Passive voice commands are strange.
They may even seem to taunt us, to mock our impotence – like James’ “Be warmed, be filled.” (Jas 2:16)
How can one obey the command to “be filled”, eg. “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18)?
Can we make ourselves be filled with the Spirit?
Can we make the Spirit fill us?
But not all imperatives are to be taken as commands.
Even in every day speech we don’t interpret all imperatives as literal commands.
Telling someone to “Be safe” is as much a wish regarding circumstances over which they have no control, as a reminder to them to adopt safe practices.
The most oft repeated imperative in the Bible: “Do not fear/ be not afraid” is an exhortation, an encouragement. It is not designed to make you feel guilty: “Oh no, I’ve sinned by being afraid.”
What is: “Be filled with the Spirit”?
A command? A wish? An exhortation?
Go on being filled
Paul has a lot to tell us about the Holy Spirit in Ephesians.
He tells us that, from the beginning, believers are “sealed with the Holy Spirit”.
In [Christ] you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph 1:13-14
The commentators note that “sealed” is an aorist (once-for-all) “tense”, indicating that this was a once-for-all act, never to be repeated.
The same Holy Spirit, by whom we were born again (Joh 3:5) and enabled to believe, from the moment we believed “sealed” us. God sets His mark, His brand, upon us; we are His, we can never be lost.
The “sealing” of the Spirit is once; it is never repeated.
The “filling” of the Spirit, on the other hand, is a continuous act.
Again, the commentators point out that the imperative “be filled” in Ephesians (5:18) is a present (continuous) “tense”. It is something that needs to go on being repeated in the believer’s life.
We see this, for example, with the early apostles.
– On the day of Pentecost “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”. (Acts 2:4)
– Later, facing off against the Sanhedrin, Peter was again “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:8) and spoke up.
– Later again, the disciples meet to pray, and the Bible says it was “when they had prayed” that “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 4:31)
This is something they sought, and something they received, again and again.
We continuously need to be “filled with the Spirit”.
Times of Crisis
You’ll notice in these examples just given, that in each case, they were facing a crisis: the Day of Pentecost, religious opposition, difficult days ahead.
Though we should desire always to lead Spirit-filled lives: “walking in the Spirit” (Gal 5:16,25), being “led by the Spirit” (Gal 5:18), “living in the Spirit” (Gal 5:25) – it is never more important to seek to be “filled with the Spirit” than in times of crisis.
We see this, even in the Old Testament.
1) When bringing in a whole new way to worship God, Bezalel was “filled with the Spirit of God” (Exod 31:3, 35:31) to oversee the construction of the tabernacle.
2) When Moses faced a crisis in his own life, unable to bear “the burden of all these people” (Num 11:11), God poured out His Spirit (vv 17,25) on 70 others to assist Moses in the work.
3) Eldad and Medad in particular demonstrated the power of the Spirit (v 26) by prophesying – Joshua was concerned this would undermine Moses’ authority and tried to stop them (vv 27-28). But Moses humbly responded: “Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” To be filled with the Spirit was regarded as a blessing to be desired by all even back then.
4) Later, in the days of the Judges, the Lord met times of crisis by putting His Spirit upon a chosen few: Othniel (Judges 3:10), Gideon (6:34), Jephthah (11:29), and Samson (13:25, 14:6,19, 15:14) – though, in this last case, the gift of the Spirit appears to have been solely task-oriented.
One could follow through other examples from the Old Testament, especially among the prophets, who were filled with the Spirit in the face of a time of crisis.
In the New Testament too, the infilling of the Spirit was the Lord’s answer to His people in crisis, not only to equip them for the task ahead, but also to strengthen them in a holy resolve.
1) We have already noted this, in the book of Acts, on three critical occasions in the life of the early church.
2) There was also the “neglected widows” crisis in Acts ch 6, which was met by seeking out holy men who were “full of the Holy Spirit” (v 3).
3) There followed the martyrdom of Stephen – facing death with courage and equanimity because He was “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5, cf 6:10, 7:55).
4) When a need arose in Antioch, the man who was ready to go was Barnabas, “for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” (Acts 11:24).
5) When Paul and Barnabas’ inaugural mission to the Gentiles was about to be derailed, and the first prospective Gentile convert about to be “turned away from the faith” by Elymas the sorcerer, “Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit” resisted him and brought down God’s judgment on him. (Acts 13:6-12)
6) Most significant of all is the fact that our Lord Himself, though having received the Spirit without measure (Joh 3:34), yet was especially filled with the Spirit when facing a crisis: “Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.” (Luke 4:1-2)
We are to seek to be “filled with the Spirit” daily, throughout our lives.
But especially, when facing a time of crisis.
Useless Alternatives
The Holy Spirit is the Comforter. (Joh 14:16,26, 15:26, 16:7)
Sadly, in times of crisis we don’t always look to the comfort of the Holy Spirit, but can seek our comfort elsewhere.
Paul warns: “Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
Don’t seek to drown your sorrows in wine – or any of the other empty escapist alternatives this world offers, whether partying, or consumerism, or bingeing on Netflix.
Be filled with the Spirit.
How can we be filled with the Spirit?
In a word, we can’t.
Not directly, anyway: “The wind [or, Spirit] blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.” (Joh 3:8).
But just as they prepared for the first coming of our Lord by repenting of sin, we too can prepare to be filled with the Spirit:
Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth…
. – Isa 40:3-4, cf Matt 3:1-3
How can we prepare?
What “valleys” need to be filled in, in your life, what “mountains” brought low, before you can expect to be filled with the Spirit?
Paul addresses this question in terms of living out what we “put off” and “put on” at the time of our conversion. (Eph 4:20-24)
In practice, this means such things as: “putting away lying” and “speaking truth”; putting away “stealing” and practise “giving”. (Eph 4:25-28)
But, in particular, in Eph 4:29-32, Paul notes some practices that especially make it unlikely to be filled with the Spirit:
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
How do we grieve the Holy Spirit?
Any conduct that is not “holy” grieves the Holy Spirit.
But here Paul’s injunction not to grieve the Spirit is sandwiched between instructions that have to do with how we speak, and our attitude towards others – even towards those who may have caused us pain.
We are to put away “bitterness, wrath, anger and malice”. Instead we are to seek to be “kind, tenderhearted, forgiving.”
This was a rebuke to my soul when I read this, as I have been going through Ephesians in my own devotions recently. It is so easy instead to focus on the pain and the hurts, and not to empathise with the hurt that others may also be feeling.
Such a renewed attitude will translate into speech.
We are to put away any “corrupt word”.
We are to focus instead on words that “impart grace.” This does not mean you don’t rebuke sin; you cannot “impart grace” by allowing sin (which is the opposite to grace) to flourish. But such rebukes are to aim at restoring the sinner; not at hurting him. And, especially not at seeking revenge: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath.” (Rom 12:19)
How else can we prepare?
Consider Paul’s words:
Be filled with the Spirit,
– speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
– singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
– giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
– submitting to one another in the fear of God.
. – Eph 5:18-21
I’m not sure how much these four things (“speaking, singing, giving thanks, submitting”) prepare us to be filled with the Spirit, and how much they are the result of being filled with the Spirit.
I think they are both, and will take them that way.
Here again, the emphasis is on attitude (especially to others, but also to God); and how we then use our tongues.
– We are to “speak to one another”; or the parallel passage in Colossians has “teaching and admonishing one another” (Col 3:16), i.e. “what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
– We are to employ our tongues to praise God: “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”
– We are to use our tongues to give thanks to God “for all things”. Perhaps nothing so prepares us to be filled with the Spirit as to train ourselves to be thankful, rather than full of complaints.
– And, we are to have a submissive attitude to each other – in all our relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ, including those under our authority.
What is the evidence of being filled with the Spirit?
The four things (above) are not only a preparation to receive more of the Spirit, but as they flourish in our lives, are evidence of His infilling.
1) The Spirit is at work when we are subduing bad attitudes, and restraining our speech (James ch 3). Rather we use our tongues to edify; and, if to rebuke, to restore.
The Spirit is at work when we have a good attitude towards others, even those that cause us hurt and pain.
2) The Spirit is at work when we can sing to the Lord in the darkest dungeon of life (Acts 16:25).
Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises with healing in His wings;
When comforts are declining, He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining, to cheer it after rain.
. – William Cowper
3) The Spirit is at work when we can “give thanks in all things”.
This does not mean we are to thank God for what is clearly evil. As one commentator notes:
The strange notion is gaining popularity in some Christian circles that the major secret of Christian freedom and victory is unconditional praise; that a husband should praise God for his wife’s adultery and a wife for her husband’s drunkenness; and that even the most appalling calamities of life should become subjects for thanksgiving and praise… To do this would be to react insensitively to people’s pain (when Scripture tells us to weep with those who weep) and to condone and even encourage evil (when Scripture tells us to hate it and to resist the devil). God abominates evil, and we cannot praise or thank him for what he abominates.
4) In particular, the evidence of the infilling of the Spirit will be seen in our lives in the fruit of the Spirit, in contrast to the works of the flesh:
The works of the flesh are evident, which are:
– adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
– idolatry, sorcery,
– hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy,
– murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…
But the fruit of the Spirit is:
– love, joy, peace,
– longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
– faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
. – Gal 5:19-23
Prayer
We are to prepare the way for more of the Spirit by watching our attitude towards others, as well as the way that manifests itself in our speech.
We dare not pray for God’s blessing while knowingly covering sin. (Psa 66:18)
But we are to pray!
As we saw in Acts 4, when the disciples were facing a crisis:
They raised their voice to God with one accord prayed: “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word…”
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
. – Acts 4:23-31
Jesus told us:
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
. – Luke 11:13