We continue to consider Ferguson’s arguments in chapter 22 of his The Early Church and Today, vol. 1 and vol. 2, edited by Leonard Allen and Robyn Burwell. This chapter is titled “Church Music in Ephesians and Colossians.”
“Be filled with the Spirit” in the scriptures
Eph 5:18 urges readers to “be filled with the Spirit.” What on earth does this mean? The phrase appears several other places in the scriptures.
(Exo 31:2-3 ESV) 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship,
(Exo 35:30-31 ESV) 30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship,
(Mic 3:8 ESV) 8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.
(Luk 1:14-15 ESV) 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at [Jon the Baptist’s] birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
(Luk 1:41-42 ESV) 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
(Act 2:4 ESV) 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(Luk 1:67-68 ESV) 67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people
(Act 4:31 ESV) 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
(Act 4:8 ESV) 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,
(Act 9:17 ESV) 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
(Act 13:9-10 ESV) 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
(Act 13:52 ESV) 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
As you can see, it’s a fairly popular phrase in Luke-Acts, likely being borrowed from Mic 3:8. In Luke’s usage, the phrase is often used as a prelude to a powerful declaration of God’s word.
However, later in Acts, he uses the phrase to speak of the experience of the Christian church or converts more generally.
The only time Paul speaks directly of being filled with the Spirit is Eph 5:18. I don’t think Paul is actually referring back to Mic 3:8, unlike Luke. Rather, I think Paul’s thought is revealed internally within Ephesians.
“Be filled with the Spirit” in Ephesians
Follow this line of thought —
(Eph 1:22-23 ESV) 22 And he put all things under [Christ’s] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
The Greek is ambiguous, but the thought seems to be that Christ himself fills the church with his fullness. However, it could mean that he fills the world. (Why would Paul be ambiguous on such a point?)
(Eph 3:14-19 ESV) 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Here, we find nearly the identical phrase, except Paul reveals that to be filled with the fullness of Jesus is to be filled with the fullness of God — and this happens by the Spirit.
(Eph 4:10-14 ESV) He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Paul returns here to the “fullness of Christ” — Jesus came from heaven in order to fill all things — and to be filled with Jesus is a goal for the church to be accomplished by the equipping of the saints by the leaders given by God.
And then, finally —
(Eph 5:18 ESV) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit …
Finally, Paul completes the Trinity — speaking of our being filled with all three members of the Godhead. And in this case, it appears that being filled is something we do voluntarily — it’s a choice.
Now, these are not easy concepts. He is not speaking of miracles in the sense of the spectacular. Nor is he speaking of being gifted to speak boldly — not necessarily. After all, Eph 5:19 is about to explain being filled with the Spirit in the relatively mundane terms of singing, giving thanks, and submitting to one another (although, at times, some of these can be so difficult as to require Divine empowerment!)
Thinking Eastern
This being-filled idea is far from obvious to the Western mind! But let’s think Eastern. It’s a metaphor. The Spirit is often spoken of in the Old Testament (Paul’s scriptures!) as water or as being poured out from heaven. Thus, to be filled with Jesus, God, or the Spirit is rather like filling a cup with water. Somehow. And Paul worked in areas where water was precious.
It’s not so much about the results of the filling as the filling itself. That is, when a cup is filled with water, the cup changes from an empty vessel to the carrier of life and refreshment. The water changes the cup from emptiness to a thing of great value, to fulfilling what it was always designed to be.
Cups do not exist to be cups. They exist to carry water. Until they are filled, they are empty and useless. It’s only when filled that they have any real value, any real ability to do something.
Thus, when Jesus/God/the Spirit come from heaven and begin to fill a Christian, then and only then does the Christian become what he was designed to be. Only then is his potential being realized. He becomes a bearer of the Divine, someone able to bring the Divine where it was once absent.
Filling the church
Not surprisingly, Paul speaks both of individual filling and the filling of the church. Indeed, his repeated “all in all” likely refers to a filling of the church with the intent that all people — indeed, the entire creation — be filled with the Divine.
(Rom 8:19-23 ESV) 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
The new creation (remember the Creation 2.0 series)
The thought is exactly parallel with Paul’s frequent reference to a “new creation,” that is, to the individual Christian becoming a new creation — at baptism but more fully as he matures in Christ — as a forerunner or preview of the entire creation being made new. Compare Eph 2:10; 2:15; 3:9-10, and especially —
(Eph 4:20-24 ESV) 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!– 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
In fact, I would have trouble distinguishing being “renewed in the spirit of your minds, and … put on the new self, created after the likeness of God” from “be filled with the Spirit.”
You see, “created” in Eph 4:24 refers to a miraculous act of God. It’s God working within the Christian to become like God — to be renewed in “the likeness of God” — a reference back to Genesis 1 (the use of “created” and “likeness” make this unmistakable!)
God is re-making us, rebuilding us to be new again, just like Adam and Eve were before they sinned — in perfect innocence, walking with God in the cool of the morning.
It’s God’s grand, cosmic plan to restore us to right relationship — but to do this by fixing our brokenness, by making us more and more like Jesus.
To be filled with the Spirit is to yield to the Spirit’s work within us to become like Jesus — so that God’s eternal plan to restore us to Eden — not Eden, but better: to the new heavens and new earth.
We must become like God so that we can live with God forever.
The old Pentecostal refrain about the Spirit is “one baptism, many fillings”. Which I think is pretty useful on a practical level. We submit ourselves to God by faith, seeking to be His rather than our own, desiring the life of Christ in us rather than our life for him, and desiring to live by the Spirit rather than by our own capacities and limitations.
The too-common Charismatic differentiation, which describes some people as “Spirit-filled”– intentionally implying that there is another group of believers who are not– is both hurtful and inaccurate. In fact, that term is really being used to identify those who exercise certain spiritual gifts. But in fact, this places the cart before the horse, the effect before the cause, and actually conflates the two. Spiritual gifts come from being filled with the Spirit, but they are NOT of themselves “being filled with the Spirit”. I find many believers seeking to be filled with the Spirit who, for one reason or another do not embrace prophesy or tongues. Using certain gifts as a visible litmus test contradicts the very spiritual nature of “being filled”.
On the other hand, rejecting gifts which the Spirit would give because they make us uncomfortable or (God forbid) make us look like Pentecostals, rather misses the point of “being filled”. Life in the Spirit is not a religious buffet where we choose what suits us and leave the rest, but rather a place where the Spirit is the prime mover, where He bestows and we receive with gladness. Again and again
“Spirit of God my teacher be, showing the things of Christ to me; More, more about Jesus….” If the church hadn’t removed the Spirit from it’s midst, perhaps the divisions wouldn’t be so severe… @ Charles.. yeah, we so wanted to avoid the charismatic experience that we through the Spirit out with the bath water.. shame.. One Spirit, many gifts, all worthy.
Jay, said;
It’s God’s grand, cosmic plan to restore us to right relationship — but to do this by fixing our brokenness, by making us more and more like Jesus.
To be filled with the Spirit is to yield to the Spirit’s work within us to become like Jesus — so that God’s eternal plan to restore us to Eden — not Eden, but better: to the new heavens and new earth.
We must become like God so that we can live with God forever.
The apostle John said;
Jhn 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Jhn 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Jhn 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Jhn 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Jhn 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
How do we become like Jesus, by becomming friends with Jesus. and how do we do that.
by obeying his commands.
This kind of blows a hole in the teaching “Jesus did it all” our work counts nothing in our salvation plan.
I believe there Is much More to becoming like Jesus than obeying a whole host of commands. If all one does is obey commands and is miserable while doing so, then what is accomplished? Christianity is more than a way of doing things or not doing things, but it also includes being aware of suffering, abuse, mistreatment of people, etc. and trying to do something about it as opposed to just standing idly and observing.
Well Mark, I guess you know best.
Jhn 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
As you see I am only quoting what I read.
Laymond,
How many commands have you found that Christ commanded us to obey? Have you compiled a list, possibly so we or you won’t accidentally overlook one? It might be good to index them so they could be found quickly. Young and even mature Christians may not have learned them all yet, and therefore may disobey many before they realize their mistakes. Are we all you might say automatically forgiven mistakes (disobedience) if we have not obtained a knowledge of some commands? This could very important if there are silences in scriptures containing commands that are threatening to our salvation.
Larry, maybe we should recommend they read “the sermon on the Mt” or maybe the complete book of Matthew.
The bible states what man’s goal is and gives the only way to have success. and believe it or not we are the ones who are expected to do it. from the beginning to the end of the bible our goal and the way to achieve success is discussed.
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Jhn 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Larry, you can take it for what it is worth, I think it is worth a lot, really it is the difference between “life and death”.
Do we believe in predestination, or man has a free will. If things are all “predestined”, we have no will of our own. If we have a “free will” we are masters over our own fate. What other choice do we have ?
Laymond,
Could we say that Jesus obeyed all these commandments while on earth? Can we also admit that no man has ever been able to obey all these commands? Anyone that could obey all these commands would be as sinless as Jesus was, and would not be in need of forgiveness for sins. He would merit his own salvation, by his works or own abilities. As you quote, Jhn 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Then state: How do we become like Jesus, by becomming friends with Jesus. and how do we do that. by obeying his commands. If we fail to obey all of his commands are we still able to be friends with Jesus? You also mention that the importance of fulfilling this action of obeying either renders Life or Death. Life we assume means going to Heaven, Death means doomed to torment.
My point is that we are all sinners, some have been forgiven because of their Faith by Grace, and no amount of obedience even if it were possible to do that perfectly cannot save us (because perfect obedience could make us a friend of Jesus). Jesus is much more than just rules obeyed. Rules cannot change a man into the likeness of Jesus. There must be a change of the heart or being of a man into an attitude that has no need for rules. Rules are very similar to laws which are only to identify actions that have to be controlled by someone or something outside of the man.
Thus, if we become like Jesus we are above and beyond the obeying of commands.
Jesus also very much upset the rabbis, synagogue rulers, and others by not following the rules to their satisfaction. Now the bible says Jesus was sinless. So, the rules according to whom? God’s law was not as demanding as that of the rabbis. Legalism did not creap in until the time between the last of the prophets and John.
“If we have free will, we are the masters of our own fate”. Really? Only if we are truly the masters of the universe as well. My young children often expressed their free will not to eat their vegetables… but wound up eating them anyway. Free will is not the same as omnipotence.
Larry said; “Thus, if we become like Jesus we are above and beyond the obeying of commands.”
Where does this wisdom come from Larry, Jesus surely never ever said such a thing. Jesus said as I remember it-(Father I have done the work you gave me to do), and (your will not mine) and (I go to your God, and my God) paraphrases all. Not once have I seen what you are talking about, not once have I seen it written where Jesus said he did not have to obey what God said, not once.
Is this another gospel, perhaps the gospel of Larry?
Charles exclaimed; “If we have free will, we are the masters of our own fate”. Really? Only if we are truly the masters of the universe as well.”
Charles I didn’t claim we were the masters of the universe, just our own fate/destination. simply means we will be judged by the choices we make, not some predestined fate we cannot control.
Yes as I read the bible we are all predestined to spend eternity away from God, if the choices we make don’t change that. No need to get “all shook up” I assumed you already knew that, I assumed that was the reason you were baptized, confessed Jesus Christ as your redeemer, and trying to follow in his footsteps. Maybe I was wrong, to assume such a terrible thing. Perhaps it was not your decision after all, only you and God know for sure. As I told Larry nether Jesus nor I are trying to take the place of God the Father.
Laymond,
Would you guide us to the text that makes you believe that Jesus obeyed “God’s” commands. You see you even stated the he said, “(Father I have done the work you gave me to do)”. In comparison he has also given us work to do that is not in a form of commands. Most reading this blog can understand that there is a great difference between commanding someone to do a certain action and asking them to do the same action. Jesus said he was asked to complete a work. You have changed the concept to God commanded him to do the work.
With the same concept in mind when God or his Son commands us to do an action it can be looked upon as a law. As we become like Jesus we perform works for God in the same manner as Jesus did because we desire to please God. This is the meaning of the statement that I made about, “Thus, if we become like Jesus we are above and beyond the obeying of commands.” You should understand these principals from rearing children, was everything you asked them to do placed into the attitude of you issuing commands and their completion of your stated desires considered as obeying your laws?
Larry here is an example of God sending.
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
An example of Jesus sending.
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
another example of “God sending”
Jhn 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Jhn 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
Jhn 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
After seeing examples of what the word “sent, send or sending” meant. Do you think Jesus might have interpreted the word “send as command”
Jhn 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
I can’t find an example of God or Jesus “sending” anyone without telling them why they were being sent. Can you?
Jhn 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Yes I surely do believe Jesus obeyed God’s commands. even to the point of speaking the words God gave him.
Don’t you just sigh when people base their theology on a “translation” by other men as though the translated words could have no other meanings? We get commands instead of instruction. We also miss the cultural aspects of the words—both in its original context and the context of the translator. The “words God gave him” were translated by an uninspired person, so we should be careful where we draw lines in the sand.
to tim
Jhn 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Jhn 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Jhn 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Jhn 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
tim, was everything John wrote uninspired ? Since Jesus was talking to His Father God, when he said “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me ” I thought it really meant God had told him what to say.
What do you think he meant there?
The term “word of God” often means “message”. The “word of God” is the message, particularly the specific words. The Greek term “logos” is more an idea, a concept or a thought or a coherant statement rather than dictation. I doubt you’ll agree, but that’s it. John probably spoke Aramaic (maybe Greek also) but he was probably not highly literate in Greek (or even Hebrew).
Jesus was the message (logos) he explained God’s message using his terminology. He said what God wanted him to say. You’re demanding too much from the text but that is your prerogative.
Let me give a good example of what I’m trying to say. When many of Jesus’ followers turned back and no longer walked with him, he ask his deciples if they would leave too. I’m going from memory here, but one of them said “to whom shall we go?”. You have the words of eternal life”. What were those words? Can you quote them?
No, it was a message that he had. Words expressed the message but they were his words—and they conveyed the message God wanted to share, but it was not a few trite quotes and sayings.
I wonder if Laymond’s children or friends when he sent them to pick up groceries or similar objects, would have believed that he was commanding them to do that performance for him? Would he consider himself being commanded to do a peculiar job if a friend sent him on an errand? That is the exact distortion that he is applying to words in scripture.
Larry, you are taking great liberties with scripture when you make the comparison that you have made.
You are comparing my asking for a favor, to God’s command that his orders shall be carried out.
I don’t see any “if you don’t mind” or “if you have the time” included here. I do recall where Jesus said it was God’s will, not his own. No Larry it was not asking a child to do a favor, it was ” He shall not fail nor be discouraged” That does not sound like “if you can”.
Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Isa 42:2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
Isa 42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
Isa 42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
Isa 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Isa 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Believe it or not I have commanded my child to do things that he evidently did not want to do, but he did it anyway, because he knew the consequences would be more unpleasant, than the doing of the job. (and in no way am I comparing myself to God) I thought I would just nip it in the bud before it started growing.
Laymond,
I guess that you truly do believe that Christ did not have the power to avoid the sacrifice. Wouldn’t that action have been a disobedience to the command that you said God gave him?
I understand the following passage to be stating that Jesus claimed to have the power through asking his father to send angels to protect him from all harm including the crucifixion, changing the fulfilling of the scriptures.
(Mat 26:53 KJV) Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
(Mat 26:53 NIV) Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
and
(John 18:11 KJV) Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
(John 18:11 NIV) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
Is Jesus stating that he is forced to drink that cup or is he stating that he could if he chose not to drink of the cup?
(John 16:33 KJV) These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
If he was commanded by God to give his life in the sacrifice , how could he claim that he overcame the world? He would have been just God’s pawn.
Larry, it is strange how we see the scriptures so differently. I see what Jesus said to Peter differently, and you might also if you go back to where Jesus prayed more than once that the cup might be taken away, if it were possible. But added your will not mine. meaning to me “if it must be done, I will obey your command” . Jesus overcome the world by obeying God’s commands, just like you must do in order to be raised to a new life. I really don’t see that it is that hard to understand. Do we forget that Jesus was created in the womb for this very purpose. Larry, what do the words “The Lamb of God” mean to you?
Laymond,
With your interpretation of the life that Christ lived here on earth. Christ had no free will to obey or to sin, if it was impossible for Christ to have sinned then he could not have been tempted in any fashion. There would not have been a possibility for Jesus to be tempted by Satan, this account of his temptation would be a allusion without meaning for us. Christ when being tempted to turn stones into bread would have deceived us with his answer because it would have been impossible for him to fall victim to Satan’s scheme.
You do believe that Christ was tempted don’t you? If you don’t you must disagree with Christ.
(Luke 22:28 KJV) Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
(Heb 4:14 KJV) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
I believe that Christ was capable of committing any sin that is known to man, yet he overcame sin and was victorious over the sins of the physical World.
Can you supply proof that supports your views?
.
Larry, you not only misinterpret the bible, you misinterpret what I say. I never said Jesus did not have free will, to make his own choice , I said he made the choice to obey God.I seem to recall
that Jesus told his followers that he must be raised. Just because Jesus made the choice to obey God’s command doesn’t mean it wasn’t a command. And if you decide to ignore Jesus command, makes it no less a command.