The letter that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus is rich in content. The church in Ephesus was surrounded by idolatry, occults, spiritism, and immorality. To help the believers in Ephesus combat this, Paul focuses the book of Ephesians on the power language of God and Christ, spiritual deception, ecclesiology (the church), and Christian living. Paul helps the believers in Ephesus remember what God had done for them while teaching them how to live by the Spirit.

Although I could do an entire study on the book of Ephesians, I wanted to focus on two scriptures that can practically and spiritually help all believers.

Ephesians 1:13b-14 New International Version, Paul states, “….When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 5:18, Paul states, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

First, Paul tells the believers in Ephesus that they have the Holy Spirit, but in the latter part of his letter he tells them to be filled with the Spirit.

Isn’t receiving the Holy Spirit the same as being filled with the Holy Spirit?

Before we can answer that question, we must first identify two things:

1. Who is the Holy Spirit?
2. What is the context surrounding these two verses of scripture?

Once we identify these two things, this will help us determine the theological meaning and interpretation behind Eph. 1:13-14 and Eph. 5:18.

IDENTITY

The Holy Spirit is, “…another advocate to help you and be with you forever—” John 14:16

Jesus gifted us with the Holy Spirit when He ascended into heaven to be with the Father.

“Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” Acts 2:33

The Holy Spirit is of the same essence and quality as Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the living God. The Holy Spirit fulfills the promises of the Father revealed in the Word of God.The Holy Spirit sanctifies and teaches us to be more and more like Jesus every day (John 14:26-28 & Gal. 5.16-26).

Without the Holy Spirit, no Christian would have the desire to pursue or seek after the things of God.

CONTEXT

In Eph. 1, Paul is helping Gentiles understand their identity in Christ. He wants them to know their place in the kingdom of God and the blessings that come with it. There was a lot of uneasiness between Gentiles and Jews, but Paul wanted the Gentiles to know that through Christ Jesus, they had the same authority as Jews.

Eph. 5 is linked to the latter part of Eph. 4. Both chapters dive into the lifestyle of a Christian, and how the believers in Ephesus have a responsibility to imitate the ways of God.

MEANING

We have now identified the Holy Spirit and the context behind the scriptures, so we can finally interpret what this meant to the believers in Ephesus.

First, Paul wanted the believers in Ephesus to know that the Holy Spirit was the assurance that they were children of God. He wanted the Gentiles to be confident and secure in their identity in Christ (Eph. 1:13-14).

We clearly understand what Paul means in this verse, but how does this explain Eph. 5:18 about being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Could it be that a believer can receive the Holy Spirit, but not be filled with the Holy Spirit?

In the context of Eph. 5:18, Paul is speaking about being controlled, submitted, or/and yielded to the Holy Spirit (Col. 3.2 & Phil. 4.8).

I like how Dr. Tony Evans puts it, “A person filled by the Spirit is under the Spirit’s influence.”

To be under the influence of someone is allowing that person to affect and control you. Paul knew that the church in Ephesus had already received the Holy Spirit because they were believers, but this does not necessarily mean they had given the Holy Spirit influence in their life.

It is quite beautiful how Paul writes Eph. 4 and 5. He first teaches the Gentiles how to live as children of God, and he ends the section by telling them that the only way to do this is by being filled with the Holy Spirit. In Eph. 5:19-20, Paul goes deeper in his teaching by giving the Gentiles practical and spiritual ways on how to be filled with the Spirit.

The truth is you can be a Christian who has the Holy Spirit, but you are not filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul knew that the believers in Ephesus needed to be filled with the Holy Spirt to fulfill the will of God for their life.

Like the believers in Ephesus, you, too, automatically received the Holy Spirit when you believed.

Like the believers in Ephesus, you, too, must allow the Holy Spirit to influence your life, so you can live out the ways and practices of Christ.

The point of today’s blog is to give you a theological interpretation of Eph. 1:13-14 and Eph. 5:18. Although this letter was written to the church in Ephesus, the same principles apply to believers today.

I want to encourage and challenge you to be a Spirit-filled believer allowing the Holy Spirit to take full control over your life.