Lesson 5: The Spirit-Filled Life (Part 2) The Walk by Means of the Spirit The Difference Between Indwelling and Filling The Indwelling of the Spirit As shown in the previous lesson, a number of New Testament passages call attention to the fact and nature of the SpiritÆs indwelling of New Testament believers. Some examples are: John 7:37-39 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ôIf any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, æFrom his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.Æö 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Romans 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 8:9 However, 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. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. In the ministry of indwelling, the New Testament describes the Holy Spirit as an anointing, a seal, a pledge, and our Helper or Enabler. Regarding indwelling, Ryrie writes, The indwelling ministry of the Spirit is the heart of the distinctiveness of the SpiritÆs work in this Church Age. It is also the center of our LordÆs promises to His disciples concerning the ministry of the Spirit after His departure from earth. Too, the doctrine of the indwelling is foundational to the other ministries the Spirit performs today.55 Indwelling is, however, distinct from the filling of the Spirit and the two should not be confused. There are a number of biblical facts which demonstrate this distinction. (1) Indwelling is a distinctive ministry that is true of only believers in Christ. The only condition for indwelling is the obedience of faith in Christ (John 7:37-39) whereas the filling of the Spirit is dependent upon faith in the Spirit for His control. Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationùhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of GodÆs own possession, to the praise of His glory. (2) Though all believers are indwelt regardless of their spiritual state (even when living in carnality as seen in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), all believers are not filled with the Spirit. (3) This indwelling is d as permanent and a declaration of a believerÆs security. It is described as ôforeverö and ôunto the day of redemption.ö Romans 8:9 teaches us that indwelling is a proof of the believerÆs salvation, ôà if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.ö John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. The indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit is that ministry wherein the Holy Spirit comes to make the new believer His permanent dwelling place, the place of His personal presence as the foundation for all the various ministries He will have within the life of the believer. The Filling of the Spirit While believers are never commanded to be indwelt with the Spirit, they are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. Because our perception of the word ôfillingö suggests the intake of something, many have equated the filling of the Spirit with getting the Spirit within, or getting more of the Spirit. They have confused the filling of the Spirit with His indwelling. This is false and leads to erroneous ideas about the filling of the Spirit. After the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, we have a number of references in the New Testament which refer to the filling of the Spirit using such words as ôfullö or ôfillingö or ôfilled.ö A sample of these verses are Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3-5; 7:55; 9:17; 13:9, 52; and Ephesians 5:18. The questions is, what does the concept of ôfullö or ôfilledö mean? In the Acts passages only two Greek words occur, the noun plerhs, ôfull,ö and the verb pimplhmi, ôfill, be filled.ö The noun form is also used of ôwisdom, rage, envy, power, grace,ö etc. As a noun it looks at a state or condition which, however, refers to what takes control and possesses the person so that it becomes the dominating force. When a person is full of rage, they are clearly out of control and the trait which characterizes them is rage. A person who is full of the Spirit as mentioned in Acts 6:3 and 5, is one whose life is animated and controlled by the Spirit. The use of the verb form in Acts as it pertains to the Holy Spirit seems to refer to a special filling that is a sovereign work of God in contrast to the normal filling of the Spirit that is commanded in Ephesians 5:18. Several things support this idea: Pimplhmi always occurs in the aorist tense and generally in the indicative mood (emphasizing an historical event and not a state). Acts 4:8 is an aorist participle and could be translated, ôAnd Peter, having been filled by the Holy Spirit, said àö The same idea applies to Paul in Acts 9:17 and 13:9. It is always in the passive voice (pointing to a sovereign work of God). No conditions of filling are mentioned, only that the recipients were filled by the Spirit. The filling was for a specific task and was temporary. This can be seen by comparing Acts 2:4 with 4:8 and 31. Acts 4:8 seems to refer to PeterÆs normal walk under the control of the Spirit, but in the other two passages, a special filling occurred for a special task. But because of the analogy and comparison used, and because it is the one passage where believers are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, the meaning of ôfilledö is best seen in Ephesians 5:18, ôAnd do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.ö ôFilledö is the verb pleroo, ôto fill, make full, fill to the full.ö It is used of things such as sounds and odors (Acts 2:2; John 12:3), and of persons with powers or qualities like joy, righteousness, wisdom (Acts 2:28; 13:52; Phil. 1:11; Col. 1:9). But how do we understand the word ôfilledö with regard to the Spirit? Is He the content with which one is filled, or the means by which one is filled? Some understand the Spirit as the content with which one is filled like water in a jar, but grammatically this is very unlikely. It is better to understand the Spirit as the means by which one is filled, not the content. Greek is an inflectional language that uses various cases that determine how a word is being used in a clause or sentence. And it is a rule of Greek grammar that a verb may be used with more than one case in order to distinguish certain ideas or to make ideas clear. In the Greek text, ôwith the Spiritö represents the preposition en plus the noun pneuma in the dative case (pneumati). To interpret this construction to refer to the Spirit as the content with which one is filled is grammatically suspect since normally a verb of filling takes a noun in the genitive case to express the idea of content, not the dative. Such a genitive is called a genitive of content.56 Let me illustrate it this way. With the genitive case, the noun in the genitive refers to the material, the content of filling, as when the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume when Mary anointed the feet of Jesus (John 12:3). With the dative case, the noun in the dative refers to the agent or instrument that causes the filling, i.e., ôbe filled by means of the Spirit.ö With the accusative case, the noun in the accusative refers to the thing filled, as when grief fills the heart (John 16:6). In Ephesians 5:18, the contrast with wine shows that the obvious idea in ôfilledö is that of spiritual control by means of the Spirit who already indwells and is present in believers. The analogy with a drunk person is designed by the apostle to make the issue crystal clear: to be drunk with wine means to be controlled, brought under the influence of wine. Visible behavior characteristics begin to take place as a person comes under the influence of wine. In contrast, to be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit so the filled believer does things that are unnatural for him under the control of the Spirit even as the drunken individual does things that are unnatural for him under the control of the spirits.57 The comparison is in the matter of control. A drunken person is controlled by the liquor which he has consumed. Because of this he thinks in ways normally unnatural to him. Likewise, the man who is Spirit-filled is controlled, and he too acts in ways that are unnatural to him. This is not to imply that these ways are erratic or abnormal, but they are not ways which belong to his old life. Thus being filled with the Spirit is simply being controlled by the Spirit.58 The issue is not getting the Spirit within, but of allowing the indwelling Spirit to take charge and move into every area of the believerÆs life. Reduced to its simplest terms, to be filled with the Spirit means that, through voluntary surrender and in response to appropriating faith, the human personality is filled, mastered, controlled by the Holy Spirit. The very word filled supports that meaning. The idea is not that of something being poured into a passive empty receptacle. ôThat which take possession of the mind is said to fill it,ö says Thayer, the great lexicographer. That usage of the word is found in Luke 5:26 (KJV): ôThey were filled with fear,ö and in John 16:6: ôBecause I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.ö Their fear and sorrow possessed them to the exclusion of other emotions; they mastered and controlled them.59 The Nature and Purpose of the Filling of the Spirit What exactly is the nature and purpose of the filling of the Spirit? Is it enablement for service, or is its design the sanctification of the believer? In Acts the filling of the Spirit is clearly seen as GodÆs enablement for service and for witness and proclamation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. also Acts 9:17; 11:24; 13:9, 52). Acts 1:8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ôRulers and elders of the people, àö Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness. In the book of Ephesians, the filling of the Spirit produces worship, submission, and changed relationships in the home and on the job (cf. Ephesians 5:18-6:9). As in other similar situations the question arises, why make a choice? There is an evident connection between the character of the witness and the impact of the witness; furthermore, the call to be filled with the Spirit comes in a context of concern for the lost and the impact of believers on the world. There is a call for moral purity in Eph. 5:1-14 and a call for careful commitment in Eph. 5:15-16 followed by the command to be filled with the Spirit, which results in the worship, submission, and relationships mentioned above.60 It is evident that these results from the filling of the Spirit in Ephesians 5 occur in a setting of witness and testimony on the part of the church. As a result, the most effective way to resolve the issue is to answer that the filling of the Spirit is both an enduement of power for sanctification and service, and that there is a direct relationship between service and sanctification, since character confirms witness (note particularly the relationship between unity and witness in John 13:34-35 and John 17:21-23).61 (Emphasis mine.) The Walk by Means of the Spirit Is there any difference between the command to be filled with the Spirit and the command to walk by means of the Spirit? Though they would seem to be basically synonymous, there does seem to be a difference in focus or emphasis. Walking by the Spirit Described Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 commands Christians to walk by the Spirit. It is an imperative of the daily lifeùnot an option. The verb ôwalkö is in a tense (continuous present) that stresses a continuous, moment-by-moment responsibility and need. In essence, all believers are responsible to walk by the Spirit. Failure to do so constitutes a sin of negative volition to GodÆs grace, an act of failing to walk by faith in GodÆs resources. Just as a person who walks with the aid of a cane, leans on and depends on the cane so to walk by the Spirit is to be faith-dependent on the Spirit for each step of oneÆs daily life. The promised result that comes from walking by the Spirit is simply that the believer begins to experience behavioral changes: growing deliverance from the control of the flesh or from the reign of sin, but also the positive production of the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 stresses that the alternative to walking by the Spirit is the control of the flesh. Unless the believer walks by the Spirit, he will fulfill the desires of the flesh. In essence, then, the believer is either controlled by the Spirit or controlled by the flesh. That which he depends on as his resource for daily living determines who or what controls his life and the direction his life will take. Walking by the Spirit Defined Walking by the Spirit is a Spirit-dependent walk which means a conscious determination to trust or rely only on the resources of the indwelling Spirit for strength to obey God and overcome the desires of the flesh. It is negative, a turning away from, and positive, a turning to, i.e., the believer chooses to turn away from self and turn to the Holy Spirit for ability to live the Christian life. This is accomplished through faith (cf. Gal. 5:5). But vital to an attitude of moment-by-moment dependence is the study of the Word, prayer, worship, fellowship with others, and keeping short accounts with God through bonafide, honest to God confession that seeks to maintain a right relationship with God. The results will be the fruit of the Spirit rather than the works of the flesh. Galatians 5:18-26 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Distinction Between the Filling of the Spirit and Walking by the Spirit The filling of the Spirit initiates the SpiritÆs control through submission, whereas walking by the Spirit maintains the SpiritÆs control through step-by-step dependence. In filling we submit or yield to the Spiritùin walking we depend on the Spirit. As we saw, to walk by means of anything is to depend on that element in order to walk. In that sense, walking by the Spirit means depending on the Spirit for daily living. However, in the Greek text, both commands are present imperatives of continuous action; both are the products of faith and obviously occur simultaneously. The main difference is in the meaning of the verbs and in their voice. ôFilledö is the passive voice while ôwalkö is active. The idea of ôfilledö meaning ôcontrolö and the passive voice suggest the concept of submission or being yielded. We are volitionally to continue to release control of our lives to the Spirit. He is allowed to take control and make Christ at home in the believerÆs life (Eph. 3:16-17). In the filling of the Spirit, we give up the right to run our lives; we submit to Him. The filling of the Spirit is very much parallel with Romans 6:12-13. Ephesians 3:16-17 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, Romans 6:12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. The active voice plus the basic meaning of the word ôwalkö places stress on actively choosing to take each step by faith in the Spirit as the means of walking. The goal is to maintain the SpiritÆs control along with an attitude of submission or yieldedness. In reality, the two commands are just two ways of saying the same thing, but with a different focus. Why We Must Be Filled With and Walk by the Spirit It is commanded in the Word God would not give us these commands if they were not necessities. The fact God has commanded it, settles it. This is not a matter for debate nor an option that can be ignored without serious consequences. Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. There can be no production without it Since the flesh (our human resources) profits nothing and gives no capacity for real spiritual life, we desperately need GodÆs resourcesùthe filling of the Holy Spirit. The great necessity of the filling (control) of the Spirit is evident by the many ministries He alone can accomplish in our lives. As the Lord reminds us, ôIt is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are lifeö (John 6:63). Romans 7:15-18 For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. Romans 8:3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, We cannot please God without it The opposite of the filling of the Spirit is to be fleshly minded. To be fleshly minded is to have a flesh-dominated life, one that is concerned with self-centered pursuits, with the earthly, and with the temporal at the expense of the spiritual, the heavenly, and the eternal. We are in the world, we can use the world and enjoy the blessings God gives, but this is not to be our focus or that which controls us. Take time to read and think on Matthew 6:19-33; and 1 Timothy 6:6-19 as well as the passage below. Romans 8:5-8 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. There is no spiritual growth without it A casual reading of John 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:3; Galatians 3:1-3; Ephesians 3:16-19 show how involved the Holy Spir

Lesson 5: The Spirit-Filled Life (Part 2)
AUTHOR: Biblical Studies Foundation
PUBLISHED ON: April 9, 2003
DOC SOURCE: CCN
PUBLISHED IN: Sermons
TAGS: holy spirit | Spirit-filled living
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