Here is my commentary on Ephesians 5:18 I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 5:18

“Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”

Many people coming to Christ through the ages have had to wrestle with the various addictions and practices that were a part of their old life. There is no doubt that alcohol and other drugs have an appeal for many people to alleviate the misery of lives marked by abuse, neglect, failed relationships, or purposelessness. People medicate to relieve emotional pain and to give some sense of joy.

The Bible nowhere forbids the consumption of alcohol, except for those who have taken a vow. Paul indeed encourages the temperate use of wine, especially as a treatment for some ailments. Jesus himself was accused of mixing with drunkards, and we know that he created very good wine for a wedding.

However, the Bible does warn consistently about excessive consumption of alcohol. This turns something that is a gift from God into something destructive.

The word translated here as “debauchery” means both the lack of self control which drunkenness brings, as well as the waste of time and money that it entails.

Drunkenness is first condemned for the destruction of self-control which it involves. Every part of life can give us indications of what can go wrong when a person is drunk. Everyday, road fatalities and injuries occur because of alcohol use. The rate of domestic violence spikes during summer when alcohol consumption also increases. Footballers and celebrities go on rampages when under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.

Christians are required to put to death the old nature. However, being under the influence of alcohol seems to amplify the sinful nature and reduce the moderating influence of the Holy Spirit. It seems that the driving force behind these drugs is not just chemical but demonic.

Drunkenness is also condemned because of its wastefulness. Clearly, what we spend on drugs we cannot spend on productive things. What seems to be a relatively cheap form of entertainment comes at the cost of keeping people in poverty.

Of course when the substances go to their logical destination, they waste a person’s life with unemployment, homelessness, and destroyed families just a part of the human cost.

Each christian needs to come to their own conclusion about the role of various drugs in their life, and ensure that they are a positive factor in their walk with Christ.

Instead of seeking a chemically induced high, Paul says we should be “ filled with the Spirit.”

It is interesting that Spirit fullness should be contrasted with drunkenness. This goes right back to Pentecost. Then, the disciples receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit were speaking in tongues and praising God. While some people recognised that this was an actibvity of the Holy Spirit, others cynically said they were drunk (Acts 2:13).

The tense of the verb “ be filled” is a continuous imperative. This means that it is a command that is to be continually or repeatedly obeyed. We are to be regularly filled with the Holy Spirit.

There is a one-time experience for Christians often called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is an occasion when we receive the power of the Holy Spirit in us. it is often accompanied by the gift of speaking in tongues, usually interpreted as a unique prayer language that comes by the inspiration of the Spirit and not through human learning. The Baptism in the Spirit is an entry point for the gifts of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be inundated by the Spirit, equipped for ministry, and empowered to do the works of Christ. We see this expression used often in the book of Acts (see for example Acts 4:31, 9:17).

We might think from the use of this expression in Acts that being filled with the Holy Spirit was something that people had no control over, indeed no say about. The Holy Spirit filled them uninvited.

Paul says we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a continuous imperative that indicates that we have some agency in the process. Clearly Paul thought so, and expected that the Ephesians did too

How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Pastor Che Ahn suggests 4 steps add we can take daily to be filled with the Holy Spirit

1. Decide everyday to walk in obedience to God. In Acts 5:32 we are told that God freely gives the Holy Spirit “to those who obey Him.”
2. Ask the Father daily to fill you again with the Holy Spirit
3. Focus on the harvest that God wants to bring in, and on the way you can be a part of God’s great work
4. Be intentional about receiving an impartation from people who carry the anointing of the Holy Spirit, for example pastors and other leaders.

These are by no means prescriptive instructions. They do put us into a place of expectancy and receptivity to the Holy Spirit.

I would add to this regular times of praise and worship, so that our hearts and minds are soaking in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Key points in this verse:

• Christians are not to be dominated by alcohol or other drugs to the point of losing self-control
• We are free to use alcohol, but we must allow this to be under the direction of the Holy Spirit
• Being filled with the Spirit is similar in some ways to being drunk
• We must seek to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 5:17 I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 5:17

“So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Again Paul exhorts us to turn away from the foolish ways of the ungodly, and embrace God’s way of living. In verse 15, he talked about being wise or unwise. He know speaks of being foolish.

The Greek word translated as “foolish” means more than just a lack of wisdom or information. This word refers to a moral folly in which we know what is right but deliberately choose a different action.

This is the same kind of thinking that we see in the Old Testament Psalms and Proverbs. ”The fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1, 53:1) is referring to a person who wants to be able to indulge their passions without any moral, legal, or religious consequence.

A fool rejects moral reasoning because they do not want to be countable for their actions. They reject the idea of a moral law because they do not want to consider the reality of a moral law giver. All of their beliefs then become relative and fluid.

Paul is warning here that christians can choose to go down this path. We can indulge our sins and passions to such an extent that we lose sight of where God is and where we should be.

This is the path of repeated or habitual sin. We know what God wants of us but we refuse. This sin becomes an Idol because it is more precious to us than God.

Rather than being foolish, we are to understand what the will of God is. Paul has already in this letter given some standards regarding christian behaviour as opposed to that of unbelievers.

We need to listen carefully to what the spirit is teaching us through scripture. Am I walking in the light of God or am I following the way of darkness?

In order to understand the will of the Lord we must develop the pattern of regular reading of the Bible. This needs to be done slowly and carefully, not in a 5 minute tick the box mindset.

If I really believe the Bible is the word of God, then I will desire to hear what He has to say to me through it.

There are times when the Holy Spirit uses the Bible to bring us to a place of conviction. The words seem to jump off the page and echo around our head. The ordinary word ( “logos” in the Greek) becomes a declared word ( “rhema” in the Greek) with all the force of “Thus says the Lord!”

Even when we have a certain measure of hardness in our heart because of sin, the Holy Spirit can break into our disordered thinking through the words of scripture.

Similarly, when we pray and pay attention to the Holy Spirit, He can show us where we are doing well and where we need to change our way.

Conviction can come through many means, but if we place ourselves in proximity to God’s word we are more likely to understand what the will of the Lord is.

While the immediate context of this verse is about our daily conduct, understanding the will of the Lord is also about directions in the bigger questions of life. If we are used to making our daily life decisions in the will of the Lord, then the big decisions about marriage, children, work, business, and so on, will be easier to make. Having become used to submitting in the smaller things, we will have no problems in submitting in the bigger decisions.

So we must always and constantly avoid being foolish, and instead try to understand the will of the Lord.

Key points in this verse:

• Foolishness is a moral quality as much as it is about wisdom
• We are to line up our beliefs and our actions against God’s word, the Bible
• If we regularly meditate on God’s word, the Holy Spirit will convicted us when we are sinning
• To be confident that our big decisions are in accordance with God’s will, we must practice seeking him in our daily decisions.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 5:15-16. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 5:15-16

“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”

There is a choice to be made between living as wise or unwise people.

To be wise is to follow the teachings of Scripture. Jesus said that the wise man who built his life on solid rock is the man who lives on the principle of obeying Jesus’ commands. (Matthew 7:24-27)

We all have a choice to live in obedience to Christ, the wise choice, or in accordance with the desires of our sinful nature.

The Greeks were devoted in their culture to pursuing wisdom. Philosophers were celebrities because they helped people to understand what wisdom was and how to get it. There were many schools of philosophy which taught wisdom according to the teachings of their favourite philosopher.

Paul is saying that wisdom is not an abstract philosophy but is found in obedience to the ways of the Lord.

In the previous verses, from chapters 4 and 5, Paul has listed the various qualities that relate to the light and the darkness, the spirit and the flesh, God’s way and our own way. The way of wisdom lies in choosing God’s way.

In the Greek, Paul uses the word to walk, translated here as “live”. To walk in the ways of wisdom is to allow God’s values to inform the choices that we make each day. Godliness does not come through making bold choices at times of crisis when the stakes seem high. True godliness is grown through wise choices made each day.

We are to make the most of the time in this walk of wisdom.

We do not know when we will be taken from this life either in the normal process of death, or by the return of Jesus. We must be sure to wisely use our remaining time, whether it be long or short.

Interestingly, Paul uses a particular word for time here. He uses the word kairos which means a special appointed time. The word for normal time is chronos which means the time measured by clocks and calendars. The times that are kairos times are the times of God’s opportunity, God’s appointment.

We are, therefore, to see our lives as occasions for God’s activity to break through.

The conversations that we have, the opportunities to share God’s love with other people, the chances to pray with and for people are all kairos times.

To be wise in the ways of the Lord is to have our eyes open to the moments of meeting with the Lord and being directed by the Holy Spirit.

These opportunities are found in the apparently chance encounters that we have with other people. Am I being asked to share the good news? Is healing or another miracle required here?

When we are in tune with the Holy Spirit, walking by faith, each day becomes kairos.

We must live in this way because the days are evil.

The Prince of Darkness controls so much of human life. The days are evil because sinful human beings continue to sin and then blame God for the consequences.

Christians are not to be passive in this situation. We are called to be the light in the darkness.

We must not live as the people of the world do. We are supposed to be redeeming the darkness, showing people how to find the light. We cannot do this by living the same as everyone else.

The people of the world live as unwise because they do not know God, the giver of wisdom. As the people of God walk in the wisdom of God, we will actively turn the evil days into days of glory and righteousness.

Key points in these verses:

• We are to live as wise people by obeying the words of Jesus
• Wisdom does not come from learning, but from following Jesus
• Every day with Jesus is an appointed time
• The times are evil but they can be turned around by christians choosing to live in obedience to Christ

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 5:14. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 5:14

“ for it is light that makes everything visible. That is why it is said:

‘ wake up O sleeper

rise from the dead

and Christ will shine on you.’”

Light makes everything visible. It is the instrument of exposing sin, depravity, and corruption.

Light, as already has been explored, reveals the hearts of people by whether they are attracted to or repelled by it. In that sense, the light of the Lord acts like a magnetic field.

For the believer, what is important is that we are constantly led by the Holy Spirit, allowing the light of the Spirit to direct our paths and give us insight into the spiritual realm around us. Without that light, we are also stumbling in the darkness unable to distinguish that which is pleasing to the Lord from that which is opposed to the Lord.

Paul now quotes a verse which seems to be related to an Old Testament text. Although the verse quotes fragments from Isaiah (9:2, 26:19, 52:1, 60:1 ), it is likely a portion of an early Christian hymn. in fact, Francis Foulkes, quoting F.F. Bruce, says it may well have been a baptismal hymn as baptism was often spoken of as moving away from darkness and into light¹.

There are three metaphors of the Christian experience of Salvation here:

1. Waking up from sleep. Many people prior to conversion can be described as sleep walking through life. They are completely unaware of their reason for being, their destiny, or the way they should live.

The movie, “The Matrix” represents the human race as being enslaved, effectively asleep, by an alien race while their minds are filled with dreams that make it feel like they are living normal lives.

When we are converted, we are woken from this slumber, to see and experience our real life.

2. Rising from death. When we come to Christ we take up our cross and die to ourselves. Jesus then raises us up to new life in him. We become a new creation.

This is the meaning of being “ born again” or “ born of the spirit.” The dominant motif in christian baptism is not washing, but death and resurrection. In baptism we are drowned and our old nature is snuffed out so that we can be raised up by Christ and into Christ.

3. Moving from darkness and into the light of Christ. “ Christ will shine on you.” For all that Paul has written about avoiding the deeds associated with darkness, this is really only possible when we are illuminated by Christ.

When the light of Christ shines on us, we are first of all exposed and vulnerable. Our true nature, as God intended, is now visible to all. We were once clothed in darkness, but now we are clothed with Christ. He shows the potential of the life he has called us to.

The light of Christ also shines on us for the purpose of enabling us to walk in the light. The Psalmist said, “ Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 109:105). In Christ we now have the perfect light directing our every step.

Key point in this verse:

• The light makes visible everything- both good and bad
• To come to Christ is like waking up from a dangerous sleep
• Coming to Christ is like rising from the dead
• The light of Christ covers us, leads and directs us

1Francis Foulkes::Ephesians- Tyndale New Testament Commentary Series, IVP, 1983