Spiritual Sobriety in a Drunken Age Text: Ephesians 5:15-21
Introduction: A Walk, Not a Stumble
The Christian life is a walk. The Apostle Paul uses this metaphor repeatedly, and we must not let the familiarity of the image rob it of its force. A walk is not a static condition. It is not a one time decision to stand in a particular spot. A walk is a progression, a series of deliberate steps, a movement from one place to another. In the preceding verses, Paul has drawn the sharpest possible contrast between two ways of walking: the old walk in darkness, futility, and sin, and the new walk in light, love, and wisdom. Our text today is the practical, boot leather application of this new walk. It is the marching orders for a Christian navigating a hostile world.
We live in an age that does not value a careful walk. Our culture champions the stumble, the drift, the impulsive lurch. It is a drunken age, staggering from one distraction to the next, chasing fleeting pleasures and foolish ideologies. It is a world that has lost its footing because it has lost its foundation. Into this chaotic and dissipated world, the Christian is called to walk with precision, with purpose, and with a Spirit-given sobriety. We are not to be conformed to the drunken stumble of the world around us. We are called to walk a straight line on a crooked path, and this requires constant attention, divine wisdom, and a power that is not our own.
The choice before us is simple. Will we be fools, wasting our time and our lives on things that do not matter? Or will we be wise, understanding the will of the Lord and seizing the opportunities He gives us? Will we be filled with wine, which leads to ruin, or will we be filled with the Spirit, which leads to joyful worship, radical gratitude, and humble submission? This is the choice between a wasted life and a worshipful life.
The Text
Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. On account of this, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and being subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
(Ephesians 5:15-21 LSB)
The Calculated Walk (vv. 15-16)
We begin with the fundamental command to walk with precision.
"Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16)
The word for "carefully" here is the Greek word akribos. It means with exactness, with precision, with diligence. This is not a casual, Sunday afternoon stroll. This is the walk of a soldier on patrol in enemy territory. It is the walk of a man on a high wire. Every step matters. The Christian life is not a game of horseshoes; close is not good enough. We are to pay close attention to our conduct, our speech, our thoughts, our time. The default setting for a human being is not wisdom, but folly. Wisdom is not something you drift into; it is something you must actively pursue by looking carefully at how you are living.
And this careful walk has a specific task: "redeeming the time." The word here is exagorazo, which means to buy up out of the marketplace. Think of it this way: time is a commodity, an opportunity. Every day, the world, the flesh, and the devil set up their stalls in the marketplace of your day, hawking their wares of distraction, vanity, and sin. To redeem the time is to be a shrewd buyer. It is to see the kairos, the opportune moment, and to purchase it for the kingdom of God, refusing to spend your limited currency on the cheap trinkets of the world. You don't have an infinite supply of time, so you cannot afford to waste it.
Why this urgency? "Because the days are evil." The system of this world is rigged against God. The cultural air we breathe is polluted. Time, if left to itself, will be filled with evil. The current of the age is flowing toward destruction, and if you simply float, you will be carried along with it. To redeem the time is to swim against the current. It is an act of spiritual warfare, reclaiming enemy-occupied territory one conversation, one task, one hour at a time.
The Antidote to Folly (v. 17)
Paul then sharpens the contrast between wisdom and folly.
"On account of this, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:17)
The opposite of walking carefully is to be foolish. Folly, in the biblical sense, is not a lack of IQ points. It is a moral and spiritual category. A fool is one who lives his life without reference to God. He makes decisions based on his appetites, his emotions, or the spirit of the age. He is disconnected from reality because he is disconnected from the God who defines reality.
The antidote to this folly is not to become a worldly-wise cynic or a clever strategist. The antidote is to "understand what the will of the Lord is." This is not a call to sit around waiting for a mystical sign or a special feeling. The will of the Lord is not hidden from us. He has revealed His moral will with brilliant clarity in the pages of Scripture. To understand the will of the Lord is to be a student of the Bible. It is to have your mind so saturated with the Word of God that you begin to think God's thoughts after Him. Wisdom is the skill of applying the unchanging truth of Scripture to the particular circumstances of your life. You cannot do this if you do not know the Scripture. A Christian who neglects his Bible is volunteering for foolishness.
Spirit-Filled vs. Wine-Filled (v. 18)
Now we come to the central engine of the Christian walk. Where does the power for this wise and careful life come from? Paul presents us with a stark contrast.
"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18)
The command is not simply about the sin of drunkenness, though it is certainly that. Drunkenness is used here as a picture of a certain kind of life. To be drunk is to be controlled by a substance outside of yourself. It leads to asotia, a Greek word that means dissipation, debauchery, wastefulness, a life that is being poured out onto the ground. A drunken life is a life out of control, a life of ruin.
The contrast is not, "don't be controlled by wine, but be self-controlled." The contrast is, "don't be controlled by wine, but be controlled by the Holy Spirit." The command "be filled with the Spirit" is a present passive imperative. This means it is something that is continually to be done to you. You do not fill yourself. You yield yourself to be filled. It is a constant, ongoing dependence. Just as a drunkard is under the influence of wine, a Christian is to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is to be the one who directs our steps, loosens our tongues, and shapes our affections.
This is the great secret of the Christian life. It is not about trying harder in your own strength. It is about constantly yielding to the indwelling power of the Spirit of God. This is not mystical or spooky; it is the normal Christian life.
The Fruit of the Fullness (vv. 19-21)
So what does a Spirit-filled life look like? Paul does not leave us guessing. He gives us five participles that describe the results, the overflow, of a life continually being filled with the Spirit.
"...speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and being subject to one another in the fear of Christ." (Ephesians 5:19-21)
First, a Spirit-filled life is a life of joyful, corporate worship. Notice the horizontal and vertical dimensions. We are "speaking to one another" and "singing... to the Lord." Spirit-filled fellowship is musical. It is saturated with the Word of God set to music. The psalms, the inspired hymnbook of Israel, are central. We edify one another as we sing God's truth together. This is not a performance for others or a mere emotional experience for ourselves. It is making melody "with your heart" to the Lord. True worship engages the whole person, and it is a non-negotiable evidence of the Spirit's work.
Second, a Spirit-filled life is a life of radical gratitude. We are to be "always giving thanks for all things." Not just the pleasant things. Not just the blessings. All things. This is impossible in our own strength. Only the Spirit of God can give us the perspective to see the sovereign hand of our good Father working all things together for our good, even the hard things. This gratitude is offered "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," because He is the one who has reconciled us to the Father and made our thanksgiving possible and acceptable.
Third, a Spirit-filled life is a life of mutual submission. This is the great bombshell that sets the stage for the household codes that follow. "Being subject to one another in the fear of Christ." The world is organized around power, dominance, and self-assertion. The kingdom of God is organized around mutual submission. This does not obliterate structure and authority, as the following verses make clear. But it does define the spirit in which that authority is to be exercised and received. It is a humble willingness to put others ahead of yourself. And the motive is crucial: we do it "in the fear of Christ." Our submission to one another is an act of worshipful reverence for our Lord, who humbled Himself for us.
Conclusion: Walk This Way
The kind of life described here, a life of careful wisdom, redeemed time, joyful worship, constant gratitude, and humble submission, seems impossibly high. And it is, if you try to produce it through sheer willpower. But that is not what we are called to do. We are called to be filled. We are called to yield to the one who is able to produce this fruit in us.
The Christian walk is a supernatural walk. It begins not with our step, but with His. It begins with the Spirit of God breathing life into our dead hearts, giving us a new nature. And it continues as we learn to walk in dependence on that same Spirit, day by day, moment by moment.
So do not be foolish. Do not get drunk on the cheap distractions of this evil age. Understand the will of the Lord, which is for you to be filled with His Spirit. Open your Bibles. Open your mouths in song. Open your hearts in thanksgiving. And bow your knees in humble submission to one another, all out of reverence for Christ. This is the wise walk. This is the sober walk. This is the walk that leads to life.