WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT? A BIBLICAL INVESTIGATION

Abstract

A popular pamphlet challenges “carnal Christians” to embark on the “Spiritlled life” by confessing their sins and presenting every area of their lives to God.1 Thus they will experience the “abundant life” Jesus promised (John 10:10) and be “ lled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). While the intention behind the teaching is doubtless commendable—who would disagree that many fall short of the Biblical ideal for the Christian and desperately need to renew their commitment to their Lord?—the theology and terminology upon which this approach is based need to be reexamined to see whether they in fact re ect Biblical categories. The following essay, after providing a brief survey of the OT backdrop, is therefore devoted to a detailed study of all the references to a “ lling” with the Spirit or a person’s being “full of the Spirit” in the NT. It is hoped that such an analysis will provide a clear, Biblical answer to the question, “What does it mean to be lled with the Spirit?”2

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