Filled with the Spirit

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit – Eph. 5:18 (ESV)

Ephesians 5:18 calls us to “be filled with the Spirit.” Paul, in this letter to the Ephesians, contrasts being “drunk with wine” with the call to be filled with the Holy Spirit. At first glance, the comparison may seem like an abrupt shift from a warning regarding drunkenness to an exhortation to be “filled with the Spirit.” However, there is a strong connection between the two. Paul’s comparison highlights the issue of control and influence in a believer’s life, a contrast between a life lived under the temporary, reckless influence of alcohol and a life controlled, and influenced by the wisdom of the Spirit.

The Greek phrase used for “be filled” in this verse is significant. The verb for “be filled” (πληροῦσθε, plērousthe) is in the present imperative tense. This tense indicates an ongoing action, Paul is not suggesting a one-time filling but a continuous, habitual state. Unlike the indwelling of the Spirit, which happens once at conversion (Eph.1:13-14), the filling of the Spirit is a repeated action, a daily willful choice to fill ourselves with the Spirit of God.

We fill our days and ourselves with a lot of distractions and entertainment. We fill our minds with novels, movies, sitcoms, current issues, work. Our attention bounces like a ping pong ball from one task to the next, one project to the next. one tv show to the next, one opportunity to the next. Today there are a thousand items that would fill our minds and hearts, leaving no room, no time for God or prayer. How are we to fill ourselves with Spirit, when we are already so full?

It is uncommon today to see someone filled with the Spirit, so uncommon that when we do see them they are immediately noticeable. They are in the world but not of the world, they have a tongue of a ready counselor, a ready prayer warrior, a ready friend who reminds us to look outside our circumstances, to look up to Christ and the hope he provides. They walk in peace in the midst of chaos. They walk in mercy and never speak a harsh word. They walk in love seeking always to benefit others at their own expense. They walk in humility often in the background. They walk in kindness with a waiting smile. They may be fatigued but they always have a hand to help. They naturally become a light to others who walk in darkness. This is a small glimpse of one walking in the Spirit.

Being filled with the Spirit is often misunderstood or mischaracterized as some sort of emotional experience or ecstatic outburst. However, Paul’s context in Ephesians 5 and beyond shows us that being filled with the Spirit is a matter of control—allowing the Spirit to control our thoughts, desires, and actions so that we imitate Christ as we walk. Just as drunkenness leads to a lack of self-control, surrendering to the Spirit leads to God-given self-control by our submitting to His influence.

“As the New Testament makes clear, being a “Spirit-filled” Christian has nothing to do with uttering mindless gibberish, crashing to the carpet in a hypnotic trance, or any other mystical encounter of supposed ecstatic power. Rather, it has everything to do with submitting our hearts and minds to the Word of Christ, walking in the Spirit and not the flesh, and daily growing in love and affection for the Lord Jesus unto the service of His whole body, the church..” – John MacArthur

In the following verses, Paul will provide a glimpse of what a Spirit-filled life looks like, joyful worship singing psalms, hymns and spiritual psalms, thankfulness, and mutual submission (Eph. 5:19-21).

But how do we become filled by the Spirit of God? He is already at work in us; however, the Bible teaches that we must willfully pursue being filled by Him. We must regularly place ourselves beneath His influence if we would be filled by His presence. We can do this by letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16) through daily bible reading and memorizing scripture to hide it in our hearts (Psa. 119:11). The more we saturate our minds with God’s word and meditate on it, the more the Spirit will fill our minds and attitudes and lead to godly actions and transformed lives.

Transformation happens gradually as the Spirit’s influence takes root in our lives. At first, we may require deep emptying and filling, but as we consistently remain before the Lord, we find ourselves needing just a daily replenishment—a topping off after we’ve poured ourselves into the lives of others.

As Wayne Grudem aptly says, “Being filled with the Spirit means to be filled with the immediate presence of God to the extent that you are feeling what God Himself feels, desiring what God desires, doing what God wants, speaking by God’s power, praying and ministering in God’s strength, and knowing with the knowledge that God Himself gives.”

When we are not filled with the Spirit, we are inevitably filled with the world, leaving us with nothing of life to give to others. God’s command to “be filled with the Spirit” is not just an exhortation, but a promise, for He is ready to pour out His Spirit on those who ask (Luke 11:13). We have no excuse for being empty. Let us then intentionally create space in our lives, emptying ourselves of distractions and worldly influences, so that we may be filled with His redeeming presence and power.