Warning against drunkenness. The tremendous sin of intemperance must have had a great hold upon a commercial city like Ephesus. It was necessary that Christians should beware of such an insidious vice. I. IT DISHONOURS THE LAW OF GOD . ( Romans 13:13 .) II. IT DISTURBS THE REASON OF MAN . III. IT ENDANGERS THE HEALTH OF THE BODY . IV. IT INJURES THE SOUL . ( Hosea 4:11 .) V. IT WASTES THE SUBSTANCE AND TENDS ... read more
Drunkenness and its antidote. I. THE SIN . It was the mistake of some of the earlier advocates of temperance to dwell too much on the economic arguments against drunkenness, to the neglect of those which are supplied by religion. That dissipation wrecks a man's position in the world is plain and sad enough. But it is not worldly self-interest that is chiefly outraged thereby. The sin of drunkenness is its great condemnation. It is a sin against God and man. 1. It desecrates the... read more
The true antidote to drunkenness. There is a real contrast here exhibited between fullness of wine and fullness of the Spirit. There is an intensity of feeling produced in both cases. "There is one intensity of feeling produced by stimulating the senses; another, by vivifying the spiritual life within. The one commences with impulses from without, the other is guarded by forces from within." The one tends to ruin, the other to salvation. The Spirit-fullness "will keep the soul holy, the... read more
And be not drunk with wine - A danger to which they were exposed and a vice to which those around them were much addicted. Compare notes on Luke 21:34. It is not improbable that in this verse there is an allusion to the orgies of Bacchus, or to the festivals celebrated in honor of that pagan god. He was “the god of wine,” and during those festivals, men and women regarded it as an acceptable act of worship to become intoxicated, and with wild songs and cries to run through streets, and fields,... read more
Ephesians 5:18-21. And be not drunk with wine As the heathen are when they celebrate the feasts of Bacchus, their god of wine; wherein is excess Which is the source of all manner of extravagance, and leads to debauchery of every kind. The original word ασωτια , here rendered excess, signifies entire dissoluteness of mind and manners, and such a course of life as is void of counsel and prudent intention, like the behaviour of persons who are continually drunk. While the above-mentioned... read more
More about the new standards (5:1-20)Just as children follow the example of their parents, so Christians must follow the example of their heavenly Father. Their love, then, will not be mere words, but will show itself by self-sacrifice, just as Christ’s love did (5:1-2).Converted pagans had a special problem in that many of the sinful practices they once engaged in were still widespread in the society in which they lived. One way to overcome the temptation to such practices was not even to... read more
be . . . drunk . Greek. methuskomai. Only here; Luke 12:45 . 1 Thessalonians 5:7 . wherein = by (Greek. en) which. excess = debauchery. Greek. asotia. Only here; Titus 1:6 . 1 Peter 4:4 . The adverb only in Luke 15:13 . filled . See Ephesians 3:19 . with = by (Greek. en) . Spirit . See App-101 , and Note at end of Ap. read more
Ephesians 5:18. Be not drunk with wine,— It is highly probable that here may be a particular reference to those dissolute ceremonies called the Bacchanalia, which were celebrated by the heathens in honour of their god of wine. While these rites continued, men and women made it a point of religion to intoxicate themselves, and ran about the streets, fields, and vineyards, singing and shouting in a wild and tumultuousmanner:inoppositiontotheseextravagantvociferations,theuseofdevout psalmody is... read more
18. excess—worthless, ruinous, reckless prodigality. wherein—not in the wine itself when used aright (1 Timothy 5:23), but in the "excess" as to it. but be filled with the Spirit—The effect in inspiration was that the person was "filled" with an ecstatic exhilaration, like that caused by wine; hence the two are here connected (compare 1 Timothy 5:23- :). Hence arose the abstinence from wine of many of the prophets, for example, John the Baptist, namely, in order to keep distinct before the... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Ephesians 5:18
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... read more