Austin Bible Church
The single biblical criterion for spirituality is being filled with the Holy Spirit that results in God the Holy Spirit controlling the believer’s soul. It is not a second-blessing experience, nor is it “praying through.” The only means to achieve the filling of the Holy Spirit is by naming, citing, confessing your known or remembered sins directly to God the Father in prayer claiming 1 John 1:9 as one of the most basic of God's promises.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NASB)
In Ephesians 5:14, there is a three-fold analogy to sleep, death, and light. This passage is addressed to believers. “Awake” means to wake up and find out how to operate all the wonderful grace equipment God has provided in the spiritual life. “Sleeper” refers to believers ignorant of Bible doctrine. This is a warning against an ignorance of God’s Word, of Bible doctrine. We are to consistently study, absorb, meditate on, and apply the Word of God in our lives.
"For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you."" (Ephesians 5:14, NASB)
In Ephesians 5:14, “arise from the dead” refers to believers in carnality or temporal death where they have indifference and apathy (negative volition) to Bible doctrine resulting when the old sin nature controls the soul. This is a command to name your known sins to God the Father thereby returning to fellowship with God. There are seven kinds of death in the Scripture; physical death, spiritual death (carnality), the second death, positional death, operational death, sexual death, and temporal death. “And Christ will shine on you” is speaking of the Holy Spirit’s control of the believer’ soul while the believer is in fellowship. See category on the Seven Deaths.
“And Christ will shine on you” refers to the light that Christ produces through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit erecting an edification complex in the soul. This light is a reflected light of the believer’s thinking as they mature spiritually. They think and act more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ did while He was on earth. This light brings glory to His name. The Holy Spirit animates the Christian life.
In Ephesians 5:15, the filling of the Spirit is related to divine wisdom in the soul. “Be careful how you walk” is habitually having mental discernment that you may keep on walking circumspectly (in fellowship). “Unwise” refers to a carnal Christian whose soul is under the control of the old sin nature and “wise” refers to a spiritual Christian whose soul is under the control of the Holy Spirit.
"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise," (Ephesians 5:15, NASB)
In Proverbs 17:24, “Wisdom” is application of Bible doctrine in the right lobe of the soul to experience. The filling of the Spirit is related to time. The believer is a fool when they remain ignorant of God’s Word and stay out of fellowship.
"Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth." (Proverbs 17:24, NASB)
In Ephesians 5:16, “making the most of your time” means to purchase or redeem the time. They keep on habitually purchasing or buying up time by being filled with the Holy Spirit. Money will not purchase time, but taking in Bible doctrine daily will. How you live is never an issue until you become a Christian. You cannot become a Christian by joining a church, being baptized, living a good life, being born in a Christian country, feeling sorry for your sins, walking down an aisle, raising your hand, having an emotional experience, getting right with your fellowman, paying your debts, or refraining from beating your wife.
"making the most of your time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16, NASB)
You can only become a Christian by personal faith in Jesus Christ - by accepting His payment for your sins on the Cross. He has already done everything. All you have to do is believe. John 3:16; John 1:12.
" "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. " (John 3:16, NASB)
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name," (John 1:12, NASB)
And the moment you believe, you receive eternal life, forgiveness of sins, indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit, baptized with the Holy Spirit, regenerated by Him, and 34 other things. See the category on The 40 Things Received at Salvation.
Spirituality is for Christians only! The filling of the Spirit is related to the will of God. Ephesians 5:17 says to not be foolish by remaining out of fellowship and under the control of the old sin nature. A believer out of fellowship cannot know the will of God.
"So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:17, NASB)
The believer is mandated to learn and understand what God's will is for their life. The only way to do that is consistent learning and applying Bible doctrine under the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is a command to spirituality. 2 Peter 3:18.
“but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18, NASB)
In Ephesians 5:18, “do not get drunk with wine” is an analogy using drunkenness (sin) where the liquor controls a person’s thinking and actions with the result being in carnality or out of fellowship. When an individual is drunk, their behavior changes. Some people are meek, but when they get drunk they want to punch everybody in the nose. Excessive alcohol intake to the point of drunkenness results in the person not being in full control of their behavior.
"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit," (Ephesians 5:18, NASB)
“Be filled with the Spirit” is the Holy Spirit controlling the believer’s soul. The present tense means to keep on being habitually filled with the Holy Spirit. The imperative mood means that this is a command. The only motivating force on the inside that can change you is filling of the Holy Spirit. In this way, the believer can produce divine good that glorifies God and is pleasing to Him.
To be habitually filled with the Spirit changes the inner and outer life. This is the only bona fide change in the Christian’s life. We are not talking about eradication of sinning on the part of the Christian. As long as we are on earth, we will have to regularly confess our sins to God the Father because we still have the old sin nature.
When an individual is born-again, all pre-salvation sin is cleansed and at that moment their soul is controlled by the Holy Spirit. The believer may go on for five minutes, an hour, or a day walking in the Spirit, but sooner or later the old sin nature will trip them up and they will sin. Thus, the new believer quenches the Spirit or grieves Him and is out of fellowship (carnality) because the old sin nature is controlling their soul.
Spirituality is something you lose through sin, but recover through using biblical confession of known sins using 1 John 1:9. You can never lose your relationship with the Lord. There is only one way to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NASB)
Some think that when you sin, you have to agonize, lock yourself up in a closet, give up certain things, promise God you’ll never do it again, make a vow by candlelight, work up a sorrow for your sin, make restitution, dedicate, rededicate, double-dedicate and what not! God says confess it! Just name it to God the Father! That is all. Spirituality is just as much finished as salvation was finished at the Cross. You can do nothing for salvation and you can do nothing for spirituality. No works, just confess it. This is not making it too easy!
This is a strain on the works crowd and a double strain on the legalist. Why? Because all of their Christian life they have made vows, dedicated themselves, rededicated, agonized, tarried, tried to pray through, and be doubly sorry. A believer can do absolutely nothing to get forgiveness. They can’t ask for it, they can’t pray for it, they can only name their knowns sins to God the Father and God forgives them and cleanses them from all righteousness. The whole operation is one of faith based on God's grace.
How does the believer receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior? By faith. How do they operate in the Christian life? By faith. Whether it is confessing sin biblically, claiming promises, or anything in the Christian’s life, it is always by faith. When the Holy Spirit is in control of your soul, the character of Christ is formed in you. The believer is being conformed to His image. Col. 2:6; Eph. 3:16-17.
"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him," (Colossians 2:6, NASB)
"that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love," (Ephesians 3:16-17, NASB)