Under the Influence

He was a scary drunk. Normally a fun-loving, gentle man, when alcohol was in his system, he transformed into a frightening spectacle. The teens in the house hid the knives when they knew their uncle was out at the bar. Then they would lie in their beds, dreading the moment he would come roaring home. His fits of rage and abusive tirades would inevitably have them and their widowed mother cowering before him. Yet always the next morning, he would return to his old self: loving, kind, and ready for a good laugh. It was like living with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Life with an alcoholic is a rollercoaster ride. When a person you love submits themselves to the influence of a substance, it often involves a personality change. It is like they become someone else.

“Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,” Paul wrote the Ephesians. Paul was contrasting two very different influences that can considerably alter a person. The first is wine.

Paul picked a familiar metaphor for his readers: they all knew what it was like to be around a drunk. In Roman culture, abuse of alcohol peaked around the mid-first century, when Paul penned his letter. Drunkenness was common at festivals and other celebrations. This abusive drinking was modeled at the top: all four emperors who reigned from A.D. 37 to A.D. 69 were known for it.

The point of this passage is not excessive drinking, however. Paul is using drunkenness as a contrast to being filled with the Holy Spirit, a second potentially altering influence.

The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. His presence in our lives and physical bodies began at the moment of our salvation: “After listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise…” (Ephesians 1:13, NASB) God placed the Spirit in us as a permanent seal and guarantee that someday our redemption will be complete. So why would Paul urge Christians to be filled with the Spirit if He is already present within us?

To answer this question, we need to look at the context of this command. The overall emphasis of the letter to the Ephesian Christians is about living in unity. Antagonism had always existed between Jew and Gentile, but they were now reconciled through Christ. What were two separate entities was now one body, fellow heirs in the household of God. Ephesians chapters 4 and 5 contain practical instructions on how they were to live this out. Paul’s contrast between drunkenness and living under the influence of the Spirit are made within this context.

Actually, the whole letter is a series of stark contrasts. Before versus after. Good versus evil.  Don’t live like that. Live like this. You are no longer children of Satan. You are children of God. The Greek word translated as be filled means to fill to the full, abound, complete, fulfill, carry into effect. It is in the present active tense, and in the passive voice. In other words, opposite to drunken, out-of-control behavior, we are to continually allow the Holy Spirit control over our lives.

This kind of Spirit-influence is a drastic change from who we are without His influence. Galatians 5:17 informs us the flesh (our sinful nature) sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. Our old nature and our new nature stand in radical opposition to each other. Yielding control to the Spirit is a battle— because we must determine to ignore what comes naturally to us in the interest of obedience. Paul puts it this way: “You may not do the things you please.”

Choosing to put ourselves under the influence of the Spirit will transform us from selfish, self-serving people to fruit-bearers: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will be easily evident in our lives. We yield one day, one hour at a time. Begin each day expressing your desire to live under the Spirit’s control to the Lord. Ask Him for sensitivity to His leading and instruction. Be serious about your commitment to study Scripture. Much of our instruction and leading comes directly from its pages. Ask friends to help you stay accountable when you encounter a particularly difficult hurdle to overcome. In other words, be proactive in your quest to remain yielded to Him.

Just as being under the influence of alcohol alters a person, yielding to the Spirit living within us will transform us. We truly will become a different person: one who is conformed to the image of Christ.