reckless and immoral behavior, the loss of control and good judgment (“debauchery”). Conversely, one who is filled with the Spirit is under the influence of the Spirit. But being under the power of God is unlike being drunk. Through the Spirit, we do not lose control, we gain it (“self-control” is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23). But what does it mean to “filled with the Spirit”?

Notice a few grammatical details about the phrase:

1. It is in the imperative mood, that is, it is a command. It is not optional but obligatory. This teaches us that being "filled with the Spirit" is not an emotion that simply takes over or comes and goes at will. We have a choice in the matter.
2. It is in the plural form, that is, it is addressed to the entire church not just a select few. Being “filled with the Spirit” is not an elitist privilege but a prerogative for all Christians.
3. It is in the passive voice, meaning we are to allow the Spirit to fill us. The implication of the passive voice is that we can either hinder or permit the Spirit’s work within us. Through repentance and faith, we can clear the way for the Spirit so that nothing prevents him from filling us. But if we “grieve the Spirit” (4:30), we hinder his influence.
4. It is in the present tense. Being “filled with the Spirit” is not a single event but a continuous action. We are to “go on being filled with the Spirit,” continuously being renewed through ongoing trust and obedience to the Spirit. While it is true the Ephesians have already been “sealed with the Spirit” (1:13), they need to “go on being filled” everyday until they mature into perfect Christ-likeness (4:13).
5. It is through the word. Practically speaking, how does one go on being filled with the Spirit? Colossians 3:16, while not identical with Ephesians 5:18-21, is parallel: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Comparing the Ephesians passage with the Colossians passage reveals a fuller understanding of what Paul means by the phrase “filled with the Spirit.” The Spirit fills and influences us through the word he revealed (Eph. 3:5; 1 Cor. 2:6-13). We must never separate the power and influence of God’s Spirit from God’s word. The word is the vehicle through which the Spirit guides us. Therefore, to obey God’s word and to be guided by the Spirit are virtually identical in practice.

The evidence of the Spirit (19-21) — The apostle lists four results of being Spirit-filled:

1. Fellowship: “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (19a). Being filled with the Spirit results in expressions of fellowship in the context of public worship. When we gather together, we sing songs both to God and to “one another.” Those songs are filled with biblical texts and themes that not only praise God but exhort and teach each other, helping us grow closer together and to God (Col. 3:17).
2. Worship: “singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (19b). Both the tune that we sing and the melody we make together are with our “heart,” not merely with our voice. This refers to the sincerity of our worship to God (Jn. 4:24). Our faith in God is to spill out into genuine praise when we sing spiritual songs together.
3. Gratitude: giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (20). Instead of grumbling like Israel in the wilderness, the person who is “filled with Spirit” gives thanks “always” (at all times, in good/bad circumstances) and “for everything,” not literally everything, but all things which are consistent with Jesus and his will (“in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”). If gratitude is an evidence of the Spirit’s presence then ingratitude is the proof of his absence.
4. Submission: submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (21). One who is “filled with the Spirit” is not egotistical or self-assertive but humble and submissive. Why? Not because they are coerced to submit nor because others always deserve their submission. Rather Christians submit to one another “out of reverence for Christ.” That is, we submit to others freely for Christ’s sake because he submitted himself to the Father’s will for our sake. Jesus’ voluntarily submission to the Father is our model. Out of reverence for his Father, Jesus, the obedient Son, served us who are unworthy. We are to do same for others. Mutual submission is a key way we imitate Christ. Paul develops this in the next section (5:22-6:9) which we covered last week.

Basically, being “filled with the Spirit” means to be influenced by the Spirit. In the first century, this influence could be supernatural and manifest itself in bold speech, prophecy, visions and miracles (Lk. 1:15, 41, 67; 4:1; Acts 2:4; 4:8; 9:17; 13:9). When used in this way, God filled his servants with his Spirit to accomplish a specific task (Jdg. 14:6, 19; 1 Sam. 10:10; 11:6). However, being “filled with the Spirit” usually manifests itself in one’s godly character and behavior. For example, Stephen and Barnabas are both described by Luke as being “filled with the Spirit” because of their maturity, wisdom and faith (Acts 6:5; 11:24). They had allowed the Spirit to work in their lives by continuing to worship God, serve others and obey God’s word. This is how Paul uses the phrase in Ephesians 5:18.

Being Spirit-filled should be obvious. How apparent are the concepts of fellowship, worship, gratitude and mutual submission in your life? How evident are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? (Gal. 5:22-23)

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