Lesson 19 - God the Holy Spirit: His Filling

     Certain works of the Holy Spirit occur at the moment of salvation and are never repeated (i.e. regeneration, indwelling, sealing and baptizing). However, the filling of the Holy Spirit is a repeated experience to empower the Christian to live in God’s will. The word filled means to be under the guiding influence of something/someone. It is used of the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 4:8; 7:55; 9:17), but is also used of Satan and sinful attitudes (Acts 5:3, 17; 19:28-29). “The filling of the Spirit may be defined as a spiritual state where the Holy Spirit is fulfilling all that He came to do in the heart and life of the individual believer.”[1] All Christians are commanded to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Being filled does not mean we have more of the Spirit at one time and less at another; rather, it means the Spirit has more of us. The filling of the Holy Spirit is accomplished when the believer is yielded to Him and walking according to Scripture. (Read pages 115-116)

Conditions for the Filling of the Holy Spirit

1. Do not quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19). The Greek word for quench is σβέννυμι sbennumi and has the basic idea of extinguishing a fire. Quenching the Spirit means suppressing His guidance by saying No.[2] Rather, the Christian is to yield himself to God in everything (Rom. 6:13; 12:1-2). (Read page 119-120)
2. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). The Greek word for grieve is λυπέω lupeo and the word means to distress or cause sorrow. The Spirit is grieved when the believer commits sin and continues in a state of unconfessed sin. Fellowship is restored when the Christian confesses his sin (1 John 1:9) and resumes his life of faith and walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). The believer who continues in a lifestyle of sin, continually quenching and grieving the Spirit, may find himself subject to divine discipline (Heb. 12:5-6).
3. Walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). The word walk is a translation of the Greek word περιπατέω peripateo which has the idea of conduct or behavior. To walk in the Spirit means the Christian depends on the Spirit to guide his behavior according to Scripture. The Christian who walks in the Spirit will, over time, manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), and have a general attitude of praise and thanksgiving (Eph. 5:19-20; 1 Thess. 5:18). The growing Christian will face attacks from the world (Col. 2:8; Jas. 1:27; 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16), the flesh (Gal. 5:17, 19-21a; Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:9), and the devil (2 Cor. 11:3; Jam. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8).

The Results of the Filling of the Spirit

The Christian who is filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit will, over time, manifest certain characteristics in his/her life. Some of these characteristics include:

1. An increase in the knowledge of God and His Word (John 16:12-14; cf. 1 Cor. 2:9-3:2).
2. An advance toward spiritual maturity (Eph. 4:11-16; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2).
3. A regular display of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).
4. A strong assurance of his/her salvation (Rom. 8:16).
5. An attitude of praise and thankfulness to God (Eph. 5:18-20; 1 Thess. 5:18).
6. An active prayer life (1 Thess. 5:17; Eph. 6:18; Col. 4:2).
7. The use of his/her spiritual gift for the benefit of others (1 Pet. 4:10; cf. Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-10).
8. A life marked by faith (Rom. 1:17; 10:17; Heb. 11:6).
9. The continual giving of the body for service to the Lord (Rom. 12:1-2). 
10. The sacrifice of praise for worship (Heb. 13:15).
11. The doing of good works and sharing with others (Heb. 13:16; cf. Phil. 4:18).
12. The sacrifice of personal life for the benefit of others (Phil. 2:17; cf. Phil. 1:21-26; 2:3-4).
13. The walk of sacrificial love (Eph. 5:1-2; cf. 1 Pet. 1:22).
14. Confession of personal sin to God for restoration of fellowship (1 John 1:6-9).

 

[1] Lewis Sperry Chafer; John F. Walvoord; Major Bible Themes (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 2010), 115.

[2] Sometimes the Spirit will forbid a Christian from doing something that He later permits (Acts 16:6-7; 19:10).