Wine and the Spirit

So, I listened to Beth Moore on "Life Today" this morning. She was talking about Ephesians 5:18 "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

I had always heard this verse as a warning about alcohol consumption, but she was using it as a parable. Beth surmised that the author was using something people knew (the feeling of drunkenness from wine) to compare to something they didn't know (the feeling of being filled with the Holy Spirit). When people consume large quantities of alcohol, it changes how they feel things, their focus, and their boldness. The Holy Spirit does this too, but not in an "intoxicating" manner, it is by "infusion". The Holy Spirit is not toxic, but filling. I love being told things I had not thought of before - like this.

There is still warning against drunkenness in the Bible, though....this doesn't get you off the hook of being responsible. =) 1 Corinthians 10:23 "'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is constructive."