This week's "thought"
comes to you from J. D. Watson's
book, "A Word for the Day - Key
Words from the New Testament."Today's selection is actually a short phrase Paul uses in Eph. 5:18 comprised of three Greek words: "plerousthe en pneumatic" (or in English, "Be Filled With the Spirit." ) It's a phrase frequently used in the Church and yet often misunderstood. His explanation is helpful in guiding us in this regard. I hope you find it helpful. Enjoy.
"plerousthe en pneumati"
Be filled in (or with) the Spirit
"The word plerousthe (from pleroo) speaks of filling a
container and means, "to influence fully, to control." As one
authority adds, "To fill up, to cause to abound, to furnish or supply
liberally, to flood, to diffuse throughout." It is used, for example,
in Matthew 13:48, to refer to a full fishing net. The chief idea then, is that
we are to be permeated with, and therefore controlled by, the Spirit.
All of that, of course, is fine in theory, but what does it mean in
practice? Preachers often say that "filling" means
"control," but what exactly does that mean? As theologian Louis
Sperry Chafer puts it: "It is not a matter of acquiring more of the
Spirit, but rather of the Spirit of God acquiring all of the
individual." It means that we are influenced by Him and nothing
else. To put it succinctly: To be filled with the Spirit is to have our
thoughts, desires, values, motives, goals, priorities, and all else, set on
spiritual things and spiritual growth...
It is interesting that since some NT Christians are referred to as
being "full of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:3), there must have been
something about them that was recognizable as evidence. What did people
see? Can there be any doubt that it was Christlikeness of character? [In
terms of Acts 6:3 - wisdom, compassion and graciousness.] That's the point
of Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control, against
which there is no law."
When such character is present in our lives people will see Holy Spirit
control [or filling] in us. They won't have to see some emotional outburst or
ecstatic experience; rather, they will see Christlike behavior.
The construction of the Greek verb for "filled" (plerousthe)
is all-important. One of the most prominent misconceptions about Spirit-filling
is that it involves some "crisis experience," some "dramatic
event," some so-called second blessing, which comes only because we
"agonize over it in prayer" for a period of time. But Scripture
says none of that. On the contrary, we need not struggle for it, we simply
claim it.
FIRST, the verb plerousthe
is in the present tense, which shows a continuing action. In other words,
Spirit-filling is designed to be a continuing reality. A literal translation of
the Greek is, "Be being filled." We are to be in the state of constantly
being filled with the Spirit [constantly surrendering to His control].
SECOND, the verb is in the
imperative mood, which indicates a military type command and something we
control. Spirit-filling is not optional, but rather mandatory. As Ephesians
5:17 declares, this is the will of God. God, therefore, would not give us a
command unless we were being put in charge of carrying out the command. So it's
up to us to obey. While "sealing" and "baptism"
[regeneration or the initial reception of the Spirit] are done by God, and
are therefore in the aorist tense, "filling" is up to us to allow. It
has to do with a yieldedness whereby we allow the Holy Spirit to take control.
THIRD, this is further
indicated by the verb being in the passive voice, the subject being acted upon.
We allow the Holy Spirit to act upon us and control us. Let us each day renew
our yielding to Holy Spirit control.
And LAST,
we come to another question concerning Spirit-filling: "What exactly is
the purpose?" All one need do to find the answer is open the book of Acts.
There are at least six instances in Acts where people are "filled with the
Spirit" (2:4, 4:8 and 31, 7:55, 9:17 and 13:9). In every instance, the purpose
of Spirit-filling was an empowering for service, more specifically, an
empowering to proclaim the truth of God.
That is the power spoken of in Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of
the earth."
Helpful I hope! As he makes clear, the "filling with the Spirit" enhances
the ripening or maturing of the "Fruit of the
Spirit." It equips us for service while also serving to
sanctify us. It all goes together and must never be separated, lest the
"experience" be sought apart from the purpose for which it is
given.
In His Service, Pastor Jeff
