Two Types of Filling with the Spirit

TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF FILLING WITH THE SPIRIT

Thesis:  The filling with the Holy Spirit in Ephesians is different from the filling with the Spirit found in Luke and Acts.

Basis for Determining the Thesis:

 1.        The verb pimplhmi +  the genitive case of  pneuma  denotes one kind of filling with the Spirit.

 2.  The verb   plhrow + the preposition en + the dative of  pneuma denotes another kind of filling with the Spirit.

Key Words in Making This Determination

pimplhmi   (verb)

plhrow      (verb)

plhrhj      (adjective)

pneuma      (noun)

The Word  pneuma Is Used with Two Different Case Endings

pneuma in the genitive

pneuma in the dative

The Word  pneuma Is Used with Two Different Verbs and an Adjective

(verb)                  pimplhmi  + pneuma

(verb)                  plhrow  + pneuma

(adjective)                  plhrhj  + pneuma

Verses That Must Be Considered That Use the Verb pimplhmi + the Genitive of pneuma

Luke 1:15

Luke 1:41

Luke 1:67

Acts 2:4

Acts 4:8

Acts 4:31

Acts 9:17

Acts 13:9

Verses That Must Be Considered That Use the Adjective plhrhj + the Genitive of pneuma

Luke 4:1

Acts 6:3

Acts 6:5

Acts 7:55

Acts 11:24

A Verse That Uses the Verb plhrow  + the Genitive of pneuma

Acts 13:52

The Only Verse That Uses plhrow + the Dative of  pneuma

Ephesians 5:18

The Use of the Word "Normative" in This Document

The phrase "filled with the Spirit" in Ephesians 5:18 will be referred to as "normative" for the Christian way of life because it is COMMANDED of ALL believers.  The fact that it is COMMANDED of ALL Christians makes it normative.

The Use of the Term "Filled with the Spirit" in Luke, Acts and Ephesians

 1.  The term "filled with the Spirit" is used in two different ways in the Bible.  It is also used in the same two different ways in this document.

 2.  There is a problem associated with interpreting the English word "with" in the phrase "filled with the Spirit."

 3.  In Ephesians 5:18 the word "with" points to the Holy Spirit as the One by means of whom believers are filled with such things as holiness, righteousness, and character.

 4.  On all other occasions, such as in Acts 2:4, "with" the Spirit indicates that it is the Holy Spirit with which the believer is filled.

 5.  In both Ephesians 5:18 and Acts 2:4 the word "with" is an acceptable English translation of the Greek text, but due to different English meanings of the word "with," CAUTION should be taken so as to not assume that the word "with" always means the same thing in every use.

 6.  Application:  The word "with" as used in Luke, Acts and Ephesians does not mean the same thing in all cases when it is associated with being filled WITH the Spirit.

More Facts to Consider Regarding the Thesis

(see the thesis stated at the top of page 1)

 1.  Certain verses use the verb pimplhmi + the genitive of pneuma . . .

A.  These verses relate the filling to some form of service, for example, prophesying, speaking in tongues, preaching.

Luke 1:15            For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. (KJV)

• John will be a prophet and prophets prophesy. (Luke 7:28)

Luke 1:41            And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: (KJV)

• Elisabeth will prophesy.

Luke 1:67            And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, (KJV)

• Zacharias prophesied.

Acts 2:4            And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (KJV)

• The disciples spoke in tongues.

Acts 4:8            Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, (KJV)

• Peter preached.

Acts 4:31            And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (KJV)

• The disciples preached.

Acts 9:17            And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. (KJV)

• Saul (Paul) will preach (see verse 20).

Acts 13:9            Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, (KJV)

• Paul prophesied.

B.   The verses just cited ( in A. above ) characterize the filling with the Spirit in the following manner:

• as absolute (a complete filling).
• as instantaneously received (not a process).
• as temporary (could be lost).

C.   Please make the following observation about the verses just cited ( in A. above ).  None of them relate the filling with the Spirit to any of the following:

1)      sanctification:  This filling with the Spirit was neither the cause nor the effect of any form of sanctification.

2)      decision making:  Those filled with the Spirit were not filled with the Spirit so that they could make better decisions.

3)      discerning God's will:  This filling did not enable those filled to better discern God's will.

4)      interpreting God's Word:  This filling did not provide capacity to interpret God's Word.

Application:  These four ideas are mentioned because some modern-day Christians, namely charismatics and pentecostals, relate this filling with the Spirit (the use of the verb pimplhmi + the genitive of pneuma) to the four areas just mentioned.  In other words, we are being told that the filling with the Spirit either produces or enhances the believer's capacity in these four areas.

Not only does the filling with the Spirit not produce or enhance the believer's capacity in these four areas, the filling with the Spirit is not associated with any of these four ideas in Scripture.  To teach that the filling with the Spirit is related to any of these four areas is to do violence to the interpretation of Scripture.

D.  Things true about this form of the filling with the Spirit (use of the verb pimplhmi +  the genitive of pneuma):

1)   It was associated with service.

2)   It was absolute (complete filling; not partial filling).

3)   It was received instantaneously (not progressive).

4)   It was temporary (could be lost).

5)   It is not commanded.

6)   It could not be received by praying for it.

7)   It was for a select few (not for every believer).

8)   It had nothing to do with sanctification (means to or result of).

9)   It did not require a volitional choice to receive it.

E.            Principle:  Do not interpret Ephesians 5:18 in the light of  pimplhmi + the genitive of pneuma.

 2.  There are verses using the adjective  plhrhj + the genitive of pneuma . . .

A.  The verses are listed as follows:

Luke 4:1            And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (KJV)

Acts 6:3            Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. (KJV)

Acts 6:5            And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: (KJV)

Acts 7:55            But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, (KJV)

Acts 11:24            For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. (KJV)

B.            Important facts to note about the use of plhrhj + the genitive of pneuma::

1)   The adjective  plhrhj comes from the same word group as the verb  plhrow  found in Ephesians 5:18.  It is called a cognate which means that plhrhj and  plhrow come from the same family word group.  plhrhj, then, is related to plhrow, while not related to pimplhmi.

2)   The phrase "full of the Holy Ghost" means exactly the same thing as "filled with the Holy Spirit," namely, that the one who is "full of the Holy Ghost" is "filled with the Holy Ghost."

3)   In each of the five verses above where the adjective  plhrhj is used in Luke and Acts, the genitive of  pneuma is always used.

4)   The English translation "full of the Spirit" is consistent with the Greek grammatical form, namely, the adjectival use of  plhrhj  + the genitive case of  pneuma.

C.            Concerning the interpretation of the adjective  plhrhj + the genitive of pneuma, two things seem to demand that "full of the Holy Ghost" means that the Holy Spirit is the One with whom the believer is filled:

1)      Progressive revelation:  Until the Apostle Paul revealed the second type of "filling with the Spirit" in Ephesians 5:18 as normative for Christian living, the "filling with the Spirit" was accomplished in the believer by God the Father as needed by the believer.

2)   Not commanded:  During the elapsed period between Acts 2 and Ephesians 5:18, the "filling with the Spirit" was not commanded, and therefore, not normative, thus indicating a distinction between the "filling" of Luke/Acts and Ephesians 5:18.

D.  Until the "filling with the Spirit" becomes normative in Ephesians 5:18, the type of "filling with the Spirit" in each context is determined to be the type as characterized in 1.D. above (see pages 2 and 3).

 3.  There is one verse that uses the verb plhrow  + the genitive of pneuma.

A.  This one verse is presented for consideration:

Acts 13:52  oi% te maqhtai\ e)plhrou=nto xara=$ kai\ pneu/mato$ a(gi/ou.

Acts 13:52  And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. (KJV)

B.      Important things to note about the use of plhrow + the genitive of pneuma:

1)            The verb plhrow is the same verb as used in Ephesians 5:18.

2)   The preposition en does not appear in this verse with the verb plhrow, therefore, we should not be looking for a meaning similar to Ephesians 5:18.

3)   As plhrow + the preposition en + the dative (5 case) of pneuma is unique to Ephesians 5:18, so is the use of the verb plhrow + the genitive of pneuma unique to the author, Luke, in Acts 13:52.

4)            The word pneuma appears in the genitive case in Acts 13:52.

5)            These disciples were filled with joy and they were filled with the Holy Ghost.

C.            Concerning the interpretation of the verb  plhrow + the genitive of pneuma, the same two factors stated above in (2.C., page 5) seem to demand that "filled with the Holy Ghost" in Acts 13:52 means that the Holy Spirit is the One with whom the believer is filled:

1)      Progressive revelation:  Until the Apostle Paul revealed the second type of "filling with the Spirit" in Ephesians 5:18 as normative for Christian living, the "filling with the Spirit" was accomplished in the believer by God the Father as needed by the believer.

2)   Not commanded:  During the elapsed period between Acts 2 and Ephesians 5:18, the "filling with the Spirit" was not commanded, and therefore, not normative, thus indicating a distinction between the "filling" of Luke/Acts and Ephesians 5:18.

D.  Until the "filling with the Spirit" becomes normative in Ephesians 5:18, the type of "filling with the Spirit" in all other contexts is determined to be the type characterized in 1.D. above (see page 4).

Some Conclusions:

 1.  The fullest revelation about the nature of the Christian way of life is given to the apostle Paul, therefore, we can expect function to be somewhat different until Paul's revelation is penned for us.

 2.  Luke's use of the verb pimplhmi in Luke and Acts does not seem to determine the type of "filling" found in either Luke or Acts.

 3.  Luke's use of the verb plhrow in Acts does not seem to determine the type of "filling" when found in Acts.

 4.  If required to explain why Luke and Paul would use two different verbs, namely pimplhmi and plhrow, to indicate a "filling" associated with the Holy Spirit, I would explain in the following manner:

A.  There is no need to seek a deep spiritual significance just because two different words were used by these two authors.

B.   Two different authors seems to explain why two different words with synonymous meanings were used.  Paul's choice was plhrow while Luke, with one exception, chose pimplhmi. For whatever reason Luke chose plhrow in Acts 13:52, it is clear that the disciples, in that verse, were filled with both joy and the Holy Spirit, therefore, the switch from  pimplhmi  to plhrow occurs in a verse where the pattern of nouns following the verb are not the same.

 5.  There is only one verse that uses the verb plhrow + en + the dative (5 case) of pneuma . . .

A.  Daniel B. Wallace in Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics makes the following statement:

1)      "Normally, a verb of filling takes a genitive of content.  However, there are possibly three instances in the NT when plhrow takes a dative of content.  It must be noted, however, that there are no clear examples in biblical Greek in which en + the dative indicates content.  (Thus the popular interpretation of plhrousqe en pneumati in Ephesians 5:18 as "be filled with the Spirit" in the sense that the Spirit is the content with which one is filled is most likely incorrect.)" p. 170-171

2)      Footnote #85, on page 171, in Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, reads as follows:

"Abbot notes that ‘the use of  en + plhrow  to express the content with which a thing is filled would be quite unexampled.'"

3)      Wallace makes the following comment on page 375, in his book, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, about the phrase plhrousqe en pneumati in Ephesians 5:18:

"To see en pneumati here as indicating content is grammatically suspect (even though it is, in many circles, the predominant view).  Only if the flow of argument and/or the lack of other good possibilities strongly point in the direction of content would we be compelled to take it as such.  There are no other examples in biblical Greek in which en + the dative after plhrow indicates content.  Further, the parallel with oinw as well as the common grammatical category of means suggest that the idea intended is that believers are to be filled by means of the [Holy] Spirit.  If so, there seems to be an unnamed agent.

"The meaning of this text can only be fully appreciated in light of the plhrow language in Ephesians.  Always the term is used in connection with a member of the Trinity.  Three considerations seem to be the key:  (1) In Ephesians 3:19 the "hinge" prayer introducing the last half of the letter makes a request that the believers "be filled with all the fullness of God" ( plhrwqhte eij pan to plhrwma tou qeou. )  The explicit content of plhrow is thus God's fullness (probably a reference to his moral attributes).  (2) In [Ephesians] 4:10 Christ is said to be the agent of filling (with v. 11 adding the specifics of his giving spiritual gifts).  (3) The author then brings his argument to a crescendo in [Ephesians] 5:18:  Believers are to be filled by Christ by means of the Spirit with the content of the fullness of God.

B.   The following information represents my opinion about Ephesians 5:18:

Ephesians 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (KJV)

Ephesians 5:18  kai\ mh\ mequ/skesqe oi)/n%, e)n %(= e)stin a)swti/a, a)lla\ plhrou=sqe e)n pneu/mati,

1)   It should be noted that the concept of "filling" associated with the "Holy Spirit" is presented in the New Testament by four different syntactical representations:

a.            pimplhmi + genitive of pneuma            Luke 1:15

b.            plhrhj + genitive of pneuma          Luke 4:1

c.            plhrow + genitive of pneuma          Acts 13:52

d.            plhrow + en + dative of pneuma          Ephesians 5:18

2)      Ephesians 5:18 is distinct from every other syntactical representation because of the use of en + the dative (5 case).

3)   I agree with Dan Wallace who sheds light on the use of en + the dative in his book, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, p. 373-374.  The following is a quote from these pages.

Ev + Dative for Personal Agency

Some have suggested that either the naked dative or en + the dative can express personal agency in the NT.  However, once a clear definition is given for personal agency, this will be seen to be a rare or nonexistent category.  Williams defines the dative of agency as denoting "the agent (personal) by whom something is done.  The only difference between means and agency is that means is impersonal, agency is personal.

This definition is a little too general.  It would be better to say that when  en + the dative expresses the idea of means (a different category), the instrument is used by an agent.  When agency is indicated, the agent so named is not used by another, but is the one who uses an instrument. (It may be noted here that an intermediate agent, usually expressed by dia + the genitive, is an agent who acts on behalf of another or in the place of another.  This agent is not, strictly speaking, used by another as an instrument would be.)  Thus, en + dative to express means can be (and often is) used of persons, though they are conceived of as impersonal (i.e, used as an instrument by someone else).  For example, in the sentence "God disciplined me by means of my parents," "God" is the agent who used the "parents" as the means by which he accomplished something.  The parents are, of course, persons.  But they are conceived of as impersonal in that they are the instruments used by another.

According to our definition, if en + dative is used to express agency, the noun in the dative must not only be personal, but must also be the agent who performs the action.   BDF (Blass, Debrunner, Funk) accurately assess the NT situation of the naked dative used for personal agency:  "Dative of agency is perhaps represented by only one genuine example in the NT and this with the perfect: Luke 23:15 [italics mine]."  In summary, we can say that there are no clear examples of the dative of agency in the NT, and even if the category does exist, it is, by all counts, exceedingly rare.

However, the slightly different phenomenon of en + the dative is considered by many to express agency on a rare occasion.  Yet no unambiguous examples are forthcoming.  Thus what can be said about the dative of agency can be said of en + the dative to express agent:  it is rare, at best.

Mark 1:8      au)to\j de\ bapti/sei u(ma=j e)n pneu/mati a(gi/%.

but he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit

Here it is obvious that Christ is the agent (since autoj is the subject), and the Holy Spirit is the means (and perhaps sphere) that the 'Lord uses to baptize.

1 Corinthians 12:13         kai\ ga\r e)n e(ni\ pneu/mati h(mei=j pa/ntej ei)j e(\n sw=ma e)bapti/sqhmen,

for by one Spirit we all were baptized into one body

Our contention is that this is an illustration of en used for means.  By calling "Spirit" means here does not deny the personality of the Holy Spirit.  Rather, the Holy Spirit is the instrument that Christ uses to baptize, even though He is a person.  Since pneumati a(giw clearly indicated means in Mark 1:8 (as in several other passages dealing with Spirit-baptism), it is surely not unreasonable to see "Spirit" as the means here.

Furthermore, if the Holy Spirit is the agent in this text, there is a theo­logical problem: When is the prophecy of Mark 1:8 fulfilled?  When would Christ baptize with the Holy Spirit?  Because of the grammatical improbability of pneumati expressing agent in 1 Corinthians 12:13, it is better to see it as means and as the fulfillment of Mark 1:8.  Thus, Christ is the unnamed agent.  This also renders highly improbable one popular interpretation, viz., that there are two Spirit baptisms in the NT, one at salvation and one later.

Author's Note:  The preceding information is presented not just to be read, but to be studied.  A clear understanding of the preceding information enables the Bible student to clearly distinguish and support the thesis that the filling with the Holy Spirit in Ephesians is different from the filling with the Spirit found in Luke and Acts.

Back to My Opinion Begun in Point (B.) on Page 7

4)      "with wine" translates the Greek word  oi)/n% (as a naked dative (5 case) of means indicating that wine is the instrument used to produce drunkenness.

Point:  Wine is the instrument used to produce drunkenness.

5)      "with the Spirit" translates  e)n + pneu/mati with a dative (5 case) of means indicating that the Holy Spirit is the instrument being used to produce "filling."

Point:  Here, the Holy Spirit is not that with which the Christian is filled.  Here, the Holy Spirit is the instrument being used to "fill" the Christian.

6)      Important Point of Interpretation:  There is a parallel, here, between the wine and the Holy Spirit.  As wine is the instrument that produces drunkenness, so the Holy Spirit is the instrument that produces "filling."

7)   A Justifiable Question:  If the Holy Spirit is used to produce "filling," with what does He "fill" the Christian?

Note:  At this point, don't labor the answer.  Labor the question.  Again, if the Holy Spirit is used to produce "filling, . . ."

The Crucial Point:  The very notion that the Holy Spirit is the One used to produce "filling" indicates that the Holy Spirit is NOT that with which the Christian is being filled!

C.   Things true about this second type of "filling with the Spirit," namely, plhrow + en + the dative (5 case) of pneuma as found in Ephesians 5:18:

1)   In the context of Ephesians 5:18-33, this "filling" is associated with Christian character and Christian worship.

2)   It is associated with experiential sanctification.

3)   It is associated with holiness.

4)   It is not received by prayer.

5)   Its imperative mood makes it a command.

6)   The command makes it normative for all Christians, that is, every Christian should possess it.

7)   It is a process.

8)   Its present tense means that it should be our habit to be filled.

9)   Its passive voice means that the process of filling is at work as the Chrstian meets the following condition:  yieldedness to the Holy Spirit.

10)      Volition is required to receive this type of "filling with the Spirit."

Conclusion:  The contrasts learned by comparing 1. D. (page 4) and 5. C. (page 10) support the thesis that the "filling with the Holy Spirit" in Ephesians 5:18 is different from the "filling with the Spirit" found in Luke and Acts.

Question:  Why should Christians believe that there are two different types of "filling with the Spirit?"

Answer:  Christians should believe that there are two different types of "filling with the Spirit" because the biblical evidence supports the idea of two different types of "Spirit filling" found in Luke, Acts and Ephesians.

Question:  Why should anyone even be concerned that there might be two different kinds of "filling with the Spirit" found in Luke, Acts, and Ephesians?

Answer:  Failure to recognize the difference between the two different types of "filling with the Spirit" may result in the commingling of both types, which commingling so perverts the normative Ephesian's "filling" that the Christian may never understand and never enter the "yieldedness to the Holy Spirit" which is so essential to living the Christian way of life.

Saying It Another Way:  It's the difference between operating in the energy of the flesh and operating in the power of the Spirit.

D.  Since the phrase "be filled" in Ephesians 5:18 is a present, passive, imperative, the present tense should be viewed as progressive and relative, and not instantaneous and not absolute.

progressive = this "filling" is a continual process

relative = this "filling" is by degree

not instantaneous = this "filling" doesn't occur all-at-once.

not absolute = this "filling" is not an either-or situation, namely, either you are or you aren't

E.   Let's illustrate the use of the present imperative in view of conjugal rights in 1 Corinthians 7:3:

1 Corinthians 7:3  Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. (KJV)

1 Corinthians 7:3   th gunaiki\ o( a)nh\r th\n o)feilh\n a)podido/tw, o(moi/w$ de\ kai\ h( gunh\ tw= a)ndri/.

a)podido/tw is a present imperative, and if the present imperative, here, regarding conjugal rights between a husband and wife is not continuous conjugal rights, rather than instantaneous and absolute, then conjugal rights between a husband and wife would be just one big thrill and that would be the end of conjugal rights.

Obviously, God did not intend conjugal rights to be once-and-for-all.  He intends conjugal rights between a husband and wife to be an on-going matter.

The present imperative of Ephesians 5:18 parallels the present imperative of 1 Corinthians 7:3.  It reflects the "filling with the Spirit" as an on-going process.

Comparing Two Types of Filling "With" the Spirit

                   Type #1                   Type #2

Conclusions:

 1.            Type #1 experience is no longer valid today, therefore, don't expect it, don't seek it, don't desire it.

 2.            Type #2 experience is valid today if it is properly understood.

 3.            The charasmatics and pentecostals seek a type #1 experience.

 4.            The type #2 experience is not sought; it becomes understood, then executed.

 5.            The charasmatics and pentecostals receive an experience and then label it a type #1 experience.

 6.            The post-apostolic Church Age calls for type #2 to be normative in every Christian life.

 7.            The spurious modern-day type #1 experience is generally associated with a feeling.

 8.            The valid type #2 filling is associated with the mentality.

 9.            To seek a type #1 experience, today, is to sell your birthright for a mess of pottage.

10.           To seek a type #1 experience is to miss the entirety of what the Christian way of life is all about.

11.           Type #1 is egocentric in nature while type #2 is Christocentric in nature.

Final Conclusion:  Concerning the daily Christian walk, it is not incorrect to remove the phrase "filled WITH the Spirit" from our vocabulary. "Filled BY the Spirit" would be more appropriate.  Man seeks to be filled WITH Spirit. God wants us filled BY the Spirit.  The key:  Stop seeking and start yielding!

SEVERAL POINTS OF CLARIFICATION

Personally, I find it difficult to find fault with people who have rejected Christianity as a religion.  When we finally understand that the true objective of Christianity is Christlikeness, and not outward obedience to a set of rules, how can we fault the sheep who fail to achieve the objective when most shepherds neither understand the objective, nor do they provide an example for the sheep to follow in order that the sheep might reach the objective?  In other words, it's difficult to fault the sheep if the shepherd fails in his responsibility to feed and/or lead.

 1.    The Greek phrase plhrow + en + the dative (5 case) of pneuma has been translated in each of the following six English versions in such a manner as to allow confusion among Christians.

Ephesians 5:18  kai\ mh\ mequ/skesqe oi)/n%, e)n %(= e)stin a)swti/a, a)lla\ plhrou=sqe e)n pneu/mati, (GRK)

Ephesians 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (KJV)

Ephesians 5:18  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, (NKJ)

Ephesians 5:18  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, (NAS)

Ephesians 5:18  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (NIV)

Ephesians 5:18  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, (RSV)

Ephesians 5:18  Don't drink too much wine, for many evils lie along that path; be filled instead with the Holy Spirit and controlled by him. (TLB)

 2.    Confusion about "the filling" is manifested in a couple of ways:

A.                Experience seekers:  First, by many who seek an experience which is said to be the result of "the filling" WITH the Spirit.

B.    "How to" seekers:  Second, by others who are in constant pursuit of the illusive mechanics (how to) that will produce the "filling" as they define the "filling."

 3.    The confusion is removed when we allow the Bible to speak to us, rather than imposing our understanding on God's Word.

 4.    Dan Wallace, in his book, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, p. 375, makes the following assertion about Ephesians 5:18:

"The meaning of this text can only be fully appreciated in light of the plhrow language in Ephesians.  Always the term is used in connection with a member of the Trinity.  Three considerations seem to be the key:  (1) In Ephesians 3:19 the "hinge" prayer introducing the last half of the letter makes a request that the believers "be filled with all the fullness of God" ( plhrwqhte eij pan to plrwma tou qeou. )  The explicit content of plhrow is thus God's fullness (probably a reference to his moral attributes).  (2) In [Ephesians] 4:10 Christ is said to be the agent of filling (with v. 11 adding the specifics of his giving spiritual gifts).  (3) The author then brings his argument to a crescendo in [Ephesians] 5:18:  Believers are to be filled by Christ by means of the Spirit with the content of the fullness of God.

 5.            The plhrow language in Ephesians can be summarized as follows:

A.    In Ephesians 4:10, Christ is said to be the AGENT of filling.

B.    In Ephesians 5:18, the Holy Spirit is said to be the MEANS by which the filling occurs.

C.    In Ephesians 3:19, the fullness of God is said to be the CONTENT with which we are to be filled.

Diagram of plhrow Language in Ephesians

 6.                Contrasting the filling in Ephesians 5:18 with the filling in the Book of Acts:

A.                Ephesians 5:18:  Christians are to be filled by Christ by means of the Holy Spirit with the content of the fullness of God.

B.    Acts:  The filling in Acts is a special enduing with the Spirit for a particular task (similar to the Spirit's ministry in the OT.)

Thesis Restated:  The filling with the Holy Spirit in Ephesians is different from the filling with the Spirit found in Luke and Acts.

FINAL CONCLUSION:  The evidence presented in this document supports the thesis that the filling with the Holy Spirit in Ephesians is different from the filling with the Spirit found in Luke and Acts.

THE INTENT OF EPHESIANS 5:18

Jesus Christ is the personal agent who fills the yielded Christian with the content of the fullness of God by means of the Holy Spirit who is the instrument used by Christ to fill the believer.

Final Amplification:  Jesus Christ is the personal agent who fills (Ephesians 4:10) the yielded Christian (Romans 6:13; 12:2) with the content which is the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19) by means of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) who is the instrument being used by Christ to fill the believer.

ADDENDUM #1

VERSES ASSOCIATED WITH

TWO TYPES OF FILLING WITH THE SPIRIT

The following verses are associated with the biblical concept of being filled with the Spirit.  The verses are divided into two categories.

Type #1:  This type of filling is a special enduing with the Spirit for a particular task (similar to the Spirit's ministry in the OT) associated with Christian service.  Here, it is the Holy Spirit who is poured into the believer.  This type of filling produced supernatural experiences. This type of filling does not occur during the post-apostolic period.

Type #2:  This type of filling is associated with the process of building Christian character and worship.  This type of filling continues to be available to every believer who is yielded to God the Holy Spirit.  This type of filling is available to Church Age believers from the time of its revelation until the rapture of the church occurs.

ADDENDUM #2

SOME USES OF THE DATIVE (5 CASE) CASE

 1.  Dative of Personal Agency:  (The traditional view is questionable.)

A.  The dative of agency is said to denote the agent by whom something is done.

B.   When the thing accomplished is performed by a person, the dative of agency is referred to as a dative of personal agency.

 2.        Dative of Means:  (The traditional view is incorrect.)

A.  The dative of means is said to denote the agent by which something is done.

B.   Here, something is accomplished by something, not someone.

C.   In other words, the agent used to accomplish something is impersonal, not personal.

 3.  The difference, then, between the traditional view of the dative of personal agency and the traditional view of the dative of means is as follows:

1)            Dative of agency:  the agent by which something is accomplished is a person.

2)            Dative of means:  the agent by which something is accomplished is impersonal.

3)            This entire view is inaccurate for the following reasons:

A.  The dative of personal agency is at best rare in the Bible, and perhaps nonexistent.

B.   The New Testament contains personal nouns that are used as dative of means.

 4.      Conclusions:

A.  If you read about a noun used in the dative case that is called a dative of personal agency because it is said to be the agent by which something is accomplished, it is reasonable to consider the interpretation suspect.

B.   If you read about an impersonal noun in the dative case that is called a dative of means because it is the agent by which something is accomplished, it is reasonable to consider the interpretation suspect.

 5.  More About the Dative of Personal Agency:  Once a clear definition is learned for the dative of personal agency it will be seen to be a rare or nonexistent biblical category.

 6.  How should agency and means be understood as it relates to the use of the preposition en + a noun in the dative (5 case).

A.  When the dative expresses the idea of means, the noun should be viewed as the instrument used by the agent.

B.   en + the dative used to express means can be (and often is) used of persons, though they are conceived of as impersonal (i.e., used as an instrument by someone else.)

For example, in the sentence "God disciplined me by means of my parents," "God" is the agent who uses the "parents" as the means by which He accomplished something.  The parents are, of course, persons.  But they are conceived of as impersonal in that they are the instruments used by another.

 7.  Concerning Ephesians 5:18:

A.  The phrase "filled with the Spirit" exists in this verse.

B.   The phrase "filled with the Spirit" is the Greek verb plhrow + env + the dative (5 case) of pneuma.

C.   env + the dative (5 case) of pneuma indicates that the Holy Spirit is the instrument used by an unidentified agent to accomplish a filling, the content of which filling is identified in the verses following verse 18.

Conclusion:  Ephesians 5:18 does not teach that we should be "filled WITH the Spirit."  Ephesians 5:18 teaches that we should be "filled BY the Spirit."  The Holy Spirit is the INSTRUMENT associated with filling.  He is not the CONTENT with which we are filled.

tags: filling  spirit  

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