Question: Is there a difference between the indwelling of the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit?
Answer:
Indwelling
The indwelling of the Spirit in the believer is universal among all believers. The Holy Spirit does not indwell only some believers, but not others. The Holy Spirit indwells all believers; indwelling is universal among all believers according to Romans 5:5. Also, Romans 8:9 teaches that the absence of indwelling means a person is unsaved, not a believer. In the Old Testament, the indwelling of the Spirit was not universal among all believers (Ex. 31:3; Judg. 3:10; 6:34; Ezek. 2:2; 3:24), but as of Acts 2, indwelling became universal among all believers.
The Holy Spirit indwells the believer forever, He is permanent. In John 14:16–17, Yeshua (Jesus) said the Holy Spirit will make His abode in the believer forever; and forever must mean exactly what it says. If the Holy Spirit could leave the believer, it would not be forever, but temporary. Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 6:19 points out that even the Corinthians, who were sinning saints, had the indwelling Spirit.
In the Old Testament this was not so, the Holy Spirit came and went; indwelling was not necessarily permanent in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 16:14, the Holy Spirit departed from Saul; in Psalm 51:11, David prayed: take not your holy Spirit from me. That was a valid Old Testament prayer, but it is not a valid New Testament prayer, for now the Holy Spirit indwells us forever.
The new nature and the Holy Spirit are not one and the same; the Holy Spirit always remains distinct from the new nature. The new nature is created (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:9–10), but the Holy Spirit is not created. Furthermore, if the conflict in Romans 7:1–25 and Galatians 5:16–24 were between the Holy Spirit and the old sin-nature, how then, could the Holy Spirit ever be defeated? The conflict in Romans 7 and Galatians 5 is between the old nature and the new nature. The new nature can be defeated, but the Holy Spirit cannot be defeated.
Filling
In regard to filling, our first responsibility is to be filled with the [Holy] Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Ephesians 5:18 says: And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit. So to be filled with the Spirit means, “to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.” It means, “to be controlled from within.” When the word “filling” is used of the Holy Spirit, it means to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Here in Ephesians 5:18, it is being contrasted with drunkenness. When one is filled with alcohol, he is controlled by it (Lk. 1:15; Acts 2:4, 12–18). In contrast to being filled with wine, Paul said: be filled with the [Holy] Spirit. It is from this comparison that we clearly see that to be filled with the [Holy] Spirit means “to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.” That is the simple definition of what it means to be filled with the Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit’s ministry of filling that results in the spiritual growth of the believer as the believer submits to the control of the Holy Spirit. As long as the believer is being controlled by the Holy Spirit, he is being filled by the Holy Spirit. Filling has two basic concepts: first, it means to expel that which filled or controlled before; secondly, it is control of that which is now filled.
There are four things in Ephesians 5:18 about the grammar. First, it is imperative: believers are commanded to be filled with the [Holy] Spirit; they are commanded to let the Holy Spirit control them. Secondly, it is in the present tense, which means that Spirit-filling is continuous and can be repeated; we should be filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit many times in our lives. Thirdly, it is a passive voice, meaning that action is being done on the subject; the Holy Spirit is doing the controlling. Fourthly, the Holy Spirit is both agent, by, and the content, with. The Holy Spirit is the agent who fills us with Himself.
What is the method of filling?
There are no specific instructions given in the New Testament as to how to be filled. However, in John 7:37–39, Jesus does provide two principles. First, you have to thirst, which means, “to have a desire” to be filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit. Secondly, you must come … and drink, which means “to do what is necessary” to be filled. In this context it means “to believe on the Messiah.” There must be an initial belief on the Messiah, then an initial walk with the Messiah, and then a continuation in that walk. Matthew 5:6 points out that those who hunger and thirst will be filled. If we hunger and thirst to be filled with the Spirit, we are going to be filled.
According to Colossians 3:16, to be filled, we need to be in subjection to the Word of God, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. You can find further information on this topic in Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum's, Ariel’s Manuscript MBS138 The Spiritual Life and the Holy Spirit
