Ephesians 5.18-The Contrast Between the Prohibition and Command in Ephesians 5.18
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday August 27, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:18-The Contrast Between the Prohibition and Command in Ephesians 5:18
Lesson # 362
Ephesians 5:15 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of paying careful attention to the manner in which each and every one of you make it your habit of conducting your lives. Each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to not make it your habit of conducting your lives in an unwise manner. On the contrary, each and every one of you must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives in a wise manner 16 by continuing to make it your habit of taking full advantage of your opportunity for your own benefit because these days are characterized by evil. 17 For this reason, each and every one of must continue to make it your habit of not conducting your lives as foolish individuals. On the contrary, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives as wise individuals by comprehending for the purpose of personal application what constitutes the Lord’s will (for the manner in which each one of you as a corporate unit are to continue making it your habit of conducting your life). 18 Consequently, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of not permitting yourselves to be drunk by means of the excessive intake of wine because this is non-sensical behavior. On the contrary, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of permitting yourselves to be influenced by means of the Spirit’s teaching. (Lecturer’s translation)
As we noted, the apostle Paul presents a contrast in Ephesians 5:18.
He is contrasting the mental state of someone who is under the influence of alcohol and drunk with that of one who is under the influence of the Spirit inspired teaching of the apostle Paul recorded in the Ephesian epistle.
The issue is crystal clear: to be drunk with wine means to be brought under the influence of wine.
Visible characteristics begin to take place as a person comes under the influence of alcohol.
In contrast, to be filled with the Spirit is to be influenced by the Spirit so the Spirit-influenced believer does things that are unnatural for him under the influence of the Spirit even as the drunken individual does things that are unnatural for him under the influence of the spirits.
The comparison is a matter of influence or control.
A drunken person is controlled by alcohol, which he has consumed.
Because of this he thinks in ways normally unnatural to him.
Or he conducts himself in ways that are opposite of his norms and standards.
Likewise, the believer who is under the influence of the Spirit acts in ways that are unnatural to him.
In other words, the believer under the influence of the Spirit is going to act in ways that are contrary to his old Adamic-life.
The issue is not getting the Spirit within you, but rather of allowing the indwelling Spirit to take charge and move into every area of your life.
So, to be influenced by means of the Spirit inspired contents of Scripture, means that the believer must voluntarily surrender their old Adamic-life in exchange for the new Christ-life.
The believer must make a conscious decision to acknowledge any known sins to the Father and then immediately apply the Word of God to their thought process.
So, to be fully influenced by means of the Spirit means that the believer must voluntarily surrender their old Adamic-life in exchange for the new Christ-life.
The believer must make a conscious decision to confess any known sins to the Father in order to be restored to fellowship (1 John 1:9).
This fellowship is maintained by obeying the Word of God, which is inspired by the Spirit.
The filling of the Spirit is the mental state of the believer who does not have any unconfessed sins in their stream of consciousness and is applying the Word to his thought process.
It takes place in the soul of the believer when he allows God the Holy Spirit to influence his soul.
It is a dynamic whereas the indwelling of the Spirit is static meaning it never changes and it is eternal.
The filling of the Spirit is the operational power of God the Holy Spirit, which empowers the believer to execute the will of God the Father.
The filling of the Spirit enables the believer to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ meaning to become like Him experientially in His death and resurrection.
It enables the believer to become like Jesus Christ in thought, word and action or in other words, it gives the believer the ability to acquire the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is called the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23).
It is necessary for the believer to allow himself to be influenced by the Spirit in order that he may walk by the Spirit.
Walking by the Spirit is actively choosing to conduct oneself by means of the Spirit.
The filling of the Spirit and walking by the Spirit are two sides of the same coin.
You cannot walk by the Spirit unless you are filled or more accurately influenced by the Spirit.
Being influenced by means of the Spirit is directly related to the believer’s mental attitude whereas walking by the Spirit is directly related to how the believer conducts himself.
A person’s conduct is governed by their mental attitude (Mark 7:22-23).
The believer who is applying the Word of God is influenced by means of the Spirit, therefore, the filling of the Spirit is directly related to being a doer of the Word of God since the Spirit inspired the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:20-21).
The Spirit takes the doctrines of Christ, i.e., the Word of God and makes them understandable to the believer.
The Spirit does not act independently of the mind of Christ, i.e., the Word of God (John 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16).
The Spirit’s job is to manifest Christ, to mediate the presence of Christ in the believer, to make the mind of Christ understandable to the believer.
Therefore, the believer who is influenced by means of the Spirit is a doer of the Word since He is obeying the Spirit’s voice who speaks to the believer through the communication of the Word of God, which is the mind of Christ.
The Spirit of God and the Word of God work in concert with one another on behalf of the believer who has no unconfessed sin in his stream of consciousness and is applying the Word of God to his thought process.
The filling of the Spirit is an absolute meaning that the believer is either permitting himself or herself to be under the influence of the Spirit or they are under the influence of the old sin nature and Satan’s cosmic system.
It is the only means of having fellowship with God (John 4:23-24) and is the only means by which the Holy Spirit produces Christ-like character in the believer.
The filling of the Spirit is the only means by which the believer can execute the plan of God.
The believer who obeys the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Word of God will be influenced by means of the Spirit and will also permit the Holy Spirit to reproduce the life and character of Christ in their life and will therefore, have the capacity to walk as a child of the Light.
