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NASB | John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 20:22 And when He said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [Acts 1:8; 2:1-3] |
Bible Question: What are the specific differences between being "indwelt" by the Holy Spirt and "infilled" by the Holy Spirit? |
Bible Answer: Kaylo199, The apparent contradiction between the teaching of repeated fillings of the Holy Spirit for particular needs, and a life consistently characterized by the fullness of the Spirit, is easily resolved by noting again the key concept of "control." If a person allows his actions to be controlled in any degree by wine- or by drugs, or by money, or by pride, or by anything else- then, of course, he is not controlled by the Holy Spirit, and he is, therefore, not filled with the Spirit. On certain occasions of great need, or great conviction, however, a Christian may for a time truly become filled (that is, controlled in his words and deeds) by the Holy Spirit. Too often, however, he soon lapses back into his old ways and, even though he may be a sincere and generally good Christian, really allows other things to rule his life most of the time. But how much better if he habitually and regularly looks for direction for his life in all circumstances to God the Holy Spirit, and carefully and conscientiously follows His leading and enabling in meeting every need. He then is a man of whom it can properly be said that he is "full of the Holy Spirit." The definitive passage, which summarizes all the rest, is Ephesians 5:18. The NASB has "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit". The context of this verse is very important. Leading up to it, evidently because these are prerequisites to a truly Spirit-controlled life, are admonitions to "walk circumspectly" (Eph. 5:15), to "redeem the time" (Eph. 5:16), and to "understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17). That is, one can hardly expect to have a Spirit-controlled life unless he is really concerned to order all his behavior and to use all his time in a way that conforms to God's will. He must allow nothing else (of which "wine" is the typical example) to gain any control over his life. And then, following the verse, are given the results and manifestations of a Spirit-filled life. It will be a life filled with true joy and "melody in your heart," and a tongue used to speak and to sing God's Word (Ephesians 5:19). It will be a life characterized not by complaining and envying, but rather of continual thankfulness "for all things" (Eph. 5:20), always "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Furthermore, the Spirit-filled life is one in which the spirit of pride and self-seeking which so typically characterize the natural man are displaced by a spirit of submission and unselfishness (Eph. 5:21). In short, a Christian life filled and controlled by God the Holy Spirit is the life of greatest joy and victory which a person can have, since it is the life which God Himself desires His children to experience. That is how I would differentiate between being full of the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Unless otherwise indicated, these two posts were created by sole use of the King James Version. Blessings to you, Makarios |