A window on the Spirit
New Wine
Paul sets a striking contrast: do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. New wine becomes an image of the Spirit's joy and overflowing fullness, a gladness that comes not from a bottle but from God.
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”Ephesians 5:18
The image in Scripture
The image in Scripture. Paul writes, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18), placing the fullness of the Spirit where a man might wrongly look for release in drink. At Pentecost, when the Spirit-filled disciples spoke with such joy and freedom, some mockers said, "These men are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13), and Peter answered that these were not drunken but filled with the Spirit poured out in the last days (Acts 2:15-17). Wine in Scripture is often a picture of gladness, for God gives "wine that maketh glad the heart of man" (Psalm 104:15), and the joy of harvest and feast is bound up with it. The prophets promise days when "the mountains shall drop down new wine" (Joel 3:18) as a sign of God's abundant blessing. Jesus' first sign was turning water into good wine at a wedding (John 2:9-10), and He spoke of new wine that must be kept in new bottles (Matthew 9:17).
What it teaches about the Spirit
What it teaches about the Spirit. Read soberly, new wine pictures the joy and gladness the Spirit brings. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace" (Galatians 5:22), and a heart filled with the Spirit knows a deep gladness the world cannot give. The image also speaks of fullness that overflows; a cup filled to the brim runs over, and the Spirit-filled life spills out in praise, thanksgiving, and song, as Paul goes on to describe "speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19). The contrast Paul draws is important. Drunkenness is a counterfeit that dulls, enslaves, and leads to "excess," while the Spirit's fullness clears the heart, frees, and leads to self-control, which is itself a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). So the new-wine image must be handled carefully; it points to holy joy and overflowing worship, never to loss of self-possession. Like every symbol, it lights up one facet of the Spirit's gladdening work without defining the whole of His person.
How the Spirit glorifies Christ
How the Spirit glorifies Christ. Jesus said the Spirit "shall glorify me" (John 16:14), and the joy the Spirit gives is joy in Him. The gladness of the Spirit-filled heart is not a vague good feeling but delight in the Savior, so that Paul can say we "joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:11). The overflow of the Spirit issues in songs to Christ and thanks in His name (Ephesians 5:19-20). Notice too that Jesus is the giver of the good wine; His first sign at Cana displayed the abundance and gladness He brings, and the Spirit He pours out at Pentecost is the fruit of His exaltation. So the fullness that looks like new wine always sends the heart back to Jesus with praise. The Spirit's joy is Christ-centered joy, and where He fills a life, that life sings of the Lamb.
Questions people ask
Does being filled with the Spirit mean losing control of yourself?
No. Paul deliberately contrasts the Spirit's fullness with drunkenness. The Spirit produces self-control (Galatians 5:23), not the loss of it. Peter insisted the Pentecost disciples were not drunk. Spirit-given joy clears the mind rather than clouding it.
Why did Peter's hearers think the disciples were drunk?
Their joy, boldness, and praise were so overflowing that mockers reached for the nearest explanation. Peter corrected them, showing that what looked like the exuberance of wine was in truth the fullness of the promised Spirit (Acts 2:15-17).
Is the command to be filled with the Spirit a one-time event?
The verb in Ephesians 5:18 carries the sense of an ongoing, repeated filling, not a single experience. We are to keep on being filled, continually yielding to the Spirit so that His joy and fruit keep overflowing in worship and obedience.