From the Vicar

Dear Friends,
 

“Be filled with the Spirit” says Paul in EPHESIANS 5:18. He contrasts being filled with the Holy Spirit with being drunk with wine. Instead of being dominated and controlled by alcohol, Paul says that we are to be dominated and controlled by God’s Spirit. We should remember, of course, that the Holy Spirit is a person, not a substance – hence to be filled with the Spirit is to allow him to guide and direct every part of our lives; to live under his influence. We need to be under the influence of the right Spirit!
 

I make no claim to be an expert in Greek grammar; but, apparently, the exact form of the verb “be filled” in the original is specific in meaning.
 

• It is in the ‘imperative mood’ – in other words, “be filled” is not just a tentative suggestion; but an authoritative command. For the Christian, to be filled with the Spirit isn’t an optional extra: it is obligatory - it is part of what it means to be a Christian. Paul says in ROMANS 8:9 that anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ.
  
   

• It is in the plural form – it is addressed to the whole Christian community. All of us are to be spirit-filled. The fullness of the Spirit is not just for a privileged clique; but is available for all God’s people.
  
   

• It is in the passive voice. The New English Bible translates the phrase as “Let the Holy Spirit fill you”. Filling with the Holy Spirit doesn’t require learning some special technique or reciting some special formula on our behalf – simply that we’re open to God to fill us.
  
   

• It is in the present tense. To be exact, it is in what is called the ‘present imperative’ tense which denotes continuous action, as opposed to the ‘aorist imperative’ which denotes a single action. The meaning is therefore “Go on being filled with the Spirit”. The filling with the Holy Spirit isn’t a one-off experience, but something that needs to be renewed continuously by maintaining our relationship with Christ and being obedient to Him. As the late George Duncan (Christian speaker and writer) put it, “to be continually being filled with the Spirit... involves an assent to the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives… in order to go on being filled continually, there must be an utter willingness and a complete readiness for anything and for everything… being filled with the Spirit means releasing Him, setting Him free to do what He wants in our lives”.

May 11 is Whit Sunday (or Pentecost to use the Biblical name) – the day on which we particularly remember the first disciples being ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ (ACTS 2:4). As Christians today, we need to be filled with the Spirit and go on being filled every day and every moment of the day.

Yours in Christ,

Andrew J. Haslam