Signs of the Spirit
The Bible is certainly clear that it's important to be filled with the Spirit. But how do you know if you're full or not? Most of the time when we think about such questions we think of tongues as the sign of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, but what about after being baptised in the Spirit? The Bible tells us about people being re-filled (e.g. Acts 4:31) and even commands those who had been baptised in the Spirit (Eph. 1:13; Eph. 4:30) to 'be filled with the Spirit' (Eph. 5:18). So what does this fullness look like? How can we know that we're full?
Ephesians 5 doesn't only tell us to 'be filled', but also tells us what that fullness looks like. Verses 19-21 provide 4 signs of the Spirit's fullness in believers. These can be seen in:
- Speaking to one another about Christ and what He's done (Eph. 5:19)
- Singing our praises to Christ (Eph. 5:19)
- Thanking God for Chirst (Eph. 5:20)
- Our respect and honour for others for Christ's sake (Eph. 5:21)
Each of these four signs of the fullness of the Spirit is all about Christ. This passage tells us of a life where what we say, how we act, and why we do what we do is all centred on Christ. It is a life in which everything is about Christ, to Christ, through Christ and for Christ. In short, a life full of the Holy Spirit is a life that glorifies Jesus Christ. After all, that is the role of the Holy Spirit; as Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, 'He will glorify me' (John 16:14).
The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ, therefore a life full of the Holy Spirit is a life that glorifies Jesus Christ.