February 6, 2008

• Filled With the Spirit

  What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Ephesians 5:18 contains this imperative from the Apostle Paul: "Be filled with the Spirit." Many Christians are unclear about what the verse does not mean. Once you discard the incorrect meanings you can then focus on what Paul is really saying. First, this phrase is not commanding empty Christians to acquire something they don't already have. Each of us possesses the entire Holy Spirit from the time we repent and believe: "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness." Second, Paul's phrase is not equating fullness of the Spirit with baptism with the Spirit. Holy Spirit baptism is not an extra experience you need to seek; it is something you have from the moment you are saved. This baptism is a theological reality, an act by which Jesus Christ through the agency of the Spirit places you into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13 ; cf. John 7:37 -39).

  An understanding of the Greek for "be filled," plerousthe, quite clearly reveals the correct meaning of Paul's command in Ephesians 5:18. A literal translation of the verb would read something like "be being kept filled." The idea is one of keeping yourself constantly filled, as you yield moment by moment to the leading of the Spirit. It fits perfectly with the process of walking by the Spirit. An accurate rendering of the Greek verb also destroys the widespread Charismatic notion that being filled is a one-time emotional experience you initiate, which instantly places you into some inner circle of spiritual maturity. "Be filled" is actually in the passive voice and indicates that you receive the action--the Holy Spirit is continuously filling you. It is simply another facet of the Spirit's indwelling ministry, which allows you to have daily, moment-by-moment effectiveness and fulfillment in your Christian life.

  When we use the word fill in English we normally think of something being placed into a container such as milk being poured to the brim of a glass, water being run into a bath tub, or gasoline being pumped into a gas tank. But none of those examples conveys precisely the meaning of to fill or be filled as does the Greek pleroo, a form of which is used in Ephesians 5:18 . Pleroo has three shades of meaning that are helpful in illustrating the scriptural meaning of Spirit-filled. The first carries the idea of pressure. It is used to describe wind billowing the sails on a ship, providing the impetus to move the vessel across the water. In the spiritual realm, this concept depicts the Holy Spirit providing the thrust to move the believer down the pathway of obedience. A Spirit-filled Christian isn't motivated by his own desires or will to progress. Instead, he allows the Holy Spirit to carry him in the proper directions.

  Pleroo can also convey the idea of permeation. God wants the Holy Spirit to permeate and flavor our lives so when we're around others they will know for certain we possess the pervasive savor of the Spirit.

  There is a third meaning of pleroo, actually the primary one in the New Testament, which conveys the sense of domination or total control. It is used by the Gospel writers to indicate that people were dominated by a certain emotion. Most people are able to balance their emotions from day to day. But when someone is totally dominated by a particular emotional reaction in secular contexts, it can be foolish, sinful, a waste of time, or even frightening and physically harmful. But in our spiritual lives we are commanded to yield to the total control of the Holy Spirit, so every emotion, thought, and act of the will is under His direction. The Apostle Paul says, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you." One can be filled with the Spirit only when controlled by the Word. It is knowing truth and obeying it.

  Let's look at the results of being filled with the Spirit.  The Apostle Paul follows up his inspired command that we be filled with the Spirit by attesting to what will be evident in your life if you genuinely obey that exhortation: Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ (Eph. 5:19-21).

  The Spirit-filled person will be thankful always and at all times. In Ephesians and elsewhere Paul makes it crystal clear that this is the Lord's will for you: "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:18; cf. Eph. 5:17; James 1:2-5).  Such a consistent, no-exceptions-permitted reaction to what the Lord brings into your life is not easy or even possible in your own strength. But it will become your response all the time if you are living the Spirit-filled life. The Holy Spirit works graciously and mercifully to enable you to respond with thanksgiving no matter when blessings or challenges come. Sometimes He blesses you unexpectedly, which makes it easy to give thanks. At other times the Holy Spirit gives you the opportunity to be thankful before a certain event happens. Finally, God may choose to bring a trial or test into your life unexpectedly. If you respond with true thanks in the midst of such times, that will prove you are a mature Christian filled with the Spirit.

  Those who are filled with the Spirit will give thanks in the name of Christ to God the Father. That means, first of all, you couldn't be thankful at all if it weren't for Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. "In the name of Christ" simply means consistent with His character and His deeds. An excerpt from Paul's opening chapter to the Ephesians summarizes the concept well: "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight...also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:5-8, 11-12). No matter what happens you can give thanks because of what Jesus means to you, and you can know that because of God's sovereignty, whatever happens will turn out for your good and His glory.

  The third practical consequence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is mutual submission to other believers: "and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ" (Eph. 5:21). Once again this aspect of the Spirit-filled life reflects and draws together a principle found in many other places in Scripture.  The Bible is replete with statements and exhortations about the importance of being subject to one another and ministering to one another. I want to highlight some and list various others to underscore the importance the Holy Spirit has given to the concept of believers' supporting one another.  The word "submission" from the world's perspective has the connotation of weakness or caving in to a much stronger, overbearing authority. But that is not what it means biblically. It is the picture of soldiers in a regiment, soldiers in a line under an officer. The characteristic of a man in that position is this, that he is in a sense no longer an individual; he is now a member of a regiment; and all of them together are listening to the commands and the instructions which the officer is issuing to them.

  The only way to voluntarily and joyfully submit to the Lord and to one another in the Body of Christ is to be filled with the Spirit. He is the one who truly makes us willing to follow the narrow path of submission and relinquish our wills for His. When you surrender to the control of God's Spirit, you'll find Him producing amazing things in you--things that are entirely of His doing. Paul calls those marvelous blessings the fruit of the Spirit, and they are: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23).

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