"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:18, 19)
Many explanations have been given concerning the Spirit-filled life. Some have been very helpful while a few are misleading. The idea is one of control. A man drunk with wine is under the control of the wine. He is controlled by a spirit foreign to himself and says and does many things he would not do when sober.
The Christian is not to be drunk with wine but is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That is, he is to be under the absolute control of the Spirit of God. In His power he is to do and say things he never could do in his own strength. The disciples were weak, timid and fearful men until they were filled at Pentecost. Then they became fearless and powerful, speaking the Word with great boldness.
Our attention is called to four things about the verb filled. It is in the imperative mode, which is a command, for God knows we are helpless without this filling. It is in the present tense which stresses continuous action; this filling is to be a continuous thing. The verb is plural in number; it is for all, not just for a select group. Then it is passive voice which means this is something to be done in us. "Let yourself be being filled" is a good rendering. The Spirit's work is to produce Christian character (Gal. 5:22); Christian service (1 Cor. 12:4-11); and praise (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).
(Dr. R. H. Belton)