Session 4 When Substances Take Over

Background

Ver. 16. Redeeming the time.—R.V. margin, “buying up the opportunity.” Seizing the crucial moment as eagerly as men bid for a desirable article at an auction sale. Because the days are evil.—A man in Paul’s circumstances and with his consuming earnestness of spirit may be forgiven if he does not see everything rose-coloured.

5:16 making the best use of. This phrase translates the Greek exagorazō, which can also mean “redeem” or “purchase.” Christians must actively take advantage of the opportunity to do good (cf. Ps. 90:12). Wisdom is especially needed in an evil age where the pathway of holiness is not always immediately clear until one reflects upon God’s Word and discerns his holy will.

Let’s start with

5:17 understand … the will of the Lord. This does not mean that a person tries to discern God’s secret counsel (his “hidden will”) but that he applies God’s general guidelines for life as found in the Bible (his “revealed will”; cf. Deut. 29:29 and note on Eph. 5:10).

Ephesians 5:15–17 ESV

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Not Unwise But Wise, Using Every Opportunity (5:15–16)

5:15 The Bible closely associates wisdom with honoring and obeying God (e.g., Prov 1:7).

Spiritual vigilance (“watch carefully” is more accurate than the niv’s “be very careful”) is necessary if the saints are to overcome darkness and live as light. Many of the Ephesians had fallen asleep spiritually (v. 14) and needed to wake up and become alert. Some ancient manuscripts, followed by the kjv, change the word order here to read “See then that you walk circumspectly” (kjv, nkjv), but the better manuscripts support the reading here. “Carefully” connotes close attention, focus, and scrutiny. Every believer needs the loving and careful vigilance of those around him. This will take the form of encouragement or admonition, depending on which is needed at any given time. It is popular today to replace personal contact with online social networking, but overlooking face-to-face interaction can be dangerous. The kind of up-close observation we need cannot be accomplished through Facebook or Twitter.

Continuous watchfulness is mandatory if we want to live a life pleasing to the Lord in a world dedicated to the dark ways of sin. Any careless decision or selfish thought can seduce us into taking the wrong path and falling into spiritual defeat. Our vigilance must be corporate and not just individual. We cannot carry this burden by ourselves, for the pressures of secularity and the temptations to live by the pleasure principle are too great. We need help, both vertically, from the Spirit, and horizontally, from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Without the loving eyes of those around us, we will all too often deceive ourselves.

5:16 Refers to the current times, as opposed to the coming time when Jesus will return and vanquish evil. The current time (or present age) is characterized by disobedience and the corrupting influence of Satan. Compare Eph 2:2; Gal 1:4; 2 Cor 4:4.

Paul enjoins the Ephesians to walk “not as unwise but as wise.” This is true at both the personal and the corporate levels. In Ephesians 1:17 Paul prayed that God would give them “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Believers need divine wisdom (1:8) through the Spirit to be successful in their decisions. To be unwise is to fail both to understand God’s ways and to live within God’s plan, which was revealed through the “wisdom and insight” (1:8–9) made known in all their variety to the cosmic powers through the church (3:10). Now it is time for us to use that wisdom to live rightly before God (Col 4:5, “walk in wisdom”). Proverbs calls the failure to do this “foolishness” (Prov 1:7; 10:14, 23; 17:21–25; 18:6–7; 23:9). The person who disregards God is indeed a fool, both empty and useless. The wise, on the other hand, are typified by an awareness of God and a desire to live out that awareness in their daily conduct.

5:17 Refers to being ignorant of God’s values, concerns, and authority (compare Pss 14:1; 53:1). God’s will is to bring all of creation under the authority of Christ (Eph 1:9–10).

The wise will not fritter away their lives on earthly pursuits but will make “the most of every opportunity” (5:16; literally, “redeeming the time”). The verb is a commercial metaphor used for purchasing a commodity, and it implies a period of vigorous trading while there is profit to be made. The same is true in the Christian walk. As Paul directs us in 2 Timothy 2:15, “work very hard to present yourself to God as one approved.” Here the intention is that we will use our time wisely, making every opportunity count. As I write this I am 73 years old and have come to recognize how short life really is. We have only a few chances to make our lives matter, and we want to avoid squandering our limited opportunities and resources.

The reason Paul gives for paying such intense attention to the wise use of every opportunity is that “the days are evil.” If the saints are not exceedingly careful to be in control of their time, evil can insert itself and take over. Most interpreters understand Paul’s words here to reflect the Jewish perspective of the two ages: the present age, characterized as evil, and the age to come, when the Messiah will return and God will redeem his people. Paul may be thinking especially of Daniel’s teaching about the evil forces arrayed against God’s people. Since evil is in control of our world, the saints must be alert at all times and carefully work to ensure that the gospel triumphs and the church remains strong. In Ephesians 2:2 the “ways of this world” are shown to be aligned with “the ruler of the kingdom of the air,” and in 6:12 with “the powers of this dark world.” We as Christ’s church must make certain to leave no room in the days we have been allotted for Satan and evil to take over.

5:15–17. The world in which we live is filled with dangers and deceptions. It is not always easy to live an enlightened life even when we want to. We can get tripped up or ambushed by events and people without even being aware of the danger. We must be very careful to live our life rooted in wisdom, using our time wisely. Not to do so would be foolish. The will of the Lord is that we live carefully, cautiously, always matching our lifestyle with the teachings of Scripture.

Ver. 15. See then that ye walk circumspectly.—R.V. “Look then carefully how ye walk.” The way of life must be one of exactitude; and that it may be so the steps must not be haphazard, but carefully taken.

Not Ignorant but Understanding the Lord’s Will (5:17)

Ver. 16. Redeeming the time.—R.V. margin, “buying up the opportunity.” Seizing the crucial moment as eagerly as men bid for a desirable article at an auction sale. Because the days are evil.—A man in Paul’s circumstances and with his consuming earnestness of spirit may be forgiven if he does not see everything rose-coloured.

As stated above, Proverbs calls the lack of wisdom foolishness, which may be defined as disregard for God in our lives. The true fool is the secular person who through the triumph of narcissism has become her own god. “Therefore”—literally, “because of this”—goes back to the previous clause. The implication: “because the days are evil, don’t be a fool.” When we freely take part in sinful activity and ignore the ways of God, we are fools. But Paul’s words also build on the whole of verses 15–16 and so can be paraphrased “Because we are called to divine wisdom and to wise use of our time, we will not allow ourselves to become fools and fall into the evil practices of this age.”

Rather than following the foolish paths of unbelievers, the wise follower of God will “understand what the Lord’s will is.” The discerning Christian seeks always to search God’s word and to follow the Spirit’s guidance, so as to allow the Lord to determine proper actions. Here, as in Ephesians 1:8, wisdom and understanding are linked. Once again Paul is thinking of Proverbs, which states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7) and “How long will … fools hate knowledge?” (1:22). Psalm 111:10 puts it this way: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all who follow his precepts have good understanding” (see also Prov 9:10). Note the contrasts: the wise versus the fool and understanding and wisdom versus ignorance. It is practical understanding to discern the Lord’s will in the concrete decisions of life.

5:16 making the best use of. This phrase translates the Greek exagorazō, which can also mean “redeem” or “purchase.” Christians must actively take advantage of the opportunity to do good (cf. Ps. 90:12). Wisdom is especially needed in an evil age where the pathway of holiness is not always immediately clear until one reflects upon God’s Word and discerns his holy will.

“The Lord’s will” here means the will of Christ, since “Lord” refers throughout Ephesians to the lordship of Christ. While there isn’t a great deal of difference here—for Christ’s will is certainly God’s will—the section is christological at its core. Everything we have, including life in the heavenly realms (Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6), we have in Christ. The will of God/Christ in the New Testament refers to his guidance and demands for the Christian life. Romans 12:2 calls for us to “test and approve” God’s will—to demonstrate to all around us that God’s will works, that it is “good, pleasing, and perfect” for us. First Peter 4:2 challenges us to intentionally “live the rest of our lives” in accordance with God’s will. Christ has brought about our salvation and has made us part of his new creation and new community. Now he wants us to live as part of his body and to follow his plan. That is his will.

5:17 understand … the will of the Lord. This does not mean that a person tries to discern God’s secret counsel (his “hidden will”) but that he applies God’s general guidelines for life as found in the Bible (his “revealed will”; cf. Deut. 29:29 and note on Eph. 5:10).

Not Unwise But Wise, Using Every Opportunity (5:15–16)

Spiritual vigilance (“watch carefully” is more accurate than the niv’s “be very careful”) is necessary if the saints are to overcome darkness and live as light. Many of the Ephesians had fallen asleep spiritually (v. 14) and needed to wake up and become alert. Some ancient manuscripts, followed by the kjv, change the word order here to read “See then that you walk circumspectly” (kjv, nkjv), but the better manuscripts support the reading here. “Carefully” connotes close attention, focus, and scrutiny. Every believer needs the loving and careful vigilance of those around him. This will take the form of encouragement or admonition, depending on which is needed at any given time. It is popular today to replace personal contact with online social networking, but overlooking face-to-face interaction can be dangerous. The kind of up-close observation we need cannot be accomplished through Facebook or Twitter.

Continuous watchfulness is mandatory if we want to live a life pleasing to the Lord in a world dedicated to the dark ways of sin. Any careless decision or selfish thought can seduce us into taking the wrong path and falling into spiritual defeat. Our vigilance must be corporate and not just individual. We cannot carry this burden by ourselves, for the pressures of secularity and the temptations to live by the pleasure principle are too great. We need help, both vertically, from the Spirit, and horizontally, from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Without the loving eyes of those around us, we will all too often deceive ourselves.

Paul enjoins the Ephesians to walk “not as unwise but as wise.” This is true at both the personal and the corporate levels. In Ephesians 1:17 Paul prayed that God would give them “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Believers need divine wisdom (1:8) through the Spirit to be successful in their decisions. To be unwise is to fail both to understand God’s ways and to live within God’s plan, which was revealed through the “wisdom and insight” (1:8–9) made known in all their variety to the cosmic powers through the church (3:10). Now it is time for us to use that wisdom to live rightly before God (Col 4:5, “walk in wisdom”). Proverbs calls the failure to do this “foolishness” (Prov 1:7; 10:14, 23; 17:21–25; 18:6–7; 23:9). The person who disregards God is indeed a fool, both empty and useless. The wise, on the other hand, are typified by an awareness of God and a desire to live out that awareness in their daily conduct.

The wise will not fritter away their lives on earthly pursuits but will make “the most of every opportunity” (5:16; literally, “redeeming the time”). The verb is a commercial metaphor used for purchasing a commodity, and it implies a period of vigorous trading while there is profit to be made. The same is true in the Christian walk. As Paul directs us in 2 Timothy 2:15, “work very hard to present yourself to God as one approved.” Here the intention is that we will use our time wisely, making every opportunity count. As I write this I am 73 years old and have come to recognize how short life really is. We have only a few chances to make our lives matter, and we want to avoid squandering our limited opportunities and resources.

The reason Paul gives for paying such intense attention to the wise use of every opportunity is that “the days are evil.” If the saints are not exceedingly careful to be in control of their time, evil can insert itself and take over. Most interpreters understand Paul’s words here to reflect the Jewish perspective of the two ages: the present age, characterized as evil, and the age to come, when the Messiah will return and God will redeem his people. Paul may be thinking especially of Daniel’s teaching about the evil forces arrayed against God’s people. Since evil is in control of our world, the saints must be alert at all times and carefully work to ensure that the gospel triumphs and the church remains strong. In Ephesians 2:2 the “ways of this world” are shown to be aligned with “the ruler of the kingdom of the air,” and in 6:12 with “the powers of this dark world.” We as Christ’s church must make certain to leave no room in the days we have been allotted for Satan and evil to take over.

Not Ignorant but Understanding the Lord’s Will (5:17)

As stated above, Proverbs calls the lack of wisdom foolishness, which may be defined as disregard for God in our lives. The true fool is the secular person who through the triumph of narcissism has become her own god. “Therefore”—literally, “because of this”—goes back to the previous clause. The implication: “because the days are evil, don’t be a fool.” When we freely take part in sinful activity and ignore the ways of God, we are fools. But Paul’s words also build on the whole of verses 15–16 and so can be paraphrased “Because we are called to divine wisdom and to wise use of our time, we will not allow ourselves to become fools and fall into the evil practices of this age.”

Rather than following the foolish paths of unbelievers, the wise follower of God will “understand what the Lord’s will is.” The discerning Christian seeks always to search God’s word and to follow the Spirit’s guidance, so as to allow the Lord to determine proper actions. Here, as in Ephesians 1:8, wisdom and understanding are linked. Once again Paul is thinking of Proverbs, which states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7) and “How long will … fools hate knowledge?” (1:22). Psalm 111:10 puts it this way: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all who follow his precepts have good understanding” (see also Prov 9:10). Note the contrasts: the wise versus the fool and understanding and wisdom versus ignorance. It is practical understanding to discern the Lord’s will in the concrete decisions of life.

“The Lord’s will” here means the will of Christ, since “Lord” refers throughout Ephesians to the lordship of Christ. While there isn’t a great deal of difference here—for Christ’s will is certainly God’s will—the section is christological at its core. Everything we have, including life in the heavenly realms (Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6), we have in Christ. The will of God/Christ in the New Testament refers to his guidance and demands for the Christian life. Romans 12:2 calls for us to “test and approve” God’s will—to demonstrate to all around us that God’s will works, that it is “good, pleasing, and perfect” for us. First Peter 4:2 challenges us to intentionally “live the rest of our lives” in accordance with God’s will. Christ has brought about our salvation and has made us part of his new creation and new community. Now he wants us to live as part of his body and to follow his plan. That is his will.

Ephesians 5:18

5:18. Ephesus was a center of pagan worship and ritual. The Ephesian culture worshiped Baccus, the god of wine and drunken orgies. They believed that to commune with their god and to be led by him, they had to be drunk. In this drunken state, they could determine the will of their god and determine how best to serve and obey him.

Paul was talking about how to commune with the God of heaven, how to live for him, how to serve and obey him, how to determine his will. It was natural for him to draw the contrast between how the god of Ephesus is served and how the God of heaven is served. With the God of heaven, you do not get drunk with wine. Rather, you are filled with the Spirit. Being drunk with wine leads to the sexual sins and immorality of darkness described above. By being filled with the Spirit, you can determine God’s will and serve him faithfully in moral living.

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Some interpreters equate this command with instances of being filled with the Spirit in the Book of Acts in which miraculous things happened: people spoke in tongues; prophecies and visions were given; people were healed. “Be filled” in this verse (plarao) is not the same word as the one used in the Book of Acts (pimplemi), nor are the consequences the same. Rather than understanding this command in verse 18 to have anything to do with miraculous or extraordinary happenings, it is better to understand it in context. In this ethical context, it means directed, influenced, and ultimately governed by the Holy Spirit.

In Colossians 3:16, the Colossian believers are instructed to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. The consequences of this are the same as the consequences here in Ephesians 5 of being filled with the Spirit. That suggests that there is a close correlation in meaning between the two.

This filling, then, is best understood, as a command for the believer to yield himself to the illuminating, convicting, and empowering work of the Holy Spirit. As he works in our hearts through his Word, our lives are brought into conformity with the will of God (v. 17). (A fuller and more technical discussion of this matter can be found in “Deeper Discoveries.”)

Paul’s next little paragraph is based upon two assumptions, first that Christians are sophoi,—wise people, not fools—and secondly that Christian wisdom is practical wisdom, for it teaches us how to behave. His word for to ‘behave’ throughout the letter has been a Hebrew concept, to ‘walk’. Our Christian walk or behaviour, he has written, must no longer be according to the world, the flesh and the devil (2:1–3), or like the pagans (4:17). Instead, it must be ‘worthy’ of God’s call, ‘in love’, and ‘as children of light’ (4:1; 5:1; 5:8). Now he adds a more general exhortation to us to behave like the wise people he credits us with being: look carefully how you walk, he writes. Everything worth doing requires care. We all take trouble over the things which seem to us to matter—our job, our education, our home and family, our hobbies, our dress and appearance. So as Christians we must take trouble over our Christian life. We must treat it as the serious thing it is. ‘Be most careful then how you conduct yourselves: like sensible men, not like simpletons’ (neb). What, therefore, are the marks of wise people who take trouble over their Christian discipleship?

First, wise people make the most of their time. The verb exagorazō can mean to ‘redeem’ or ‘buy back’, and if used in this way here, the appeal is to ‘ransom the time from its evil bondage’. But probably it means rather to ‘buy up’, in which case rsv is right to translate making the most of the time, ‘time’ (kairos) referring to every passing opportunity.

Certainly wise people know that time is a precious commodity. All of us have the same amount of time at our disposal, with sixty minutes in every hour and twentyfour hours in every day. None of us can stretch time. But wise people use it to the fullest possible advantage. They know that time is passing, and also that the days are evil. So they seize each fleeting opportunity while it is there. For once it has passed, even the wisest people cannot recover it. Somebody once advertised as follows: ‘Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward offered, for they are gone for ever’. By contrast, Jonathan Edwards, the philosopher-theologian who became God’s instrument in the ‘Great Awakening’ in America in 1734–5, wrote in the seventieth of his famous Resolutions just before his twentieth birthday: ‘Resolved: Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.’ He was a wise man, for the first sign of wisdom which Paul gives here is a disciplined use of time.

Secondly, wise people discern the will of God. They are sure that, whereas wilfulness is folly, wisdom is to be found in God’s will and nowhere else. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (verse 17). Jesus himself prayed, ‘Not my will but yours be done,’ and taught us to pray, ‘May your will be done on earth as in heaven.’ Nothing is more important in life than to discover and do the will of God. Moreover, in seeking to discover it, it is essential to distinguish between his ‘general’ and his ‘particular’ will. The former is so called because it relates to the generality of his people and is the same for all of us, e.g. to make us like Christ. His particular will, however, extending to the particularities of our life, is different for each of us, e.g. what career we shall follow, whether we should marry, and if so whom. Only after this distinction has been made can we consider how we may find out what the will of the Lord is. His ‘general’ will is found in Scripture; the will of God for the people of God has been revealed in the Word of God. But we shall not find his ‘particular’ will in Scripture. To be sure, we shall find general principles in Scripture to guide us, but detailed decisions have to be made after careful thought and prayer and the seeking of advice from mature and experienced believers.

Ephesians 5:18

5:18 In the Greek text of Ephesians, this command provides the basis for Paul’s statements in vv. 19–21, all of which describe the outworking of being filled with the Spirit.

Ver. 18. Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess.—The word for “excess” is found again in Tit. 1:6 as “riot,” and in 1 Pet. 4:4. In all three texts the warning against intoxication is near the word. In Luke 15:13 we have the adverbial form—“riotously.”

5:18 Wine was the staple drink of the ancient Mediterranean world and was fermented in order to preserve it from turning into vinegar. be filled with the Spirit. As earlier (see note on 4:28), Paul expresses a negative exhortation (what the saints are to stop doing) along with a positive command (what the saints are to start doing). Whereas wine can control the mind and ruin one’s judgment and sense of propriety, leading to debauchery, in contrast with this, being “filled with the Spirit” leads to self-control along with the other fruits of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [and] gentleness” (Gal. 5:22–23). The command in Greek (plērousthe) is a present imperative and does not describe a onetime “filling” but a regular pattern of life.

THE CHRISTIAN SHOULD WALK IN THE SPIRIT (5:18–21)

This command culminates the ethical section of the letter in 4:17–5:21, explaining how we are able to walk worthily of our calling and live as part of the new humanity. We cannot do this in our own strength or by our own effort; we must be “filled with the Spirit.” It also looks ahead to the social codes that follow. It is the Spirit who transforms our relationships and our attitudes within those relationships. This does not imply that at conversion only part of the Spirit has entered the new believer and that only now will the Spirit fill her completely (see Rom 8:14–17). Rather, it means that the Spirit now fills every part of the believer. Think of yourself as the home in which the Spirit takes up residence. Previously you allowed him to inhabit an upstairs bedroom but not the whole house. Now the Spirit fills all of you.

The Key: Filled by the Spirit (5:18)

The first command, “Do not get drunk with wine,” seems out of place in verses 15–21. There have been various explanations. Some believe this relates to the pagan world of Paul’s day, in which people participated in drunken orgies as part of the worship of the Greek god Dionysus. Or perhaps Paul’s words reflect a problem in the eucharistic celebration similar to the one he describes in 1 Corinthians 11:20–22, or with the agape feast, similar to the discussions of 2 Peter 2:13 and Jude 12. The problem with all of these suggestions is the lack of evidence in the text for any such specific problem. It is more likely that Paul is addressing a general problem, similar to his admonitions against sexual libertinism, greed, and so on in this section. Drunkenness was as big a problem in the ancient world, as it is today, and Proverbs frequently addressed the issue (Prov 20:1; 21:17; 23:30, 31; 31:4). Moreover, getting drunk led to dropping inhibitions, which in turn often led to debauchery of all kinds and to a wasted, empty life.

Still, it would have been unusual for Paul to single out this specific problem with a prohibition like this. Certainly the issue of drunkenness within the church would have been reason enough for his concern, but I think there is more. At Pentecost some of the bystanders surmised that the seemingly excessive excitement and joy of the Spirit-filled disciples was the result of “too much wine” (Acts 2:13). Paul might in this instance be using a parable of Pentecost—saying, in effect: When you are filled with joy and singing (as in 5:19, below), may it be that it is the Spirit—and not the spirits—at work!

“Be filled with the Spirit” is a present-tense imperative, commanding a continuous infilling rather than a single, as it were, crisis experience. There is considerable difference of opinion whether the phrase en pneumati should be understood as content (filled with the Spirit) or means (filled by the Spirit). Both are viable, but en used to express content is unusual, so it is probably better to understand this as the means or sphere by which one is filled. The implied content of this filling would likely be the Triune Godhead, the “fullness” of God and Christ (Eph 1:23; 3:19; 4:13). The image is of believers being “filled to the brim” with the presence and power of the Godhead.

Our having been “sealed” with the Spirit (1:13; 4:30) results in our being filled with the Spirit. It is the Spirit who gives us the strength to say no to the temptations of the flesh (the vices of this section) and to live the Christlike life (the virtues of this section). It is the presence and power of the Godhead within us that bring us to victory in the holy war against the cosmic powers (3:10; 6:10–17).

Ephesians 5:19-21

5:19–21. Four Greek participles—speak, make music (melodying), giving thanks (thanking), and submit (subjecting)—in verses 19–21 modify the verb “be filled” of verse 18, describing the person filled with the Holy Spirit. The first two participles suggest the importance of music and Scripture in being filled with the Spirit. An attitude of gratitude is a third characteristic of being filled with the Spirit. Finally, an attitude of mutual submission among believers is a characteristic of being filled with the Spirit.

Following the fourth participle, being subject (or submitting) to one another, Paul then moves directly into three examples of relationships in which believers are to be subject to one another: husband-wife relationships, parent-child relationships, and master-slave relationships. Paul’s important point is that in each of these sets of relationships the one in authority is to be submissive to the needs of those under him and those in submission are to be subject to the authority of the one over him. For example, the wife is to be subject to the authority of her husband, but her husband is to be subject to the needs of the wife. Children are to be subject to the authority of their parents, but parents are to be subject to the needs of the children. Slaves are to be subject to the authority of their masters, but masters are to be subject to the needs of their slaves. The principle is an attitude of mutual subjection, which is a mark of being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is simply a matter of fulfilling the golden rule: doing to others as we would have others do to us.

5:19 Refers to a variety of songs used in Christian worship, probably including the ot psalms (compare Col 3:16).

5:21 Paul calls on believers to honor Christ by honoring, loving, and helping one another.

Ver. 19. Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.—When the spirit is elevated so that ordinary prose conversation is inadequate to express the feelings let it find vent in sacred music. St. James’s advice to the “merry” heart is, “Sing psalms.” The “psalm” is properly a song with accompaniment of a stringed instrument; “a ‘hymn” must always be more or less of a Magnificat, a direct address of praise and glory to God.” “Spiritual songs” were “such as were composed by spiritual men and moved in the sphere of spiritual things” (Trench). No spiritual excitement, however highly wrought, can be injurious that flows between the banks of thanksgiving and mutual submission in the fear of God.

Ver. 20. Giving thanks always for all things.—If one who speaks as a philosopher merely can praise the “sweet uses of adversity” and discern the “soul of goodness in things evil,” how much more should one believing Rom. 8:28!

Ver. 21. Submitting yourselves one to another.—In another Church the endeavour to take precedence of each other had produced what a stranger might have taken for a madhouse (1 Cor. 14:23). St. Paul’s word for “submitting” means “ranging yourselves beneath,” and finds its illustration in our Lord’s words, “Go and sit down in the lowest place” (Luke 14:10).

Paul has already told his readers that they have been ‘sealed’ with the Holy Spirit, and that they must not ‘grieve’ the Holy Spirit (1:13; 4:30). Now he bids them be filled with the Spirit. There is no greater secret of holiness than the infilling of him whose very nature and name are ‘holy’.

Grammatically speaking, this paragraph consists of two imperatives (the commands not to get drunk but to be Spirit-filled), followed by four present participles (speaking, singing, thanking and submitting). Theologically speaking, it first presents us with our Christian duty (to avoid drunkenness but seek the Spirit’s fullness) and then describes four consequences of this spiritual condition, in terms of our relationships. ‘Being filled with the Spirit’ is a topic much discussed and debated today; it is important for us to study Paul’s teaching carefully.

The apostle begins by drawing a certain comparison between drunkenness and the Holy Spirit’s fullness: Do not get drunk with wine, he says, … but be filled with the Spirit. And indeed there is a superficial similarity between the two conditions. A person who is drunk, we say, is ‘under the influence’ of alcohol; and certainly a Spirit-filled Christian is under the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. But there the comparison ends and the contrast begins. Of course in the heathen cult of Dionysus intoxication was regarded as a means to inspiration. But it is a serious mistake to suppose that to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ is a kind of spiritual inebriation in which we lose control of ourselves. On the contrary, ‘self-control’ (enkrateia) is the final quality named as ‘the fruit of the Spirit’ in Galatians 5:22–23. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit we do not lose control; we gain it. It is true that on the day of Pentecost some said the Spirit-filled disciples were drunk; ‘They are filled with new wine.’ These were a minority, however, described by Luke as ‘others’; the majority had no such thought in their minds, but were amazed to hear God’s mighty works being announced in their own languages. It seems that the minority were not even sincere in attributing drunkenness to the Spirit-filled Christians. Luke says they were making fun of them, so that the work of the Holy Spirit was ‘mockingly misinterpreted’.

The first chapter of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ exposition of Ephesians 5:18–6:9, Life in the Spirit in Marriage, Home and Work, is entitled ‘The Stimulus of the Spirit’. Writing as both a physician and a pastor, he helpfully compares and contrasts the two states of drunkenness and the Spirit’s fullness. He says: ‘Wine—alcohol—… pharmacologically speaking is not a stimulant—it is a depressant. Take up any book on pharmacology and look up ‘alcohol’, and you will find, always, that it is classified among the depressants. It is not a stimulant’. Further, ‘it depresses first and foremost the highest centres of all in the brain … They control everything that gives a man self-control, wisdom, understanding, discrimination, judgment, balance, the power to assess everything; in other words everything that makes a man behave at his very best and highest’. What the Holy Spirit does, however, is the exact opposite. ‘If it were possible to put the Holy Spirit into a textbook of Pharmacology, I would put him under the stimulants, for that is where he belongs. He really does stimulate … He stimulates our every faculty … the mind and the intellect … the heart … and the will …’

Consider now how Paul paints the contrast. The result of drunkenness, he writes, is debauchery (asōtia). People who are drunk give way to wild, dissolute and uncontrolled actions. They behave like animals, indeed worse than animals. The results of being filled with the Spirit are totally different. If excessive alcohol dehumanizes, turning a human being into a beast, the fullness of the Spirit makes us more human, for he makes us like Christ.

The apostle now lists the four beneficial results of being filled with the Spirit.

a. Fellowship: addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (verse 19a)

The familiar av version of this sentence begins, ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms …’ This does not mean that Spirit-filled believers talk to themselves, however, for the Greek use of the reflexive here can equally be translated ‘each other’ (as in 4:32). Nor does it mean that, if we are filled with the Spirit, we stop speaking to one another and start singing to one another instead. No, the reference is to Christian fellowship, and the mention of ‘psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’ (which are not easily distinguishable, although the first word implies a musical accompaniment) indicates that the context is public worship. Whenever Christians assemble, they love to sing both to God and to each other. Sometimes we sing responsively, as the Jews did in temple and synagogue, and as the early Christians did also, meeting before daybreak ‘to recite a hymn antiphonally to Christ as to a god’. Also some of the psalms we sing are in reality not worship of God but mutual exhortation. A good example is Psalm 95, the Venite, in the singing of which we should turn to one another: ‘O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!’ Here is fellowship in worship, a reciprocal invitation to praise.

b. Worship: singing and making melody (perhaps the verbs combine vocal and instrumental music) to the Lord with all your heart (verse 19b)

Here the singing is not ‘to one another’ but ‘to the Lord’. Although rsv may be right in translating the following words ‘with all your heart’, the Greek phrase probably means ‘in your heart’ (av), as in Colossians 3:16, referring to either the sincerity or the inwardness of authentic Christian praise, or both. Perhaps jbp has caught the point with ‘making music in your hearts for the ears of the Lord’, an instruction from which unmusical people unable to sing in tune have always derived much comfort. In this case it may be silent worship, although at the same time inwardly joyful and melodious. Without doubt Spirit-filled Christians have a song of joy in their hearts, and Spirit-filled public worship is a joyful celebration of God’s mighty acts, though J. Armitage Robinson suggests that Paul ‘contrasts the merriment of wine with the sober gladness of sacred psalmody’.

c. Gratitude: always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father (verse 20)

The call to thanksgiving is not uncommon in Paul’s letters. The grumbling spirit is not compatible with the Holy Spirit. Grumbling was one of the besetting sins of the people of Israel; they were always ‘murmuring’ against the Lord and against Moses. But the Spirit-filled believer is full not of complaining, but of thanksgiving.

Although the text reads that we are to give thanks always and for everything, we must not press these words literally. For we cannot thank God for absolutely ‘everything’, including blatant evil. The strange notion is gaining popularity in some Christian circles that the major secret of Christian freedom and victory is unconditional praise; that a husband should praise God for his wife’s adultery and a wife for her husband’s drunkenness; and that even the most appalling calamities of life should become subjects for thanksgiving and praise. Such a suggestion is at best a dangerous half-truth, and at worst ludicrous, even blasphemous. Of course God’s children learn not to argue with him in their suffering, but to trust him, and indeed to thank him for his loving providence by which he can turn even evil to good purposes (e.g. Rom. 8:28). But that is praising God for being God; it is not praising him for evil. To do this would be to react insensitively to people’s pain (when Scripture tells us to weep with those who weep) and to condone and even encourage evil (when Scripture tells us to hate it and to resist the devil). God abominates evil, and we cannot praise or thank him for what he abominates.

So then the ‘everything’ for which we are to give thanks to God must be qualified by its context, namely in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. Our thanksgiving is to be for everything which is consistent with the loving Fatherhood of God and the self-revelation he has given us in Jesus Christ. Once again the doctrine of the Trinity informs and directs our devotion. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we give thanks to God our Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

d. Submission: be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ (verse 21)

Although rsv begins a new paragraph with this verse, and translates it as an imperative, it is in fact another present participle (hypotassomenoi), dependent on the command ‘be filled with the Spirit’, like the preceding three. Sometimes a person who claims to be filled with the Spirit becomes aggressive, self-assertive and brash. But the Holy Spirit is a humble Spirit, and those who are truly filled with him always display the meekness and gentleness of Christ. It is one of their most evident characteristics that they submit to one another.

They also submit to Christ, for their mutual submissiveness is out of reverence for Christ, or in more familiar terminology ‘in the fear of Christ’. Those who are truly subject to Jesus Christ do not find it difficult to submit to each other as well. Incidentally, this expression ‘in the fear of Christ’ is a notable if indirect testimony to Paul’s belief in the deity of Jesus, since the regular Old Testament requirement was to live ‘in the fear of God’. There are several other ‘Christianizations’ of Old Testament thought in this chapter. For example, God’s kingdom is Christ’s (verse 5). We are to please Christ and seek his will, just as before Christ people sought God’s will and pleasure (verses 10, 17), and worshipping God becomes worshipping Christ (verse 19). For in the last three verses mentioned ‘the Lord’ is a title for Jesus.

Such are the wholesome results of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. They all concern our relationships. If we are filled with the Spirit, we shall be harmoniously related both to God (worshipping him with joy and thanksgiving) and to each other (speaking and submitting to one another). In brief, Spirit-filled believers love God and love each other, which is hardly surprising since the first fruit of the Spirit is love.

We need now to return to the imperative on which these four participles depend, that is, to the Christian duty and privilege from which these four Christian attitudes result. It is the command Be filled with the Spirit. The exact form of the verb plērousthe is suggestive.

First, it is in the imperative mood. ‘Be filled’ is not a tentative proposal, but an authoritative command. We have no more liberty to avoid this responsibility than the many others which surround it in Ephesians. To be filled with the Spirit is obligatory, not optional.

Secondly, it is in the plural form. In other words, it is addressed to the whole Christian community. None of us is to get drunk; all of us are to be Spirit-filled. The fullness of the Spirit is not an élitist privilege, but available for all the people of God.

Thirdly, it is in the passive voice. neb renders it: ‘Let the Holy Spirit fill you’. There is no technique to learn and no formula to recite. What is essential is such a penitent turning from what grieves the Holy Spirit and such a believing openness to him that nothing hinders him from filling us. It is significant that the parallel passage in Colossians reads not ‘Let the Spirit fill you’ but ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’ (3:16). We must never separate the Spirit and the Word. To obey the Word and to surrender to the Spirit are virtually identical.

Fourthly, it is in the present tense. In Greek there are two kinds of imperative, an aorist describing a single action, and a present when the action is continuous. Thus, when Jesus said during the wedding reception at Cana, ‘Fill the jars with water’ (Jn. 2:7), the imperative is aorist, since the jars were to be filled only once. But when Paul says to us, ‘Be filled with the Spirit’, he uses a present imperative, implying that we are to go on being filled. For the fullness of the Spirit is not a once-for-all experience which we can never lose, but a privilege to be renewed continuously by continuous believing and obedient appropriation. We have been ‘sealed’ with the Spirit once and for all; we need to be filled with the Spirit and go on being filled every day and every moment of the day.

Here, then, is a message for both the defeated and the complacent, that is, for Christians at opposite ends of the spiritual spectrum. To the defeated Paul would say, ‘Be filled with the Spirit, and he will give you a new love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control.’ To the complacent Paul would say ‘go on being filled with the Spirit. Thank God for what he has given you thus far. But do not say you have arrived. For there is more, much more, yet to come.’

IV. New relationships

The rsv may be right to begin the new paragraph with verse 21: Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. We have seen that the Greek verb is a present participle (‘submitting’) like ‘addressing one another’, ‘singing and making melody’ (verse 19) and ‘giving thanks’ (verse 20), and that all four participles depend on the command ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (verse 18) and describe the consequences of the Holy Spirit’s fullness. Nevertheless, a Greek participle was sometimes used as an imperative, and undoubtedly the demand for mutual submissiveness leads on to the submission asked from wives, children and slaves. Moreover, there is no verb at all in verse 22, because the call for submission in verse 21 is intended to be carried over into it. So verse 21 is in fact a transition verse, forming a bridge between two sections, which is why the neb puts it in a paragraph by itself.

5:19 Being filled with the Spirit results in joyful praise through singing and making melody. This may refer to different kinds of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs found in the OT Psalter. It seems more likely, however, that Paul is referring both to the canonical psalms and to contemporary compositions of praise (see also Col. 3:16). “Spiritual” communicates the influence of the Holy Spirit’s filling (Eph. 5:18) in the believer’s acts of praise.

5:20 To pray in the name of Jesus means to pray in faith, trusting in him as our mediator with God the Father on “the throne of grace” (John 14:6; Heb. 4:16; 10:20; see also note on John 14:13).

5:21–6:9 Submission to One Another. Verse 21 is transitional, connecting with the previous section and leading to what follows.

The Characteristics of Life in the Spirit (5:19–21)

Drunkenness leads to debauchery, but the Spirit-filled life leads to joy and worship. The basic command to be filled in the Spirit is followed by five present-tense participles that describe the ongoing practical outworking of this infilling process in the church and the lives of its members (speaking, singing, making music, giving thanks, submitting). The first three center on a new depth of worship. In John 4:21–24 Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the time was imminent for a new worship “in the Spirit and in truth,” and this passage tells what that new worship looks like. In this age of the Spirit there will be a new depth of joy and singing before God.

A new worship filled with joy (5:19)

While these participles could be seen as telling the means by which the action occurs (“filled by singing”) or the manner in which it takes place (“be filled with singing”), most agree they speak of result (“be filled, resulting in singing”). When the Spirit fills us with the presence of the Godhead, joy and singing are the natural byproduct. Verse 19 breaks naturally into two clauses, with the first describing corporate worship and the second individual worship.

(1) In corporate worship God’s people are “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” Paul is following up on what he had also stated to the Colossian Christians, calling on them to teach and admonish each other “with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs in the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Col 3:16). Hymns in the early church were used to teach theology to believers. The lyrics were chosen not for their artistic value but for their truth and depth of content. That is the emphasis here. Both preaching and worship played a teaching function in anchoring the people in the truths of God and Christ. Notice the stress on “one another.” Worship is vertical and God-directed, while teaching is horizontal and directed to the worshippers. The hymns of the early church fulfilled both functions.

While many think the terms here are synonymous and together refer to singing hymns, most agree that there are nuances of difference, pointing to somewhat distinct forms of singing. The term “psalms” stems from the book of Psalms and refers to formal praise songs built upon the Old Testament psalms. “Hymns” would have been less formal, probably written more recently, and sung regularly in services. These first two designations are fairly similar, while the last category, that of “spiritual [pneumatikais] songs” (niv “songs from the Spirit”), likely refers to spontaneous, charismatic singing that emanated from the Spirit’s leading. Several believe that “spiritual” modifies all three terms and emphasizes that early church worship as a whole was Spirit-inspired. Regardless, Paul’s purpose was not to identify the three specific kinds of early worship songs but to stress the variety and Spirit-infused power of early worship.

(2) Each of the saints personally experiences the joy of “singing and making music from your heart to the Lord.” Verse 19 pictures first the powerful corporate worship dimension within the new community (v. 19a), moving on from there to depict the continued rejoicing and singing to the Lord on the part of individual worshippers going about their daily routines (v. 19b). The singing from the heart depicts a person pouring her whole self into joyous worship, holding nothing back. The focus of this joy is “the Lord”—Jesus, the Lord of all. In a sense this whole letter is an example of what Paul is speaking about here. In every section it celebrates the lordship of Christ, what he has done for the church, and how the church is to responds to his lordship. The Spirit-filled life is a life marked by praise and jubilation.

Continuous thanksgiving (5:20)

Paul’s fourth directive concerns thanksgiving. This is a major Pauline theme (twenty-four of the thirty-eight New Testament occurrences of the term appear in Paul’s writings); he mentions thanksgiving twice in Ephesians (here and in 1:16) and three times in Colossians (1:3, 12; 3:17). For Paul thanksgiving was to be a regular feature of the Christian life, infusing every experience (both good and bad) and becoming a continuous focus (2 Cor 1:11; Col 3:17; Eph 5:20). The Father, through the Spirit, is sovereign over everything that takes place and guarantees that “all things work together for good” because “the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Rom 8:27–28). The result: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” We represent the one group on earth who do not need to let our worries consume us, and for that we at all times should be grateful. This letter began with an enumeration of the blessings for which we are to praise God (Eph 1:3–14), and we can do no better than to prostrate ourselves in praise and gratitude for the “riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us” (1:7–8).

There are four modifiers in this verse, each of which describes a critical aspect of our life of gratitude toward God:

(1) Thanksgiving should take place “always,” meaning that it is to be a constant or regular facet of our prayer life. This is highlighted in the thanksgiving section at the start of many of Paul’s letters (see 1 Cor 1:4; Phil 1:4; Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2), and he frequently commands it (Col 3:17; 1 Thess 5:16–18; see also Phil 4:4). As we pass through the painful trials of life (Heb 12:11), acknowledging that the sovereign God is superintending every part of that difficult time should result in constant gratitude for his loving care (1 Pet 5:7).

(2) We are to offer thanks to God “for everything”—for his continuing blessing through the hard times as well as the good. God’s presence and power are all the more precious when we are passing through “the valley of the shadow of death” (Ps 23:4 esv). When I am in deepest despair I can know that even at that stark moment I am not alone, for the Spirit is standing alongside interceding for me (Rom 8:26–27). Even as I am groaning in my agony of soul, the Spirit is groaning more deeply than I on my behalf, and that intercession is according to God’s will! Our lives are completely secure in him, and our thanksgiving is to encompass their every aspect.

(3) We are to pour out our thanks to “God the Father” (literally, “our God and Father”). This does not mean that we are to pray to the Father alone and not to the other members of the Trinity. All prayer is primarily to the Father and yet implicitly includes the Son and the Spirit. As Jesus clarified in his farewell discourse of John 13–17, the Father is the One who receives and responds to prayer (John 15:16; 16:23, 24). The key is the Abba theme reflected in “Father.” Abba was the most intimate Aramaic term for father, and every prayer of Jesus apart from his cry of dereliction in Mark 14:34 and its parallels was addressed to his Abba. Paul is emphasizing that we have a Father who deeply loves us, enfolds us in his arms, and watches over us.

(4) We are to give thanks “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” who is the mediator and source of all our blessings. In John 14:13–14 Jesus says twice, “I will do whatever you ask in my name.” This does not mean that Jesus’ name is a magic formula that guarantees we can get anything we want. Rather, praying “in Jesus’ name” means praying in union with him. All true prayer and all thanksgiving is uttered as a reflection of our oneness with Christ. I try not to end prayers “in Jesus’ name” all the time so as to remind myself that this is not a formula for ending prayers but a perspective from which to pray. We give thanks because our Lord Jesus Christ has made everything possible and with his Spirit is guiding and watching over every detail of our lives.

Mutual submission (5:21)

This final participle modifying “be filled with the Spirit” (v. 18) serves a double function: it is the final result of the Spirit-filled life, but it also serves as the title and motto of the husband-wife relationship that follows in 5:22–33. The ramifications of Paul’s imperative to “be filled with the Spirit” lead naturally to changes in attitudes that affect our relationships with others. When the Spirit takes up residence in God’s people, they naturally stop thinking only of themselves, and the saints together are encouraged to “submit to one another.” The ethical section of this letter is framed by this theme, for at its start Paul commanded the Ephesians to “be completely humble and gentle” with one another (4:2). A church that is characterized by “the unity of the Spirit” (v. 3) must be dominated by humble Christians who defer to one another’s interests and who “value others above [themselves]” (Phil 2:3–4).

The verb hypotassomai means to voluntarily place oneself under the authority of a person or entity (such as a government). Between Christians (like husband and wife in this section) there is to be a reciprocal arrangement whereby both are considerate and live to meet the needs of the other. There is a distinct aura here both of authority and of submission to that authority, with no implication of inferiority or subjugation. Here each member of the body of Christ of her own will accepts a subordinate role in relation to all the others. The result is a diminishing of hierarchical roles among the members of the community.

The thrust of Paul’s words is debated, with several interpreters arguing that this is not actually mutual submission but rather the submission of believers to those whom God has placed in authority over them, such as wives to husbands, children to parents, or slaves to masters. They believe that the verb itself conveys submission to authority and must be understood in a hierarchical, as opposed to a reciprocal, sense. From this perspective the phrase “to one another” does not convey that everything is mutual but rather that the whole church is involved in the submission to authority. For these interpreters the unity of the church reflects the oneness of the Godhead, in which the Son is subordinate to the Father. There is for them a hierarchical order within which submission functions.

These are viable arguments, and no one doubts that there are chosen leaders who guide and watch over the church. However, the entire context of verses 18–21 (the filling of the Spirit and its results) concerns the whole church equally, implying that leaders as well as followers are intended in verse 21. In other words, the leaders, as part of the “one another,” are also to submit. This position is not intended to support anarchy in the church, nor does the command to submit suggest that pastors and leaders are never to command others. Rather, they exercise authority not based on an inherent superiority but because God has placed them in this position. Moreover, they do so as servants of the congregation rather than as dictators demanding adherence (Mark 9:35; 10:41–45). There is no place in the church for “lording it over” others (Mark 10:42–43; 1 Pet 5:3). The God-ordained structure of the church, with its officers, functions within the larger edifice of Spirit-led mutual submission within the body. Servant leadership is the biblical pattern (1 Pet 5:2–4), and every Christian leader must be guided by humility and a servant stance in relation to the people to whom God has sent them.

The motive underlying interrelationships characterized by submission and servanthood is “the fear of Christ,” with Christ being the object in the sense that we “fear Christ.” Many versions translate this “out of reverence for Christ” (nrsv, niv, nasb, esv, nlt), but I believe that is too weak. Reverence is a part of the equation, but the Greek en phobō Christou does not convey that we are to be terrified of the judgment Christ has in store for us if we fail; rather, the implication is that we are to be afraid of failing the Lord. In a sense phobos is the fear engendered by the very reality of the incredible love Christ has shown us. This “fear” produces a solemn sense of responsibility: he has loved us totally, and we want to express that to the best of our ability in our own relationships. Yes, we do have a sense of awe and reverence for all that Christ has done for us, but Paul’s point here goes deeper.

This section unifies and culminates the discussion of ethics in this central part of the letter (4:17–5:21). The mindset of the believer is to exhibit wisdom and perception; we are to discern the will of the Lord in the daily decisions of our life. Such a life is Spirit-filled. As elsewhere in the letter, this section is trinitarian at its core. We are enabled to discover God’s will only when Christ becomes Lord of our lives and the Spirit fills us completely. The result is a new joy and attitude of worship in the Spirit, on the vertical plane, and a mutual submission on the horizontal.