Holy Spirit Commands

I believe that one key to rightly understanding matters of sanctification may be found through a study of the New Testament commands concerning the Holy Spirit. As far as I know, there are four commands given to believers concerning our relationship to the Holy Spirit of God; two are positive, and two are negative.

• Walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16, 25);
• Be Filled By the Spirit (Eph 5:18);
• Do Not Quench the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19);
• Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Eph 4:30).

I. Walk by the Spirit

 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (Gal 5:16 NASB)

Since we live by the Spirit, we should also keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:25, my translation)

"Walk" is a metaphor for living with purpose. "Walk" is a command in verse 16. Verse 25 uses a different word in a different form, but the idea is parallel. The statements concerning the Spirit from vv. 16, 25 introduce and conclude a distinct section of teaching, from Gal 5:16-26.

"You will not [Greek: ou mē] carry out the desire of the flesh" is a promise. There is a necessary connection here. Walking by the Spirit yields a life that is characterized not by fleshly desires, but by the fruit of the Spirit.

As clear from the list of "the works of the flesh" found in Gal 5:19ff., "flesh" is used as a broad term for the old, unregenerate nature. In principle, the flesh has been crucified with Christ (as in 5:24, cf. Gal 2:20). In practice, we must be putting to death the deeds of the flesh (Rom 8:13), keeping in step with the Spirit.

Though not in the imperative form, the subjunctive form for the word translated "keep in step," found in verse 25, indicates a moral imperative: we should keep in step with the Spirit. "Keep in step" is translated from a form of a verb that "has as its basic meaning the idea of 'stand in a row'" [Richard N. Longenecker, Galatians, Word Biblical Commentary (Nelson Reference and Electronic, 1990), 265], which may be a military term; the word carries the meaning of a deliberative action in walking (it could be translated "march"). One either walks by the Spirit or carries out fleshly desires. These activities are mutually exclusive. If we do not walk by the Spirit, we are living contrary to a clear biblical command. If we do not keep in step with the Spirit, it indicates moral failure on our part.

  Our motivation for walking by the Spirit is that He has given us life. "Believers have already been translated from an old mode of existence to a new one" [Moisés Silva, Interpreting Galatians (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 183]. The Holy Spirit is the origin of the believer's life, and He is the instrumental means by which we are empowered to live in a way that is pleasing to God.

  In this section of Galatians, the command to walk by the Spirit is specifically contrasted with "the desire of the flesh" on the one hand and being "under the law" (5:18) on the other.

A. What does it mean to "walk by the Spirit"? How does a believer "walk by the Spirit"?

  Galatians 5:16—“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (NASB)—is a command with a promise conditioned upon our following the command. But if we do not understand the command, "walk by the Spirit," then we will not know how to follow the command, and we will not gain the promise ("you will not carry out the desire of the flesh").

B. To walk by the Spirit is:

• To live in accordance with our new identity in Christ;
• To love neighbor as self;
• To strive after sanctification;
• To depend on the Holy Spirit; 

1. To live in accordance with our new identity in Christ. Since we live by the Spirit, we should also keep in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25, my translation). Earlier in Galatians, the Apostle had written, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20a NASB). In Galatians 5:24, Paul writes, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Our flesh has been killed: it has been dealt a mortal blow with the death of Christ on the Cross. We have died to the law (Gal 2:19): legalism is prohibited. To walk by the Spirit is to live as if the desire of the flesh and temptations to legalism have no power over us. Because, due to the Cross of Christ, the power of the flesh and the curse of the law have indeed been broken. 

2. To love neighbor as self. When the Apostle gives the command "walk by the Spirit," it comes in the midst of his teaching concerning the relationship of the believer to the law. The curse of the law has been broken. If we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law (Gal 5:18). Yet there is a real sense in which the blessed man still delights in the law of the Lord (Psa 1:2). Lawlessness cannot characterize the Christian life, for sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4), and Christ has saved us from sin.

Jesus summarizes God's moral law in terms of loving God heart, soul, and mind, and loving neighbor as self. The Judaizers in Galatia, against whom Paul was writing, would have agreed (in theory) that one should love God whole-heartedly. They may have even given verbal assent to the idea that one should love neighbor as self. One of the Apostle's goals in writing Galatians (as seen in Gal 5:1-15) was to demonstrate that the Judaizers were acting in an unloving way, trying to place an impossible burden upon those who have been set free by Christ. Through acting in such an unloving manner, the Judaizers (who claimed to love God's law) were actually violating the principle that fulfills the law: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Gal 5:14).

Jesus is God. God is love (1 John 4:8). Therefore, as we live in accordance with our new identity in Christ, our lives will be characterized by love. This love will be grounded in gospel truth.

Now, according to the divine economy, the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Trinity most identified with love between the Father and the Son, the application of divine love to elect sinners, and shining forth God's love to others. Believers in Christ are indwelt by the Spirit (John 7:38-39). Therefore, as we keep in step with the Spirit, our lives will be characterized by love.

3. To strive after sanctification. There is a view of the Christian life that teaches, "Let go and let God." This view is largely identified with the Keswick movement. A key problem with this teaching is that it largely defines the Christian life in passive terms. There is a view of sanctification that seems (at least) to identify virtually any activity on our part—other than a mere mental consideration of what Jesus has done in our justification—with legalism. But "walk," in Galatians 5:16, is an active verb. That activity is required by this command is expressed even more clearly in the re-iteration of the principle found in Galatians 5:25, where we are told to "keep in step" with the Spirit. In the last chapter of Galatians, we see further evidence of the believer's activity regarding the Spirit when the Apostle writes of "the one who sows to the Spirit" (Gal 6:8 ESV). A person cannot sow passively.

What kind of activity is involved if we are to walk by the Spirit? One verse that may be helpful in this consideration is Jude 20, where the Spirit-inspired author writes of praying in the Holy Spirit. Ceaseless prayer (1 Thess 5:17) in the Holy Spirit–characterized by faith and focus on Christ (Jude 20-21), directed toward God with no consideration of impressing others (Matt 6:5-8)–is a major part of what it means to walk by the Spirit.

Along with prayer, we should consider the other "acts of righteousness" that Jesus mentions in Matthew 6:1-18. Namely: giving to the needy and fasting. Obviously the commands of Christ concerning the Christian life can in no way be divorced from the command of the Apostle that we walk by the Spirit.

Other God-appointed means of sanctification may be included as well. Obviously (for example) we cannot walk by the Spirit if we neglect evangelism, as we will be failing to take our part in the Lord's commission to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt 28:19). In fact, one might argue that all of the spiritual disciplines for the Christian life are included in the command to walk by the Spirit.

4. To depend on the Holy Spirit. If the above consideration is correct, then the single command "walk by the Spirit" may be rightly understood to involve all of the spiritual disciplines. This may seem to be bad news. We may feel overwhelmed at the thought of performing all the disciplines. We may feel discouraged considering how often we neglect various disciplines. This is why we must walk by the Spirit. As indicated by Galatians 5:18, we must be led by the Spirit. The power for sanctification comes from Him, not us. Our focus is on Christ—whom the Spirit consistently glorifies—not on ourselves.

C. Conclusion:

Depending on the Holy Spirit—focusing on Him—also points to the fact that there is a certain priority in the spiritual disciplines. Jesus certainly expects His disciples to fast, but He doesn't expect us to starve ourselves to death by fasting every single day. Jesus certainly expects His disciples to give to the needy, but He doesn't expect us to neglect our families and give ourselves into destitution. But He does expect us to pray without ceasing—to pray daily—praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20). He also expects us to meditate on the Word of God and to keep His Word on our lips (Acts 4:23-31). These are the most basic spiritual disciplines: maintaining a conversation with God, which is expanded into out conversation with others, all the while depending on the Holy Spirit.

II. Be Filled By the Spirit

"Be filled by the Spirit." (Eph 5:18b)

A. The Distinction Between "Walk by the Spirit" and "Be Filled by the Spirit"

How is this command different (or, is this different) from the command to "walk by the Spirit" (Gal 5:16, 25)?

As an explanation of what it means to "walk as wise" (Eph 5:15), this command is (at least) closely related to the command to "walk by the Spirit." Certainly, if one is to "walk as wise"—in terms of "wisdom that is from above" (Jas 3:17)—one must "walk by the Spirit."

Of the command to "be filled by the Spirit," Dr. Jim Hamilton notes, "[With this command, Paul] is calling for a way of life marked by the fruit of the Spirit... Thus for Paul, as for Luke, being 'full of the Spirit' is characteristic of life in the Spirit."[James M. Hamilton Jr., God's Indwelling Presence (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Academic, 2006), 197 n46.]

So is the command to "be filled by the Spirit" entirely identical to the command to "walk by the Spirit"? I believe that the commands can be distinguished, with some spiritual profit, based on the context in which the command to "be filled by the Spirit" occurs. As Dr. Hamilton also notes, "It is not unlikely that Paul means for the participles that follow to flesh out what it means to be 'filled by the Spirit'"[Ibid.] When we examine these participles ("speaking to one another in psalms... singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, giving thanks always in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ... submitting to one another in the fear of Christ"), we see an interplay between public and private devotion, but the primary focus seems to be on a holy life within the body of Christ (the church), rather than an unholy life characterized by worldliness. If, as I've argued, the command to "walk by the Spirit" implies all the spiritual disciplines for the Christian life, the command to "be filled by the Spirit" is a more specific subset of this command, emphasizing the spiritual disciplines within the church.

B. Comparison/Contrast

The near context of the command is important as well. In Ephesians 5:18, the Apostle Paul sets up a comparison/contrast between being "filled by the Holy Spirit" and being "drunk with wine." The way in which the Holy Spirit controls the Spirit-filled person is similar to how alcohol controls the drunkard. Yet the mind of the Spirit-filled person, unlike the drunkard's mind, is active and unclouded. The drunkard turns inward—personal sorrows, amusements, or anger are magnified—so we think of a person wallowing in a drunken stupor, we think of a giddy drunk, or an angry drunk. But the Spirit-filled person is concerned with the Lord and with others (notice again how the participles listed above are all outward-focused).

Why did the Apostle write, "don't get drunk with wine"? Is getting drunk or stoned with other things acceptable? Is it OK to shoot up heroin or kick back a bottle of absinthe as long as no fermented grapes are involved?

In contrasting being "filled by the Holy Spirit" to being "drunk with wine," the Apostle contrasted the Spirit-filled life with a life that is entangled with the world through:

1. sinful pleasures (“drunk");
2. excess ("drunk with wine”).

The combination of these things, or each individually, are enemies to growth in godliness. The Ephesian Christians were not so spiritually immature that they would have imagined that drinking to get drunk was permissible. Notice that the Apostle assumes that his readers want to avoid "debauchery" or "dissipation." He does not have to command the Ephesians to avoid strong drink or mixed wine: the substances in which the people of the first century would have commonly imbibed if they meant to get sloshed. The prohibition against getting "drunk with wine" would have reminded the Ephesian Christians how easy it is—in our flesh—to simply drift away from the Spirit's control. Thinking about life within the church, the Apostle may have envisioned a situation like that which occurred in the Corinthian congregation, where people were actually getting drunk while taking the Lord's Supper (see 1 Cor 11:20-21). So he commands the Ephesians against drunkenness with wine, he commands the Ephesians to be "filled by the Spirit," then he defines the Spirit-filled life by true Christ-and-others-focused relationships within the church, expanded outward to Christ-and-others-centered relationships at family and at work. The person who is "filled by the Spirit" is controlled and empowered to serve others for the glory of God in Christ.

C. Practical Application

How does a Christian obey the command to "be filled by the Spirit"? The answer, in large part, is apparent from the verses immediately following Ephesians 5:18. A Christian is filled by the Spirit as he or she:

1. speaks (and sings!) words of encouragement and instruction to others;

2. sings and makes melody in his or her heart to God;

3. offers prayers to God, which are characterized by thanksgiving;

4. respects proper roles of submission and authority within the church and the broader created order.

D. Conclusion

In considering the command to "be filled by the Spirit," three parallel passages should inform our thinking.

1. The first in Colossians 3:16. Notice the similarity in Ephesians 5:18-19 and this passage.

"Don't get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord." (Eph 5:18-19)

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom and teaching-admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs-in gratitude singing in your hearts to God." (Col 3:16)

These verses come from two sizable passages that show many parallel features: Ephesians 5:17-6:9 and Colossians 3:16-4:1. For purposes of exploring the meaning of "be filled by the Spirit," the most important feature to note is that in the Colossians parallel "be filled by the Spirit" is replaced by "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." The "word of Christ" is the gospel. The Christian is "filled by the Spirit" as he or she meditates upon the gospel and allows the "message of reconciliation" (2 Cor 5:19) to radically impact affections and attitudes toward God and others, as well as motivating actions and admonishment within the church and the broader created order.

The second parallel and third we must note are 1 Thessalonians 4:3 and 5:18.

2. Notice that the command "be filled by the Spirit" is immediately prefaced by the command to "understand what the Lord's will is" (Eph 5:17). The First Thessalonians passages illuminate the will of the Lord in similar terms as the Ephesians passage. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3, the Apostle declares, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; you are to abstain from sexual immorality." As being "filled by the Spirit" is contrasted with the sinful pleasures and excess of being "drunk with wine" in Ephesians 5:18, "sanctification" is contrasted with the sinful pleasures and excess of "sexual immorality" in 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

3. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, the Apostle defines "God's will for you in Christ Jesus" in terms of giving "thanks in everything." Similarly, one of the participles that define being "filled by the Spirit" is "giving thanks always in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Thankfulness is key to the Christian life.

Understanding the command to "be filled by the Spirit" is crucial to understanding the Lord's will for our lives and our relationships.

III. Do Not Quench the Spirit

Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thess 5:19)

In addition to the positive commands concerning the Holy Spirit—"walk by the Spirit" (Gal 5:16, 25) and "be filled by the Spirit" (Eph 5:18)—the Apostle gives Christians two negative commands concerning the Holy Spirit: "do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thess 5:19) and "do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God" (Eph 4:30).

Quenching the Holy Spirit indicates hindering the manifestation of the Spirit's power in an individual's life and/or in the life of a church. In the prohibition against quenching the Spirit, the picture is of a fire being extinguished. As demonstrated by an examination of the verses immediately before and after 1 Thessalonians 5:19, quenching the Holy Spirit occurs through sins of omission. These could be personal sins—like a failure to express thankfulness to God (1 Thess 5:8)—or corporate sins, like a failure of the church to heed prophecies (1 Thess 5:20, with "prophecies" understood as occurring within the congregation, hearing the proclamation of inspired words from God).

IV. Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit of God

A. The Command

Concerning the command, "do not quench the Spirit," I argued above that violation of this prohibition occurs through sins of omission. As demonstrated by an examination of the verses immediately before and after Ephesians 4:30, grieving the Holy Spirit occurs through sins of commission. The command against grieving the Holy Spirit occurs in a paragraph that focuses on putting aside ungodly and harmful speech, but it also includes prohibitions on stealing and harboring anger (Eph 4:26-27). We grieve the Holy Spirit of God when we act in ways that are contrary to His character.

B. The Spirit's Work: Our Motivation for Obedience

Our motivation for being careful to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God lies in a recognition of what the Holy Spirit has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us who are trusting in Christ Jesus. The Spirit sealed us [past tense] by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). This sealing preserves us in a state of God's grace in the present and it will last forever into the future: unto the day of redemption, when we will finally be set free from the presence and all effects of sin due to the sacrifice of Christ made on our behalf. A seal set by the sovereign hand of God cannot be broken by the 'free-will' of Man.

C. Warnings and Assurance

1. The New Testament, indeed, contains 'warning passages' against falling away into sin (e.g. Heb 6:4-6; 10:26-27).  In Ephesians 5, following the command against grieving the Holy Spirit of God—and just before the command to be filled by the Spirit (Eph 5:18)—the Apostle Paul issues the following warning: “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Eph 5:5 ESV). I would argue that the primary purpose of such passages is that professing believers make their calling and election sure (1 Pet 1:10): that those who claim to follow Christ would strive to make certain that they are "good soil" and not shallow or weed-choked soil (see Matt 13:1-23). As the Apostle John makes clear, "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). A person whose course of life is normally characterized by a disregard for God's law (1 John 3:4), whose life regularly bears "bad fruit" (Matt 7:17-19), should not imagine that he or she is right with God.

2. However, lest believers fall into despair over the realization that we still fall short of God's glory, the Apostle John declares to Christians, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9 ESV). The believer—the person who confesses sins (1 John 1:9) and delights in the law of the LORD (Psa 1:2), even imperfectly—can experience assurance: confident hope that he or she will persevere in faith. This assurance comes not through our own will or works, but through a trust in the sealing power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Believers are commanded to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We are warned to make sure that the Holy Spirit has indeed done a saving work in our lives. We are motivated by a consideration of the Spirit's activity in our salvation. But we are never threatened with the possibility that the Holy Spirit-though grieved-will remove His presence from us entirely. Anyone who has truly trusted in Christ and who has been sealed by the Holy Spirit of God will remain sealed unto the day of redemption.

D. The Holy Spirit in Redeemed Sinners

The sealing of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life is closely associated with the concept of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life. This is the New Covenant promise that the LORD makes with His people: "I will put my Spirit within you" (Eze 36:27). John 20:22 records that Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon His apostles. After Jesus' ascension, the Father-upon the Son's request and in the Son's name (John 14:16, 26)-sent the Holy Spirit: first to the apostles, to empower them for authoritative Gospel witness (John 14:26; 15:26-27), then to all believers. Now each Christian has the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit: "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Rom 8:9b KJV).

Notice that in this last verse the Holy Spirit—called the Holy Spirit of God in Ephesians 4:30—is also called the Spirit of Christ. In John 14, Jesus says that the Father will send the Spirit; in John 15:26, Jesus says that He will send the Spirit from the Father. A comparison of these passages points to the grand theological reality of filioque: that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Proceeding from the Father and the Son, the indwelling Holy Spirit brings us into the relationship of spiritual union between the Father and the Son (John 17:20-26). When believers are indwelled by the Holy Spirit and sealed by the Holy Spirit, we are graciously taken up into the eternal relationship existing between the Persons of the blessed Trinity, and thus we are made to become partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4). Why, then, would we ever choose to grieve the Holy Spirit?!?

Yet we may grieve Him. The impassible Holy Spirit of God has condescended to place Himself in such a position that He may—in some real way—be grieved by those whom He has chosen to indwell and seal. That the Holy Spirit has come to dwell within redeemed sinners is a precious, breathtakingly miraculous truth, as C.H. Spurgeon noted: 

The incarnation is an infinite mystery of love, but we believe it. Yet, if it were possible to compare one great wonder with another, I would say that God's dwelling in His people and that repeated ten thousand times over is even more marvelous. That the Holy Spirit should dwell in millions of redeemed men and women is a miracle not surpassed by our Lord's adoption of human nature. 

Our Lord's body was perfectly pure, and the Godhead, while it dwelt in His holy manhood, did at least dwell with a perfect and sinless nature. However, the Holy Spirit bows Himself to dwell in sinful men. He dwells in men who, after their conversions, still find the flesh warring against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. He dwells in men who are not perfect though they strive to be so. These men have to mourn their shortcomings and even to confess with shame a measure of unbelief. "I will put my Spirit within you" (Eze 36:27) means that the Holy Spirit is in our imperfect nature. Wonder of wonders! Yet, it is as surely a fact as it is a wonder. [Charles Spurgeon, Holy Spirit Power (New Kinsington, PA: Whitaker House, 1996), 122-123.]

"[T]he Holy Spirit is in our imperfect nature." The Holy Spirit has sealed us until that glorious day in which our imperfect nature will be perfected in the image of Christ. Therefore, out of gratitude for the Spirit's work, out of love for the Spirit and respect for His holy presence in our lives, let us be careful to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.