The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit comes to all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. His indwelling happens the very moment of conversion. God at that moment places His Spirit in us. Without this no man is saved. Paul says in Romans 8:9, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”

On the other hand, being indwelt with the Holy Spirit is not the same as being filled with the Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18 Paul is contrasting being drunk with being filled with the Spirit. His point is do not be influenced or controlled by some substance like wine or another stimulant, but be influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Even today we recognize the power of alcohol to influence and control. If someone is arrested for driving while intoxicated we call it DUI (driving under the influence). The Apostle commands Christians who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them to be filled with the Spirit or under the Spirit’s influence.

The Bible makes a distinction between having life by the Spirit, which is regeneration, and being guided by the Holy Spirit. Paul says again in Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” The word walk comes from a Greek word that means to keep in step, such as soldiers walking in cadence with each other.