Do not get drunk on wine
In the Greco-Roman world, wine was a common beverage, often safer to drink than water due to fermentation. However, excessive consumption was associated with moral decay and loss of self-control. The Bible consistently warns against drunkenness (Proverbs 20:1, Isaiah 5:11). This command reflects a call to holiness and self-discipline, aligning with the broader biblical theme of living a life set apart for God (Leviticus 20:26).

which leads to reckless indiscretion
Drunkenness often results in behavior that is contrary to Christian values, such as immorality and foolishness. The term "reckless indiscretion" suggests actions that are thoughtless and irresponsible, leading to sin and spiritual harm. This aligns with the warnings in Proverbs 23:29-35 about the consequences of excessive drinking, emphasizing the need for wisdom and discernment.

Instead, be filled with the Spirit
This phrase contrasts the temporary and destructive influence of alcohol with the enduring and life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is a recurring theme in the New Testament (Acts 2:4, Galatians 5:16-25), signifying a life controlled and empowered by God. It involves a continuous, active submission to the Spirit's guidance, resulting in the fruit of the Spirit and a Christ-like character. This filling is essential for living out the Christian faith effectively and is a fulfillment of the promise of the Spirit's indwelling presence (John 14:16-17).

1. Paul the Apostle
The author of the letter to the Ephesians, Paul was a key figure in the early Christian church, known for his missionary journeys and theological teachings.

2. Ephesus
A major city in Asia Minor, Ephesus was a center of trade and culture. The Ephesian church was one of the early Christian communities to which Paul wrote.

3. Holy Spirit
The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is central to Christian life and empowerment, guiding believers in truth and righteousness.

4. Wine
In the context of Ephesians 5:18, wine represents indulgence and excess, which can lead to a lack of self-control and moral failure.

5. Reckless Indiscretion
This term refers to behavior that is unwise and lacking in moral restraint, often resulting from drunkenness or other forms of excess.Avoiding Excess
The command to not get drunk on wine serves as a broader principle against any form of excess that leads to a loss of self-control and moral compromise.

Being Filled with the Spirit
This is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Believers are encouraged to continually seek the Spirit's guidance and empowerment in their daily lives.

Contrast of Influences
The passage highlights the contrast between being influenced by substances like wine and being influenced by the Holy Spirit, urging believers to choose the latter.

Moral and Spiritual Discernment
Being filled with the Spirit equips believers with the discernment needed to live wisely and make godly choices.

Community and Accountability
Engaging with a community of believers can provide support and accountability in the pursuit of a Spirit-filled life.(18) Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess.--From the general idea of reckless levity, St. Paul passes on to the special sin of drunkenness, as not (like gluttony) primarily a gratification of the appetite, but as a reckless pursuit of excitement at all costs--glorified as an excitement of emotion, and even of wit and intellect, in such contemporary writers as Horace, and actually confused, as in the Dionysiac or Bacchanalian frenzy, with a divine inspiration. How necessary the admonition was we see by the directions as to the choice of clergy in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. 3:28; Titus 1:7; Titus 2:3); the more necessary, because (as 1Timothy 5:23 shows) the right use of wine was recognised. Hence St. Paul emphatically brands drunkenness as "excess," a word properly signifying "recklessness"--"incapable of saving," or denying itself anything, and naturally passing through this want of self-restraint into profligacy--rightly translated "riot" in Titus 1:6, 1Peter 4:4, as the corresponding adverb is rendered "riotous living" in Luke 15:13. For drunkenness is at once the effect and cause of utter recklessness. It is the effect of a self-abandonment, by which the sensual or passionate elements of the nature are stimulated to frenzy, while the self-controlling judgment is drugged to sleep. It is the cause of yet greater recklessness: for as these passions and appetites become jaded, they need stronger and stronger stimulants, till the whole nature, bodily and mental, is lost in delirium or stupor. . . . Verse 18. - And be not intoxicated with wine, wherein is dissoluteness. Drunkenness is suggested because it is a work of darkness; it is the foe to vigilance and earnestness, and it leads all who yield to it to act unwisely. It is the social aspect of drunkenness the apostle has in view - the exhilarating influence of wine in company, giving a rush of high spirits. Ασωτία, from α and σωζω, the opposite of savingness, wastefulness, dissoluteness, or the process of being dissolved, involving perdition. Spoken of the prodigal son, "riotous living;" the habit which sends everything to wreck and ruin. But be filled with the Spirit. Instead of resorting to wine to cheer and animate you, throw your hearts open the Holy Spirit, so that he may come and fill them; seek the joy that the Spirit inspires when he makes you to sit with Christ in heavenly places, so that, instead of pouring out your joyous feelings in bacchanalian songs, you may do so in Christian hymns.

Parallel Commentaries ...


{Do} not
μὴ (mē)
Adverb
Strong's 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

get drunk
μεθύσκεσθε (methyskesthe)
Verb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 3182: To make drunk; pass: I become drunk. A prolonged form of methuo; to intoxicate.

on wine,
οἴνῳ (oinō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3631: Wine. A primary word (yayin); 'wine'.

which
ᾧ (hō)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

leads to
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

reckless indiscretion.
ἀσωτία (asōtia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 810: Wantonness, profligacy, wastefulness. From a compound of a and a presumed derivative of sozo; properly, unsavedness, i.e. profligacy.

Instead,
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

be filled
πληροῦσθε (plērousthe)
Verb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4137: From pleres; to make replete, i.e. to cram, level up, or to furnish, satisfy, execute, finish, verify, etc.

with
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

[the] Spirit.
Πνεύματι (Pneumati)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.


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NT Letters: Ephesians 5:18 Don't be drunken with wine in which (Ephes. Eph. Ep)