And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit(Ephesians 5:18 – ESV)
We all want to have a good time, but over the course of time, what we like changes. What tickles a toddler’s fancy is different from what an adolescent finds enjoyable, and young adults and maturing adults often want to do very different things with their time. The truth is that our tastes change, but we all want to have a good time.
The truth for Christians is that our idea of a good time is transformed as we grow closer to God. God uses the Bible to redefine what a good time really is, and gives us pictures of what that looks like. It is not just about fun, but about faith, the word “good” meaning not just enjoyable but honoring to God, goodness and joy in God, redefined to be closer to His ideals as we grow in His grace. It can happen; we can have a good time doing good things. Even in bad times, we can let the good times roll.
We learned in the previous verses that we should examine our stewardship of time (vs.15), exercise our discretionary time (vs.16), and elevate our spiritual time (vs.17). Today’s text is about glorifying God with our time by being filled with the Spirit, that is what it takes to let the good times roll no matter our current situation. The Greek in vs.18 literally reads as a command, “be being filled with the Spirit”. This is God’s will for our lives, to keep pursuing godliness, to keep being filled.
The context of being filled with the Spirit is living that out in loving relationships. It is speaking to one another, singing to each other and in our hearts (vs.19), sanctifying our relationships with prayer and thanks to God for each other (vs.20), the NET translates verse 20 this way, “always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”, and submitting to one another in our God given roles (vs.21ff). Again, speaking, singing, sanctifying, and submitting. This is giving the praise to God.
Now this is not so much a list of how to be filled as it is a picture of what it looks like when you are filled. That being said, it is obvious that doing these things is being in God’s will and developing a Spirit filled life, and a key in staying full. The things in this text are showing you where you can start. Do this and be full, says Paul. This text tells us, literally, to “keep being filled”, and so we ought to keep doing all of these things. In contrast, as Paul points out, drunkenness is no good. In the filling of the Spirit is where our sin meets its match.
5 comments:
I heard John MacArthur preaching on this last week.
He correlated it with Colossians 3:16, where it says let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. And so being filled with the Spirit comes from being in the Word.
And thanks for your good words today JD.
Yes, Don, Dr. MacArthur is of course right on. The "parallel passage" in Colossians perfectly confirms what we are saying in this post.
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.
We "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly", by "teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
The "one another" being key...
The whole section there in Colossians 3 is a call to unity, which, of course, is impossible if we do not assemble together...
“always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”, and submitting to one another in our God given roles
The spirit is willing but the flesh is so weak.
Yep...
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