Spirit Filled

The writer Luke says that on the day of Pentecost, the disciples “were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). This phrase—“filled with the Spirit”—is very important in the New Testament. In fact, apart from the disciples (Acts 2:4; 13:52), there are people who were also referred to as “filled with the Spirit” or “full of the Spirit”: Jesus (Luke 1:15; 4:1), Elizabeth (Luke 1:41), believers (Acts 4:31), Stephen (Acts 7:55), Paul (Acts 9:17; 13:9), and Barnabas (Acts 11:24). If we look at these names, we will realize that these people were extraordinary in their faith, commitment, obedience, and love and service to God and people.

But there is plenty of confusion as to what this phrase means. In Wesleyan-holiness churches, because of our theology of the “second blessing,” there seems to be the understanding that we received Jesus Christ at our conversion, then we receive the Holy Spirit later on when we are really serious in our Christian faith. This is ridiculous because it would mean that there are Christians who are exempted from following Romans 8, living in the Spirit, because they apparently have not yet received the Spirit. Or sometimes, because of our theology of gradual sanctification, there seems to be the understanding in which we receive the Holy Spirit in installment. The idea is that we received the Holy Spirit at some point, but we are not filled with the Spirit yet. We are halfway filled, and the Spirit is poured out, little-by-little, in our lives. This is also ridiculous because the Spirit is a person, and we do not receive a person in installment or partitively. There are other groups, like many Pentecostals, who speak of three different and gradual experiences: (a) receiving Jesus Christ at conversion, (b) being baptized with the Spirit later, then another experience called (c) infilling of the Holy Spirit, when one speaks in tongues.

So with all these confusions about what it means to be filled with the Spirit, how should we really understand it? What does the Bible say?

First, it is important to affirm that genuine Christians all have received the Holy Spirit in His fullness at conversion. The biblical metaphors of salvation reveal that to be saved means to receive the Holy Spirit:

• “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit” (John 7:37-39)
• We are asked to be born of the Spirit (John 3:5-7; Rom 7:6; Titus 3:5; Rom 8:4; Rom 8:15-16)
• Our salvation is sealed by the Spirit (Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 1:22; Rom 8:23)
• We are baptized with the Spirit into Christ and the church (1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:27; Rom 6:3-4)

And having received the Holy Spirit at our conversion, we have also received Him fully. There is no genuine believer who is not full of the Spirit. The problem is most probably in the fact that we are not living the life that we should be living as people filled with the Spirit. We cannot blame God for not filling us with His Spirit, which is why we are struggling in our Christian lives. The fact is, when we were converted, He has already given us the Spirit to empower us to live the full Christian life. Now it is up to us to manifest such a Spirit-filled life. Maybe the problem is that we are clueless about what it means to be Spirit-filled, or we do not know how to live the Spirit-filled life, so we do not know what to do.

In order to understand what it means to be full of the Spirit, we are going to look at three passages. The commonality of these passages is in how they use the term “fullness,” which is plero in Greek.

Jesus is pleres pneumatos hagiou, “full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1)

The Gospels portray the whole life of Christ as lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. There was no moment in the life of Jesus when the Spirit was not operative in His life. The whole life of Christ was lived in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He was conceived of the Spirit (Matt 1:20; Luke 1:35), baptized with the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:16; Mark 1:10), led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (Matt 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1), empowered by the Spirit in His ministry (Luke 4:14), anointed by the Spirit to minister (Luke 4:16-21; fulfilling Isa 61:1-2), drove out evil spirits by the Spirit of God (Matt 12:28), and resurrected in the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 3:18).

So, when we look at Jesus Christ, what does it mean to be full of the Spirit? It simply means being guided by the Spirit in every aspect of His life. If we look at the list above, we will discover that Jesus did not accomplish anything apart from the Holy Spirit. To be full of the Spirit is to accomplish the impossible. Even the facts of His birth and resurrection are in the light of the Holy Spirit. His victory over temptations and sin are in the power of the Spirit. All His ministries of healing, preaching, teaching, and exorcism are in the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we look at our humanity, we will definitely see a lot of weaknesses. We will see our limitations, whether they are grounded in our personality, upbringing, educational attainments, or socio-political status. But to be filled with the Spirit means to transcend all these things and accomplish feats that otherwise were inconceivable for us. This is also revealed in the lives of the disciples, who accomplished so much with their meager backgrounds. In the words of Optimus Prime, to be filled with the Spirit is to be more than what meets the eye.

A man is pleres lepras, “full of leprosy” (Luke 5:12)

To be full of leprosy is truly a bad experience, especially in the biblical times. But there is something about being filled with leprosy that is instructive to us as we try to understand what it means to be filled with something. To summarize, to be filled with leprosy is to have a life that revolves around leprosy. For a leper, his family relations, social life, political status, economic potential, and religious activities all revolve around his leprosy. In short, his being a leper affects every aspect of His life.

Socially, a leper is forced to live outside the community, separated from family and friends and thus deprived of the frame of reference and sense of identity that family and friends help provide. The Torah was clear, and the command was followed by the Israelites: “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them” (Numbers 5:2-3). Leviticus 13:45-46 tells us that lepers were to wear torn clothes, let their hair be disheveled, and live outside the camp. These homeless individuals were to cry “Unclean, unclean!” when a person without leprosy approached them. This is why the ten lepers that met Jesus Christ “stood at a distance” (Luke 17:12). They are not allowed to socialize, marry, and have their own families. A person who touches a leper will become unclean until the evening (Lev 13:46).

Economically, since they cannot socialize or stay in the community, they cannot be employed. They can only live by begging. Religiously, since leprosy is considered as a punishment from God (2 Kings 5:7; 2 Chron 26:20; John 9:2-3), lepers are looked down upon by people. The fact that they are unclean also makes them unfit and not qualified to enter the Temple and offer sacrifices.

This means that a leper’s life revolves around and is limited by what he is full of. In turn, to be filled with the Spirit, therefore, is to have a life that revolves around the Spirit. Our familial activities, our social relationships, our economic decisions, our employment options, our religious involvement, and aspect of our lives must revolve around the fact that we are filled with the Spirit.

We must be filled with the Spirit, not with wine (Eph 5:18)

This passage is very interesting because being filled with the Spirit is compared to being filled with wine. This comparison is actually extremely instructive, especially for those who have experienced being drunk. Basically, in this passage, what is emphasized is the importance of the influence of something that fills a person.

A person filled with wine is thoroughly influenced by wine. The physical and visible actions of a drunk are influenced by wine. A drunk cannot even walk straight. The actions of a drunk are completely influenced by the effects of wine. They can strip on the road. They can sleep on the road. The mind of a drunk is also influenced by wine. In the Philippines, you will know someone is drunk because they speak in English. Their inhibitions are low, and they can make rash decisions. In fact, many people got married, got pregnant, or have done crazy acts just because they are drunk? The emotions of a drunk are influenced by wine. A stone-cold human being can suddenly share his life story when drunk. An introvert can suddenly become talky when drunk. A drunk can express his anger more openly.

To be filled with wine is to be influenced by wine. Actions, decisions, and our ways of thinking are affected by wine. In the same way, to be filled with the Spirit is to be thoroughly influenced by the Spirit. Our actions, ways of thinking, decision-making, conduct, and everything are influenced by the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit, therefore, is to live in the Spirit.

Conclusions

To summarize, to be filled with the Spirit is (1) to rise beyond our own self-conceived limitations, (2) to have a life that revolves around the Spirit, and (3) to be thoroughly influenced by the Spirit. As explained above, we who have genuinely been converted, have all received the Holy Spirit. The question is not whether we as Christians have or have not received the Spirit. The question is whether we are living in accordance with the Spirit who has already filled us? 

Spirit Immanuel

John 14:16-18

Fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, or ten days after His ascension, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-2). This day is one of the most important events in the history of the Christian church. The coming of the Spirit is the long-awaited fulfilment of the prophecies in the Old Testament (cf Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-21), which also initiates the last days. Contrary to many interpretations, the last days are not one-sidedly scary. Although the last days are characterized by earthquakes, calamities, and terrible events (Matt 24-25), the last days are also good days. The last days, according to Acts 2, will be characterized by terrible events with blood, fire, smoke, darkness, and blood moons (2:19-20). But they are also great and glorious days because there is salvation for those who call on the name of the Lord (2:20-21). This is why Paul can say to the Corinthian believers that “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2). These are the days when the Holy Spirit is at work in the world. As Jesus said, “when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment” (John 16:8, NLT). It is now “the time of salvation,” when hearts are cleansed and people are “born again” as “new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). This age is when the Spirit is hovering over the earth (Gen 1:2), seeking to give life over against chaos and decay. This is the age of life, when God breathes the Spirit of life into the nostrils of creation, making life out of dust (Gen 2:7; Ezek 37:4–10).

But the coming of the Holy Spirit has great significance not only to the peoples of the world. The primary recipients of the coming of the Spirit were Jesus’ disciples. They were the ones who were directly impacted by the Spirit’s coming.

It is very important for us to realize that it is in the context of Him saying farewell (John 13-17) that He promised the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples. The night before Jesus was crucified, He said His farewells to the disciples. Jesus was very concerned about them, which was why He spent a lot of time during His last night to teach, encourage, and even pray for them (John 13-17). He admonished them not to be troubled (John 14:1). He knew that the disciples will suffer greatly when He leaves them. For three years, their lives have revolved around Jesus Christ. They went where He went. They have placed their hopes in Him. So when Jesus said his farewells, they were quite unwilling to accept things. When Thomas asked “how can we know the way?” (John 14:5), he was seriously asking how they may be able to follow Him. They definitely did not want to be left alone. So in order to comfort the disciples, Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).  

Not Orphans (14:17)

Jesus assured them that even though He was leaving them (John 14:28; 16:16), He was not abandoning them. He said “I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:18). This is an interesting statement. Jesus realized that the disciples were extremely dependent on Him. Apart from Him, they would become nothing. They would lose their confidence and even their sense of identity. Jesus knew that the moment He is taken away from them, they would be scattered, which was precisely what happened (Matt 26:31; Mark 14:50; John 16:32). He knew that they would be afraid, which also came true (John 20:19). For Him to be crucified and then ascend to the right hand of the Father, Jesus knew that His disciples will be completely at a lost. Indeed, they would become like orphans, with no one depend on and rely upon. They would become orphans whose future will be bleak and uncertain.

But Jesus told them that His absence will not result in this state of affairs. He promised to them the Holy Spirit, who would come to “help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16). In the physical absence of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit would be the one to guide them and help them just as Jesus did when He was with them. This is why the coming of the Holy Spirit is the coming of the Comforter (John 14:16, KJV). Because Jesus knew that His departure would leave the disciples sorrowful and fearful, the Holy Spirit would come to give peace to the disciples. Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). These words find greater meaning in John 20:19-23. As Jesus predicted, after His death, the disciples became afraid, so He came in their midst and said “Peace be with you” (20:19, 21) and “Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:22). The coming of the Spirit is the coming of peace.

Just like Jesus who stayed with them and was with them, the Holy Spirit will remain with them. In short, the Holy Spirit is sent from the Father and the Son in order to dwell with God’s people. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). Yes, it is true that Jesus was about to leave them. But this does not mean that God would abandon them. God does not do this to His own people. His promise to His people since the beginning of His covenant with humanity was to be with them:

“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut 31:8)

“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9)

The coming of the Holy Spirit is the coming and indwelling presence of God in our lives. In the Old Testament, we see Yahweh dwelling among the Israelites (Exo 29:45; Lev 26:11; Num 35:34; Deut 7:21). In the Gospels we see Jesus dwelling among us (John 1:14). This is why Jesus is also called Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt 1:23). And now the Holy Spirit is also mentioned as dwelling among us (Rom 8:9, 11; 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; 2 Tim 1:14). We are not orphans. We have God with us!

Another Advocate

The truth of the Holy Spirit as someone with us is summarized by Jesus Christ when He called the Spirit Parakletos (John 14:16), which means “one called alongside.” Just as Jesus Christ was God with us, the Holy Spirit is also God alongside us. The Spirit stays with us and walks alongside us.

But the term Parakletos does not only refer to “someone alongside us.” This is not about mere space and geographical proximity. In Greek culture, a Parakletos is someone who stands with someone in court, advocating for someone’s pardon and cause. Picture someone accused to wrong doing in court, and someone is with him, advocating for his pardon and release. That is the Parakletos. 

What is interesting in John 14:16 is that the Holy Spirit is called another Parakletos. Quite simply, the coming Holy Spirit is the second Parakletos. Like Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is also God alongside and for us. Jesus is also a Parakletos: “If anybody does sin, we have an advocate (Parakleton) with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). What is the work of Jesus Christ as Parakletos? Paul writes in Romans 8:34, “Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God--and He is interceding for us.” Jesus is our High Priest at the right hand of the Father interceding for us (Heb 7:25). Truly, “Christ did not enter a man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf in the presence of God” (Heb 9:24). Jesus is our Advocate before the Father.

This means that in the coming of the Holy Spirit, we have two Advocates. Jesus is our Advocate in the presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit is our Advocate on earth. In what way is the Holy Spirit our advocate? The Holy Spirit is our advocate before the world. As we already know, the world is violent against God. As Jesus said to His disciples, the world will hate them and the church (Matt 10:22; 24:9; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17; John 15:18-19, 21). The world will slander God and will throw at us all kinds of nasty accusations and condemnations. The world will challenge our faith. But Jesus said that the Spirit is our Advocate as “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17). Jesus continued to say: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). The Spirit will defend us from the world by reminding us the words of Jesus.

Conclusions

The Holy Spirit does not only dwell with us. He also defends us from the world. This is the good news of Pentecost. God, in the Holy Spirit, has come to make His dwelling among us. But He also comes in His saving grace. He stays with us. He testifies that we are God’s children (Rom 8:14-16). Therefore do not be alarmed. Do not fret. Do not be sorrowful. God dwells among His people. He is with us. The Spirit is poured out upon the church and upon each one of us.