Shepherding a Child’s Heart is a refreshingly biblical approach to raising children. Tripp does not focus on modifying behavior. Instead, he guides parents back to the Bible so that they can discern what motivates their children. Parents must concern themselves with heart motives if they truly want their children to emulate Christ.

Part one lays the foundations for understanding the child’s heart. In that section, Tripp discusses the goals to be reached – God is to be glorified and the gospel is to be internalized in the child. He discusses the proper use of spanking and stresses the importance of communication.

In part two, Tripp makes some observations regarding the different stages of child development, infancy to teenage. He answers some questions like: “What should a parent expect from an infant?”; “How do you get a teen to become a responsible adult?” Though he does offer some methods that enable parents to deal with heart issues, Tripp does not attempt to provide a quick-fix manual.

This book does not, neither does it make the claim to, comprehensively deal with child training. Rather, this is one of the first and few books this writer has found that helps parents identify root issues. For more on raising teenage children, one should also read Paul Tripp’s (Ted’s brother) Age of Opportunity. Together, these books team up to give parents biblically sound advice in raising their children.

Shepherding a Child’s Heart is available from Calvary Press: 1-800-789-8175 or www.calvarypress.com.

From Revelation 2.4–5 we see that personal and doctrinal purity are not enough. Purity must be accompanied by love or God will not be honored. Before going further we must gain an understanding of what Jesus means by the words “first love.” Unfortunately, neither Jesus nor John define the idea of “first love” here, so we are left to search elsewhere for its meaning. The majority of evidence in the NT, and in John’s writings specifically, seems to indicate that this “first love” is a love for Christ as expressed in love and compassion for other believers. Note the following texts:

John 13.34–35 Jesus states, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another.”

1 John 3.14, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.”

1 John 4.7, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

1 John 4.21 states, “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

Very telling is the fact that the believers in Ephesus originally excelled in their love for one another. Ephesians 1.15 states, “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you . . .” So according to Paul, at first the church in Ephesus was filled with brotherly love. From the previous statements of both Jesus and John, it seems likely that this “first love” is a love for Christ that is expressed in love and compassion for other believers. Apparently, these believers who were so orthodox in their lifestyles and doctrine were lacking in their love for one another. Because of this lack of love Jesus states that they are in danger of losing their life as a church. When Jesus states that He will remove their lampstand, He means that He will end their existence as a church. Their light will be snuffed out. They will be no longer. Jesus’ words have application to fundamental Baptist Churches today. When Jesus says in verse 7, “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches…” He is applying His words to every believer who will ever hear Him. In other words, what is in this letter is not just for the church in Ephesus, it also has application for us. So if the church in Ephesus could die because its members did not love one another, we too could die if we don’t love one another. Brotherly love is not an option. The believers in Ephesus were serving the Lord to the point of physical exhaustion. They were handling persecution with patient endurance. They were taking a strong stand against unbiblical living and false doctrine. They were doing everything right, except their love, concern and compassion for one another had waned. And because that was true, Jesus threatened to end their very existence as a church. This was a church of loveless orthodoxy, and it was dangerously close to dying as a result of the judgment of Jesus Christ. If Jesus were to stand before us this Sunday He would say to each of us, “I not only care about how orthodox you are in your life and doctrine, I also care about how you show love to other believers. If you do not love your fellow believers, you are in sin, and by your sin you may bring judgment upon this church.” Jesus commands the believers in Ephesus to do three things.

If you are orthodox but unloving, remember your former state (2.5a). Jesus’ commands these believers, who according to Paul in Ephesians 1.15 formerly had a great love for one another, to remember their former state, or in other words, to “remember how they used to love one another.” If you expressed love toward fellow believers at one time but have exchanged that Christlike expression for apathy or bitterness, Christ commands you to remember your former attitudes and actions of love. If you are orthodox but unloving, reject your sinful lack of love (2.5b). Jesus commands selfish and loveless believers to repent of their wickedness. They should turn from their sin of apathy, selfishness, or bitterness and change their treatment and feelings toward other Christians. If you are orthodox but unloving, become loving (2.5c). The phrase “do the first works” means that the members of the church in Ephesus were to show love to each other as they used to. For you and me the command is the same – show love to each other!

What is interesting about Jesus’ commands here is that He does not urge them to feel badly about their sin, and He does not allow them to wait until they feel like it before they obey Him. They are commanded to repent and turn from their sin whether they feel like it or not! They are commanded to show love toward other Christians whether they feel like it or not! How you and I feel is irrelevant! The right thing for you to do if you lack love for other Christians is to change – repent of that sin and begin to show love immediately. God’s judgment for this sin is very real. We risk death as a church if we are a people of loveless orthodoxy.

Jesus said in John 13.35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Our love for one another is part of our light shining in the world – it’s that which shows the world that we are followers of Christ. If that light is dim or out, Jesus will do with that church what we do with a light bulb that does not shine as it ought, He will throw it away.

Application: We must always strive to be pure in our practice and in our doctrine, but purity is not enough. We must also love our Christian brothers and sisters in the church. Love is an act of the will. You do not fall in love; you choose to love. Furthermore, love in the Bible is always active. Genuine love demonstrates itself. As of right now choose to show love, compassion, and concern for your fellow Christians. Whether you feel like it or not, demonstrate Christ’s love to your brothers and sisters in Christ. You may for some reason have lost your first love toward another believer. Maybe they slighted you or mistreated you in some way. Jesus would say to you, “Remember, repent, and show love again.”

We see from Revelation 2.2–3 and 2.6 that Personal and Doctrinal Purity Are Praiseworthy and Necessary. God commended the church in Ephesus for its strong orthodox stand. Its people stood for God’s truth in both their belief system and in the practices of their daily lives.

The church in Ephesus fervently labored for the Lord (v 2.2a,b). The Lord uses two terms here to commend the church in Ephesus regarding their labor for Him. The Greek word rendered “labor” originally referred to “a beating and the pain and agony that one received as a result of being beaten.” By the time Jesus addressed the church in Ephesus here, the word referred to “labor that brought exhaustion as if one had been beaten.” It referred to the kind of work that left the entire body aching. The church in Ephesus was not a lazy church. This was not a church that cared only about fun and frolic. The people of this church were not those who hungered for entertainment and comfort. They were not those who attended only when food and fun was on the menu. They were not those who were so busy with their own lives and pursuits that Christ and His service was set aside. The members of this church were committed to serving God. This church was a beehive of activity and ministry. And they apparently did not simply serve the Lord when it was convenient. They served Him to the point of sweat and exhaustion. They served Him to the point where their bodies ached and their strength was sapped away. If you are faithfully serving the Lord, rest assured your labors have not gone unnoticed by the Lord. He knows of your back breaking labor. He knows of every minute you put in for His service, and He commends you for it. There is no better use of your time, abilities, and strength.

The church in Ephesus steadfastly endured difficult situations (v 2.2c). Jesus commends this church for its “patience.” This word “patience” refers to endurance and perseverance in the midst of trials and difficulties. It is not the kind of patience that sits back and passively waits. It’s a triumphant fortitude that does not let the trial win. It refers to an attitude of calmness and strength that moves forward and conquers trials and tribulations. Acts 19.23–34 demonstrates that Ephesus was a center of the cult of Diana (also called Artemis). Ephesus was a great commercial center; it was a city of great political importance; it was also host to the Pan-Ionian games held annually in the month of May. These games ranked in stature and pomp with the Olympic games. But the greatest attraction to Ephesus was the temple of Diana. It was 425 ft. long, 220 ft. wide and 60 ft. high. It contained 127 pillars, each the gift of a king, all made of parian marble, 36 of which were richly overlaid with gold, jewels, and intricate carving. The Greek saying ran: “The sun sees nothing finer in its course than Diana’s temple.” Within the temple was the huge statue of Diana – a grotesque, squat, black, many breasted figure that was said to have fallen from heaven. The worship of Diana was weird and hysterical involving temple prostitution (the temple prostitutes being viewed as priestesses). So devoted to Diana was the city of Ephesus, that on its coinage Ephesus was called the neokoros, or “temple sweeper” of the Temple of Diana. The people of this city saw themselves as nothing more than the sweepers of Diana’s temple. As the believers lived for Christ in this Diana worshiping city, they were persecuted and maligned constantly for their faith. They were snubbed in public and railed upon in private. Their businesses were not well patronized, and they had difficulty purchasing goods. In spite of this difficult situation, they maintained a triumphant fortitude. They patiently endured. These believers served the Lord to the point of physical exhaustion in the midst of consistent persecution and mistreatment.

The church in Ephesus consistently stood against unbiblical living and false doctrine (2.2d–3,6). According to 2.2d, the believers in the church in Ephesus took a stand against unbiblical living. The clause “I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men,” contains two important terms. The word translated “wicked men” could also be rendered those who are “good for nothing.” The idea of this word is that of a person who is worthless in an area where he ought to excel. In other places this word is used of a cowardly soldier or a lazy student – both are good for nothing; worthless in an area in which they ought to excel. Here it refers to those who claimed to be apostles and were found to be liars. These false apostles are called “Nicolaitans” in verse 6. The point is that these false apostles were good for nothing in their life habits. They claimed to be apostles, but were evil in their conduct. The word translated “tolerate” is translated “bear” in Galatians 6.2, “bear one another’s burdens.” In Galatians 6.2 Christians are commanded to help, encourage, and bear the burdens of other Christians. Here, however, Jesus commends the believers in Ephesus for not encouraging or helping those who claimed to be believers but were found to be false apostles. They took a stand against those who taught falsehood and rejected biblical standards. It is right and praiseworthy to bear the burdens of another faithful Christian, but it is wrong to bear with false teachers who have infiltrated the church family.

In 2.2e–3 and 2.6, we are told how the church in Ephesus stood against false teachers. First these believers tested these lying false teachers, also called Nicolaitans, (2.2e). The believers in the church in Ephesus compared the lives of the false teachers to the teachings of the Word of God. It is clear that a church that wants the praise of Jesus Christ must be discriminating and must only associate with teachers who faithfully proclaim the whole counsel of God and who live out its truths. Second, these believers hated the doings of the false teachers (2.6). They were not accepting of the actions and teachings of the false teachers. Even as Jesus Himself has no stomach for wicked deeds and false doctrine, the believers in Ephesus had no stomach for such things. Note that there was no hatred for the teachers themselves, just their deeds and teachings. Third, these believers stood strong in the face of persecution from the false teachers (2.3a–b). There is a play on words here between the word “bear” in verse 2 and “borne” here; both are the same Greek word. According to verse 2, these believers could not “bear” disobedient brethren. But according to verse 3, these believers could “bear” the attacks of false teachers. Not only could they bear and handle those attacks, but they also could do so with patient endurance and triumphant fortitude. Jesus drops a note here as to why these Christians were so faithful. They were faithful because they were completely committed to Christ and His gospel (“for my name’s sake”). Finally, these believers continued to labor for the Lord in spite of the false teachers (2.3c). Jesus commended them because they continued to labor and “had not fainted.” The word translated “fainted” is related to the word “labor” in verse 2. Both refer to labor for the Lord that brings complete exhaustion and an aching body. There is a great paradox expressed here. In spite of the fact that they labored to the point of exhaustion, they had not become exhausted. Though they toiled to the point of weariness, they did not in fact grow weary in well doing. Their loyalty to the Lord was so all-consuming that their back breaking work for Him did not break their backs. They labored to point of weariness but weariness never set in. The trials and pressures placed upon them by these false teachers were no match for their all-consuming love for Christ.

Application: The members of the church in Ephesus were orthodox Christians. Are you as orthodox as they? They were fervent in their labor for the Lord – so much so that their bodies ached. Are you that fervent for the Lord? These Christians were persecuted daily for their faith, and yet they patiently endured it and served the Lord through it. Is that how you handle trials, difficulties, and persecution? These Christians took a strong stand against false doctrine and unbiblical living. They kept watch on their own lives, and they did not tolerate those who openly rejected godliness or taught unbiblical doctrine. Are you taking that kind of stand?

Likewise, the very first step to Christlikeness is the removal of sins that hinder or block the growth in Christlikeness. There can be no progress in the Christian life until the fortresses of sin are razed. From the time of a person’s birth until his salvation experience, Satan has been constructing fortresses to resist the work of God in the life (2Co 10:4). But once a person is saved, those fortresses must be destroyed. The Scriptures are replete with admonitions for the Christian to demolish those fortresses of sin so that growth in Christlikeness may proceed (cf. Jas 1:21; 1Pe 2:1-2; Heb 12:1-2). In Colossians chapters 3 and 4, the Apostle Paul describes for us a blueprint for becoming Christlike. That blueprint begins with preparation for spiritual growth: the removal of sins from the life. In Colossians 3:5, the Apostle Paul directs every believer to take the very first step to Christlikeness: the destruction of the fortress of sexual impurity.

It is not surprising that the Holy Spirit directed the Apostle to list this sin first. The Colossian believers lived in a culture that promoted sexual impurity. Consequently every kind of sexual vice was practiced. Satan openly used the cultural values of their day to erect fortresses of impurity that he could use to resist the work of God in the life. And it is no different in our culture. Almost every radio and TV program, magazine, computer game, internet advertisement, and web site promotes lust. Consider the women’s fashions of our culture. Even the everyday dress is oriented toward seductiveness. Children’s fashions are designed to promote seductiveness amongst our girls from the earliest ages. The Christian man and woman (as well as the unsaved person) are literally bombarded by Satanic cultural norms designed to promote impurity and to resist the work of God in the life.

But now that one is saved and has died to the sins of the past (Col 3:3-4), all that must go. The former manner of life in this area is to be put to death. The believer must be determined to destroy the fortress of impurity. Colossians 3:5 says “Consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed.” Literally, the Greek commands, “All of you therefore kill the members on the earth.” Paul seems to contradict himself when he says in verse 3 that we have died and then in verse 5 commands us to put our members to death. What he is saying is that we died positionally with Christ when we were saved, but now we must work out that truth in our daily lives. By no means is he directing us to mutilate ourselves or to practice asceticism. He has already denounced that practice as being worthless to help us stop sinning (Col 2:18-23). But he is directing us to eliminate every sinful practice of impurity in our lives.

Now let’s consider how we can cleanse our lives from sexual sin. To begin with, we must agree with Paul that immorality is wrong. Immorality is the Greek word for any sexual sin. It includes fornication, adultery, incest, homosexuality, and bestiality. In fact any sexual activity outside of marriage is condemned as sinful (1Co 7:4; Heb 13:4). The believer must put all these sins to death.

But sexual purity is much more than not committing the act with one’s body. The Holy Spirit directs us to be clean in our hearts. We are to put to death any impurity in our minds. The word “impurity” has reference to the evil and lustful thoughts and intentions of the mind. Matthew 5:28 says that “everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” These lustful thoughts defile the man (Mt 15:19). They are the work of the flesh (Gal 5:19). Believers are commanded to abstain from these thoughts (Eph 5:3). False preachers are characterized by these thoughts (2Pe 2:14). But righteous men such as Job have disciplined themselves to abstain from such thoughts (Job 31:1). Every believer is called not to impurity, but sanctification (1Th 4:7). Only the pure in heart shall see God (Mt 5:8).

Now Paul is going to give us three terms that will trace immorality all the way back to its root. Immoral behavior is caused by impure thinking. The impure thinking that results in immoral deeds has three roots. The first root is passion. It refers to strong desire. The Bible is forbidding the believer from feeding impure thoughts so that they grow powerful and cannot be contained. The root of passion is evil desire. It has reference to craving evil things (1Co 10:6). Here it has reference to evil sexual desires. The Scripture teaches that when evil desire has been consented to in the mind, sin occurs (Jas 1:13-15). The tap root of evil desire is covetousness. It refers to the desire to have more than God allows. It is the opposite of contentment. We must be content to be in the state that God has placed us (Php 4:19). When a person is coveting what God forbids, he makes an idol of himself (Col 3:5). He has dethroned God and placed himself upon the throne of his heart. He is worshiping self.

So then people fall into immorality this way: first, they refuse to be content in the state God has placed them. This is coveting and idolatry: the worship of self. They refuse to die to self. When self rules on the heart’s throne, the desires of the flesh are assented to with the volition. These evil desires are fed until they grow into burning passion. Passion bursts forth into the evil deed itself.

Immorality and impurity are very serious sin. Colossians 3:6 says that it is these sins that will bring God’s wrath upon a sinning earth. We do not want to participate in the sins that anger God so much that He pours out His eternal wrath upon the unsaved.

Applications for Today: First, we must consider ourselves to be dead. No longer must we live for what we want. Our life is Christ! (Col 3:4). If we step away from this, we have enthroned self as god, and we are headed for impurity and immorality. Furthermore, we must “flee immorality” (1Co 6:18). Turn away from all the lustful and immoral entertainments. Anything that provokes us to lust and temptation should be removed from the life. Stay away from the strange man or woman (Pr 5:8). Additionally, we must make every effort not to cause others to stumble (Ro 14:13). We must dress modestly lest we provoke others to lust (1Ti 2:9-10). We must avoid flirting (Pr 6:24). Finally, beware of the teachers who will tell you that immorality and impurity are not wrong (Eph 5:3-6). This “doctrine of Balaam” (Rev 2:14) is a sure sign of a false teacher (2Pe 2:1-3). “Do not let immorality, or any impurity or greed (lit. “coveting”) even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Eph 5:3).

Steven Owen is pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Monroe, Wisconsin.

In reality, most people do not live for their job. Their job is simply a tool to help them reach their ultimate goal. That goal for some is to accumulate riches. They are working and saving for retirement. If that is your ultimate purpose in life, the Bible describes you as a fool (Luke 12:16-21).

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Money has a way of making one forget the time. (vv. 18-19). A person can get so busy accumulating riches that he forgets God and his upcoming appointment with His Creator, as well as the fact that no one can take his riches with him past the grave (vv. 20-21). The desire for riches can lead a man to make the wrong decisions in life (1 Timothy 6:3-10). Temptations become stronger (v. 9), Satan’s traps become more cunning (v. 9). The pursuit of riches strips a man of his ability to control his passions and desires (v. 9). Ultimately the lust for more plunges a man into despair, ruin, and even hell (vv. 9-10).

Others live not for a someday- pie-in-the-sky, but for the pleasures they can experience today. For these people, their job is a tool to finance their pleasure-seeking lifestyle. Some live for immorality. All of these are walking dead men (1 Timothy 5:6).

But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives.

Others want to spend their lives pursing the pleasure of drink or drugs. They are throwing their lives away (Ephesians 5:18). Many are seeking less obviously sinful pleasures. They spend all their spare time 4-wheeling or fishing or racing or rooting their favorite sports team on to victory or maybe even just sleeping in on the Lord’s Day. When they willingly sacrifice their service to Christ to pursue these pleasures, they are in effect making these earthly pleasures their gods. They are not disciples of Christ (Luke 14:26-35).

If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

There are many passages in the New Testament that warn the believer against these spiritual traps. We are warned in Philippians 3:17-21 that many professing believers are really unsaved people who are living for their appetites. They have “set their minds on earthly things” (v. 19). They do not know it, but their ultimate destiny is destruction (v. 19). Believers are admonished not to follow their example (v. 17).

Colossians 3:1-4 addresses this issue further:

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

This passage tells us that if a person is saved, he is to have only one goal in life: “the things above” (v. 1). By that expression Paul is referring to things of eternal value – Christlikeness. Philippians 3:7-21 explains in detail what that entails. Earthly treasures are to be considered rubbish in comparison (v. 8). The believer is to pursue the resurrection power that enables a mere man to behave as Christ would (v. 10). He is to seek a personal relationship with Christ that shares in His sufferings and knows what it is to have Christ comfort and strengthen him in his suffering service for Him (v. 10). His ultimate desire is to attain “the out resurrection from among the corpses” (the literal Greek of v. 11) and to share the glorious perfections of Christ.

This heavenly-mindedness is an act of the believer’s will. The believer is commanded to make Christlikeness his constant pursuit (Colossians 3:2, present tense). Earthly treasure must no longer be allowed to charm the believer. After all, when the believer accepted Christ, he died to his old life (v. 3). In his repentant faith, the believer died to his former manner of life with its perverted value system. He was crucified with Christ (Galatians 6:14). He died to the world; the world died to him. And now he enjoys a life hidden with Christ in God (v. 3). While unsaved men look upon his outward form, he shares a common life with Christ and the Father. They cannot see the yet to be revealed new man (1 John 3:1-3). Christ will soon appear, and the believer’s glorious life with Christ will be apparent for all to see (v. 4).

So what is your ultimate purpose in life? A comfortable retirement? Weekend pleasures? To spend your life on a bed of leisure? God says these things are nothing more than garbage. If these things are your ultimate pursuit, you are not a disciple of Christ. For the true Christian there is only one goal – Christlikeness. His vocation is only a means to an end. His priority is for those things that will transform him into the image of Christ.

Steven Owen is pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Monroe, Wisconsin.

Scripturally, the NT does not emphasize Spirit-filling; it occurs only once in Paul’s letters and is strikingly absent from Paul’s theological treatise of sanctification in Romans 6-8. The emphasis that John Wesley’s theology began carried over to the Higher Life and Keswick Movements; Dallas Theological Seminary’s founder (Chafer) and successors (Walvoord, Pentecost, Ryrie, etc.) have propagated the view that believers may transition from being carnal Christians to victorious Christians only through the filling of the Holy Spirit (Combs, 48-49). I am not suggesting that Ephesians 5.18 is unimportant; I am asserting that it is incorrect to think of Spirit-filling as the secret key to living “the victorious Christian life.” The New Testament does not present two distinct levels or stages in the Christian life like that. Being filled by the Spirit is not “an event obtainable by ‘full surrender’…any more than the admonition ‘to be filled with knowledge’ means that there is an event obtainable by ‘full surrender’ such as ‘the filling with knowledge’” (Edgar, “The Sufficiency of Our Justification” in CTI, Sept. 1989, 234).

What does it mean to “be filled”?

The best way to contrast Spirit-filling is by analyzing its opposite in the first half of verse 18: “Don’t get drunk with wine.” What effect does alcohol have on someone when he is drunk? It has a controlling effect. A person who is normally timid and soft-spoken may become bold and outspoken when “under the influence” of alcohol. Being filled is parallel to being controlled. Application: Don’t let alcohol control you; rather let the Spirit control you.

What does it mean to be filled “with the Spirit”?

Does “with the Spirit” indicate content or means? For example, what is the difference between the following sentences?

“I filled the pool with water.”

“I filled the pool with a hose.”

“With water” indicates the content of the filling. “With a hose” indicates the means or instrument of the filling (that is, how or through what means it was filled).

So does Ephesians 5.18 mean “Be filled with the content of the Spirit” or “Be filled by means of the Spirit” or both? Grammatically, it cannot mean both, so that option is out. The popular understanding is that it means content. We can discover the answer to this question by studying the other ways that the New Testament uses words for filling with reference to the Holy Spirit. The New Testament refers to the filling or fullness of the Spirit 15 times; besides Ephesians 5.18, the other 14 times are in Luke and Acts. The New Testament uses three Greek words to refer to the filling or fullness of the Spirit: pi,mplhmi (8 times; Luke 1.15, 41, 67; Acts 2.4; 4.8, 31; 9.17; 13.9), plh,rhj (5 times; Luke 4.1; Acts 6.3, 5; 7.55; 11.24), and plhro,w (2 times; Acts 13.52; Ephesians 5.18).

(1) Pi,mplhmi refers to a special filling that is not the result of prayerful seeking. “Holy Spirit” always follows this word in the genitive case indicating that He is the content of the filling.

(2) Plh,rhj refers to a spiritual maturity that characterizes a godly believer. Like pi,mplhmi, “Holy Spirit” always follows this word in the genitive case indicating that He is the content of the filling.

(3) Plhro,w occurs only 2 times with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13.52 says, “The disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Both “joy” and “Holy Spirit” are in the genitive case indicating that they are the content of the filling. Ephesians 5:18 is unique from the other 14 occurrences because “Holy Spirit” is not a genitive of content; rather “Holy Spirit” is in the dative case as the object of the preposition evn. Nowhere in the New Testament does this construction indicate content. Rather it indicates means, instrumentality, or personal agency. The translation “Be filled with the Spirit” implies that the Spirit is the content of the filling. A better translation is “Be filled by the Spirit.” This communicates that the Spirit is the personal agent or means of the filling.

Ephesians 5.18 does not say what the content of the filling is. To see what the content of the filling is, it is helpful to examine the other uses of the verb here translated “be filled” in Ephesians. That verb (plhro,w) occurs 4 times in Ephesians. Let’s examine those occurrences.

(1) Ephesians 1.23: “which is His body, the fullness [plh,rwma] of Him who fills [plhroume,nou] all in all.” Who does the filling? Christ!

(2) Ephesians 3.19: “and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up [plhrwqh/te] to all the fullness of God.” What is the content of the filling? The fullness of God! What’s that? That’s “probably a reference to his moral attributes” (Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, 375). Be filled with the character of God!

(3) Ephesians 4.10: “He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill [plhrw,sh|] all things.” Who does the filling? Again, Christ!

(4) Ephesians 5.18b: “but be filled [plhrou/sqe] with/by the Spirit [evn pneu,mati].” Who is the means or personal agent of the filling? The Holy Spirit!

Thus, “Believers are to be filled by Christ by means of the Spirit with the content of the fullness of God” (Wallace, 375).

Grammatically, the verb translated “be filled” is in the present tense and imperative mood. It has a customary force; the action should continue. In other words, you must make this your habit (cf. Wallace, 722). For example, in Ephesians 5.2, Paul used a present imperative when he wrote, “walk in love.” This certainly means “continue in love” since in 1.15 he praised the Ephesians for having “love for all the saints.” Similarly, the command in Ephesians 5.18 is to continue to let the Spirit fill you with the character of God.

The verb translated “be filled” is in the passive voice. What’s the difference between the active and passive voice? A politician would be more likely to say which of these statements: (1) “I made mistakes” or (2) “Mistakes were made”? A politician would probably be more likely to say the second one because the second one leaves the subject of “making mistakes” unnamed. The passive voice does not explicitly state the subject of the action.

In Ephesians 5.18, the significance of the passive voice is that believers don’t fill themselves with the character of God. The Spirit fills believers with the character of God! This does not mean that you just sit back and wait for the Spirit to fill you! You are responsible for this — hence, the command. Just like you are responsible not to let alcohol control you, you are responsible to let the Spirit control you. Allow the Spirit to control you! That raises an important question.

How can you be controlled by the Spirit?

How do you know if you are filled by the Spirit with the character of God? You don’t have to wonder. Spirit-filling is not a mysterious experiential high. You can know by examining your life. Are you evidencing the results? “What results?” you ask. Paul lists five results in Ephesians 5.19-21. Each of the results are participles or words ending in “-ing.” “Result participles are invariably present participles that follow the main verb; as well, the idea of result here would suggest that the way in which one measures his/her success in fulfilling the command of 5.18 is by the participles that follow” (Wallace, 639). Verses 18-21 are actually one long sentence.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Paul lists four results of being filled by the Spirit in 5.19-21.

(1) Fellowship: speaking to one another

(2) Worship: singing and making music to the Lord

(3) Gratitude: giving thanks to God

(4) Submission: submitting yourselves to one another. Paul then develops the last result of submission in 5.22-6:9 in three household relationships: husbands and wives, parents and children, and masters and slaves.

That’s how you can know if you are filled by the Spirit. But what can you do to ensure that this happens? Remember, Spirit-filling is not mysterious and intangible. The most helpful passage in this regard is a parallel passage to Ephesians 5.18-6.9. This parallel passage occurs in another letter that Paul wrote while imprisoned in Rome. Paul wrote four “prison epistles”: Philippians, Philemon, Ephesians, and Colossians. Colossians is a twin letter to Ephesians; Colossians emphasizes Christ, and Ephesians emphasizes the church.

In Colossians 3.16 and following, Paul lists results that are very similar to the Ephesians 5 passage. But in Colossians 3, the initial command before the results is not the same as Ephesians 5.18. What is it in Colossians 3.16? “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” That is parallel to the command in Ephesians 5.18, “Be filled by the Spirit.” So what can you do to ensure that you are being controlled by the Spirit? Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you! Robert Reymond wrote, “These two ideas, both highlighting a divine, subjective influence, are practically identical. To be filled with the Spirit is to be indwelt by the word of Christ; to be indwelt by the word of Christ is to be filled with the Spirit. One must never separate the Spirit from Christ’s word or Christ’s word from the Spirit. The Spirit works by and with Christ’s word. Christ’s word works by and with the Spirit” (A New Systematic Theology, 766). I would hesitate to make the two commands mathematically equal. It seems better to view one as the means for ensuring that the other is happening; that is, letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly is the means for letting the Spirit fill you with God’s character.

This means that you should not only be reading God’s words consistently. but His words must also be living in you! That will only happen if you understand what you read, think about it continually (i.e., meditate), and obey it! Spirit-filling is not a quiver in your liver. “There are no shortcuts to spirituality. There is no easy way, no single spiritual ‘zap’ that does the job” (MacArthur, 321). This is a lifelong process. But this raises another question. Are all believers filled by the Spirit?

Several learned men have implied in their writings that many believers are not filled with the Spirit. I know why these men say this, and I am sympathetic with them. But I’m not sure I would say it like that. I think it would be more accurate to say that every believer is filled by the Spirit (i.e., letting the word of Christ dwell in him) to some degree — however great or small. It’s not all or nothing. The issue is not whether I have all of the Spirit; I received the indivisible person of the Spirit at regeneration. The issue is whether the Spirit has all of me!

Spirit-filling (or word-indwelling) is not like flipping a light switch off and on. Rather, it is like a dimmer switch. Sometimes the light is bright, and sometimes it is not so bright. The degree to which believers are filled with God’s words is the degree to which the Spirit is controlling them.

Are you filled with God’s words? Are you obeying what you know? If you are sinning in one area, you are not necessarily sinning in every other area. But that one area is significant and is keeping the “dimmer switch” lower.

Believers may be filled by the Spirit to different degrees. Compare a tiny, newborn baby boy to a full-grown man. Both are “filled with air,” but the capacity of the baby’s lungs is far less than the man’s. Both the baby and man are “filled,” but the man is more filled with air than the baby. Similarly, believers are growing in grace and knowledge and have different spiritual lung capacities.

“Someone might object that a person who is already ‘full’ of the Holy Spirit cannot become more full – if a glass is full of water no more water can be put into it. But a water glass is a poor analogy for us as real people, for God is able to cause us to grow and to be able to contain much more of the Holy Spirit’s fullness and power. A better analogy might be a balloon, which can be ‘full’ of air even though it has very little air in it. When more air is blown in, the balloon expands and in a sense it is ‘more full’” (Grudem, Systematic Thology, 782).

Conclusion

What does it mean to “be filled”? It means to be controlled. What does it mean to be filled “with the Spirit”? It means to be controlled by the Spirit. How can you be controlled by the Spirit? Let the word of Christ richly dwell in you (Colossians 3.16). Resolve by God’s grace to let the word of Christ richly dwell within you so that Christ will fill you with God’s character by means of the Spirit!