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[Ephesians 5:18-21 NASB] 18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father; 21 and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

[Colossians 3:16-17 NASB] 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

John MacArthur argues from the similarities and parallelism between Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16 that "being filled with the Spirit" and "letting the Word of Christ dwell richly in oneself" are identical, i.e., that they are different expressions used to refer to the same phenomenon:

Now, in our last study, we learned that being filled with the Spirit, as it indicates in verse 18, is living every moment as if you’re standing in the presence of Jesus Christ. As we compared Ephesians 5:18 with Colossians 3:16, we noted that letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly is the same as being filled with the Spirit. We saw from the illustration of the life of Peter that Peter, when he was standing next to Jesus Christ, could do the miraculous, say the miraculous, and had miraculous courage. The same Peter, when filled with the Spirit of God, is seen doing the miraculous, heard saying the miraculous, and seen to have miraculous courage. In other words, the parallel is interesting. When he was near Jesus Christ, in His presence, and when he was filled with the Spirit of God, he got the same kind of results. And see, that is exactly what Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16 is saying to us. To be filled with the Spirit is not some ecstatic experience. It is not to have some supernatural zap. To be filled with the Spirit is simply to live moment by moment in the conscious presence of Jesus Christ.

This answer makes a similar argument:

Both phrases, 'be filled with the Spirit' and 'let the word of Christ dwell in you richly' are present active imperatives; they are constant commands to us in the now which, when obeyed, are expected to bring forth songs of praise, a thankful heart toward God in Christ's name, unity in the body, and order in the Christian household.

As one of the indwelling Holy Spirit's primary roles is to bring to our remembrance everything that He has said (John 14:26), it is likely that there is at least a strong correlation if not a sameness between being filled with the Spirit and being richly indwelt with the word of Christ.

This is not to say that mere intellectual Bible knowledge is enough. There is a deep reception of the Word which is in view; a reception that causes radical and fundamental worldview change and which introduces into a person something that they did not previously possess; the power to become sons of God.

I understand the temptation to infer a functional identity between "being filled with the Spirit" and "the Word of Christ dwelling richly" based on the structural similarities between the two passages. However, we must also consider that "being filled with the Spirit" and similar expressions appear in numerous other contexts, such as:

  • Old Testament: Exodus 31:3, 35:31; Deuteronomy 34:9; Micah 3:8
  • Gospels & Acts: Luke 1:15, 1:41, 1:67, 4:1; Acts 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 6:3, 6:5, 7:55, 9:17, 11:24, 13:9, 13:52
  • Epistles: Ephesians 5:18

The breadth of these occurrences should, at the very least, add necessary nuance to any attempt to equate the two concepts entirely. For instance, how can the "identity interpretation" advanced by John MacArthur be reconciled with the specific manifestations found in Acts 2:4 and Acts 4:31, or in Luke 1:41 and Luke 1:67?

In short: are "being filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) and "letting the Word of Christ dwell richly in oneself" (Colossians 3:16) truly synonymous?

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Question: Is "being filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) the same as "being richly indwelt by the Word of Christ" (Colossians 3:16)?

While there is similarities and overlapping between the two, what is being illustrated is different. For the person who spoke Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic, the word for Spirit is the same word for breath or wind. So, the picture you get with being filled with the wind is the wind filling a sail. Related is to be baptized by the Spirit. But, as opposed to filled, baptized means to be immersed. A sailboat on a windy day is immersed in the wind, but for the sails to be filled one must raise the sails.

The Word of Christ is the Scriptures. In particular what Christ taught and lived. it is listening to Jesus' voice as in John 10. It is having the mindset of Christ as Philippians 2.

Both have an active element. We are to "put on," "let" it "dwell." While "be filled" and "let dwell" are passive, the active element of allow/let is still present.

... teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col. 3:16–17, CSB2020)

is similar to

... speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. (Eph. 5:19–21, CSV2020)

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—16 making the most of the time,, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. (Eph 5:15–17, CSB2020)

does overlap with the Word of Christ. Thus, while different, they both go together. You don't really understand the Scriptures without the Holy Spirit. That is understand them in the sense of applying them to your life rather than a scholarly sense.

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Neither can be without each-other, for it is through Spirit that we understand Logos, and understanding more provides for richer presence of Logos’ activity in us, but Logos and Spirit are distinct hypostases/persons.

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Answer

Yes, “being filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18) is the same as “being richly indwelt by the Word of Christ” (Col 3:16).

Explanation

The link between Eph 5:18 and Col 3:16 is provided by none other than Lord Jesus Christ Himself who said:

“It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh does not profit, nothing! The Words which I speak to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63).

This is because it is Jesus who gives us life through His words and Spirit.

“So also it has been written, "The" first "man", Adam, "became a living soul;" the last Adam (Jesus) a life-giving Spirit” (1 Cor 15:45).

Conclusion

“But if Christ (who is Spirit) is in you, the body indeed is dead because of sin, but the Spirit (of Christ) is life because of righteousness” (Rom 8:10).

Yes, they are correlated and are synonymous.

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