The Historical Context of Ephesians 5:18

Last week my wife and I were on a short vacation to New York City. I have always wanted to browse the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I finally got the opportunity. I saw several VanGogh's and Monet's up close, plus other paintings I had only seen in photos. What a great adventure! But we didn't start there. At first, we went on a guided tour that began with a piece of marble sculpture from ancient Rome.

It was a sculpture of a female devotee of the god Dionysus. In both Greek and Roman societies, the worship of Dionysus was very popular, particularly with women. The lives of women were especially difficult and degrading in those days. They longed for greater significance and fulfillment, and time away from the drudgery of daily life. They tried to find this in the worship of Dionysus.

The worship of Dionysus took place in the forests outside urban areas at night. Women and men began drinking and dancing until they achieved a state of ecstasy where supposedly the spirit of Dionysus took control of them and whatever followed was the will of Dionysus. Usually what followed was nothing but sexual immorality.

This cult activity is the historical background to Paul's exhortation, "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).

This discovery was not original with me, but seeing this sculpture reminded me of how important this background is to understanding this verse of scripture.

What it tells us is that, first of all, being filled with the Spirit is a conscious decision like getting drunk. Usually being filled with the Spirit does not happen accidentally or unconsciously. We have to make a commitment to stop sinning (Romans 6:12), and then be willing to yield ourselves to God (Romans 6:13). When we do this the Holy Spirit takes over and He controls us. That is what "filling" refers to. So, Paul is saying don't be controlled by alcohol, as that only leads to sinful excess. Rather we are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, which leads to praise, thanksgiving and godly behavior (see Ephesians 5:19-21).

What this historical background also indicates is that the filling of the Spirit is not something that occurs once and then continues on the rest of our lives. This is the traditional understanding of this verse by our Pentecostal/Charismatic brethren. The sad cases of Bakker and Swaggart should have led to a new perspective on this verse long ago. But just in case one is not convinced, the background of this immensely popular cult helps us to see clearly what Paul is saying, i.e., Spirit filling is something that must be repeated again and again throughout the life of a believer. We are baptized once by the Spirit (see this post), but we can be filled with the Spirit many, many times if we are willing. Are you willing?