Don’t worry! This is not a chapter on how to “speak in tongues” or heal the sick. It is about being obedient to the command of God given in Ephesians 5:18: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” This is the order of our Commander-in-Chief, and we must comply. We should not let extreme views on this subject dissuade us from obeying it. Although some have wrongly built entire doctrines and denominations on these words, we must not let those who have done so keep us from enjoying the heritage the Lord intended all His children to enjoy.

Christ came to free us from the power of sin as well as its guilt. While we do not become perfect at conversion, a process begins. Holiness becomes the norm and sin, the abnormal. God has given us His Holy Spirit to ensure that this life-long process of change continues. He gives a power that enables the believer to fight sin. To live without this, whether by ignorance or disobedience, is to suffer needlessly. It is to live far beneath the “more abundant life” Jesus offers.

 

Salvation From Sin Involves a War Against Sin

During the American Civil War, brothers occasionally ended up on opposing sides—some joining the Union Army and others fighting for the Confederacy. In some cases, a father would be on the opposite side of his sons in the war. A man either wore blue or wore gray; he had a position. Similarly, being converted only means you have left one army to join another army. The fact that you are saved by God’s grace is a testimony to which side of the war you are on.