Filled with the Spirit Ephesians 5

Paul continued to exhort the Ephesian church members as he told them not to “be unwise” and instead to “understand what the will of the Lord is”. In chapter five and verse eighteen of his letter, Paul shared how the Ephesians were not to be “drunk with wine”, but to “be filled with the Spirit” where we read:

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

The verse begins, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;” Paul began with the words, “And be not drunk” which in Greek is the phrase “methyskō mē methyskō” and means “do not be or become intoxicated” “with wine” or “fiery wine”, “wherein” which means “by or with” “in excess” or “abandoned, dissolute, profligacy and prodigality living”. Paul exhorted the church members in Ephesus to keep from being “excessive”, “riotous” and “in intoxication”.

The verse continues, “but be filled with the Spirit;” Paul added, “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was previously stated “be filled” which means “made full, caused to abound, furnished or supplied liberally and complete” “with the Spirit” which refers to “the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son”. Paul's idea was for the Ephesians to be “filled to the brim” with God's Holy Spirit.

When we consider these words of Paul, we may wonder why he wrote them. More than likely a warning needed to be issued to the Ephesians for “drinking wine” in an “abandoned manner”, and they needed to be exhorted to be “filled” with the Spirt of God instead. Proverbs chapter twenty and verse one states, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” Those who disregard this warning not only put themselves and others in physical danger, but also forsake the better “dissolution” which incorporates God's Spirit. May the Lord Jesus help us to know the betterment of being filled with His Spirit, and let us forsake any “wine drinking” that intoxicates us.

Next time Paul shares about “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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