Filled with the Spirit

PROVERBS 20:1; 23:19-21, 29-35; ECCLESIASTES 10:17

GOLDEN TEXT: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”—Ephesians 5:18

TODAY’S lesson is designed to emphasize the importance of temperance. It is indeed important, and were this article addressed to the unconverted it would come short of its purpose if it failed to lay special stress on the evils of strong drink, particularly as those evils are described in the scriptures cited for consideration. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging”; “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” True statements of this kind, if heeded by the ungodly, would rid the world of a great deal of sorrow. Surely it is appropriate for every Christian, as he has opportunity, to counsel those who may be in danger of falling victims to the demon of strong drink.

True Christians themselves, however, should not need to be especially admonished to avoid the evils of alcoholic beverages, for it must be assumed that the followers of the Master are far beyond the need of such counsel. A man whose whole heart and soul is set on doing God’s will, and whose delight is in the law of the Lord, does not need to be told that he should not get drunk. Therefore, as a temperance lesson appropriate to Christians, it is necessary to consider the principle of temperance from the standpoint of its larger and more refined meaning; namely, that of self-control along all lines.

The Apostle Peter informs us that “temperance” is one of the characteristics of the Christian life which should be added to our faith—“Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance.” (II Pet. 1:5,6) Here the thought unquestionably is not merely abstaining from strong drink, but self-control in every respect; and surely this is a very important requirement which the Scriptures enjoin upon every follower of the Master.

Temperance is self-control, and how sad is the condition of one who has no self-control. “He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city,” writes the prophet. (Prov. 16:32) And the Scriptures liken one who does not rule his own spirit to a broken-down city without walls; that is. one who has no defense of mind or heart against the evil influences by which he is surrounded, nor against the evil propensities of his own fallen nature.—Prov. 25:28

The Golden Text is very much in line with the application of the lesson in the lives of Christians—“Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.” The apostle seems here to be contrasting the intoxication resulting from the unstinted use of alcoholic beverages with the exhilaration of mind and heart caused by a rich indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Even from a literal standpoint an admonition of this sort was probably not out of place in the early church. In the nominal churches of today it would still be appropriate.

Symbolically we might speak of the “wine” of false doctrine with which many become intoxicated. And as Christians we all need to be on guard lest we become intoxicated with the spirit of the world, or the spirit of pleasure, or the spirit of money-getting. Instead, the apostle reminds us, we are to be filled with the Spirit—that is, the Holy Spirit of God. If filled with the Spirit of God we may be assured that our lives will be directed along lines which will be pleasing to him.

We cannot be filled with the spirit of the world and the Spirit of the Lord at the same time, so we should be emptied of the one in order that we might be filled with the other. Nor can we be filled with the Spirit of the Lord simply by wishing for it. God has ordained the methods by which we may obtain an infilling of his Spirit. First, of course, is the necessity of being emptied of the spirit of self and of the world. And then, as the apostle indicates, there is the matter of speaking to ourselves “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”—Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16

“Speaking to yourselves” is a reference to the privilege of fellowship which we enjoy with one another. Were one to be unavoidably isolated from others of like precious faith the Lord would doubtless make up to him for his lack of fellowship. But where it is possible to meet with others to study the Word and to praise the Lord together it is essential that we appreciate and use these privileges if we are to be “filled with the Spirit.”

To be filled with the Spirit, however, does not mean to be boisterous and hilarious. It simply means that our minds and hearts are in tune with the will of God, and that we find delight in doing the things which are pleasing to him. It means that the greatest joys of our lives are those which result from the study of his Word, communion with him in prayer, fellowship with his consecrated people, and sacrificing ourselves in his service.

One of the chief evidences of a Spirit-filled life is a self-sacrificing zeal to proclaim the Gospel message of peace and hope for the blessing of God’s people, and as a witness to the world. It is thus that the Christian fulfils the commission of Isaiah 61:1-3.

QUESTIONS:

Do Christians need especially to be admonished against the use of intoxicating beverages?

What is the broader meaning of the term “temperance”?

What does it mean to be “filled with the Spirit,” and how can this filling be obtained?

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