Be very careful, then, how you walk—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Notes
This section brings to light the wise walk of those who live in New Covenant fullness. Paul continues his exhortation with a Spirit-saturated call to alertness and intentionality: be very careful how you walk. The wisdom of God is not abstract philosophy—it is incarnate in Christ, and now it is embodied in His people, who are called to redeem the time, living in the clarity of the Lord’s will
(cf. Colossians 4:5; Romans 12:2).
To understand the will of the Lord is not to guess at hidden plans, but to walk in the revealed light of the gospel, empowered by the Spirit. In contrast to the mindless dissipation of drunkenness, Paul calls believers to Spirit-filled clarity. This filling is not a one-time event but an ongoing reality—it is commanded, present tense, and passive: “be being filled.” The Spirit’s filling is the normal state of the New Covenant believer.
And what flows from this fullness? Not ecstatic chaos, but Christ-centered community. The Spirit’s filling produces worship—psalms, hymns, spiritual songs—not just upward to God but spoken to one another. True Spirit-filled living results in mutual edification, joyful singing, and constant thanksgiving
(cf. Acts 13:52; 1 Thessalonians 5:18–19).
It also produces submission—a mutual yielding to one another out of reverence for Christ. This submission is not hierarchical domination, but Spirit-enabled humility that reflects the servanthood of Jesus. It is the overflow of a life rooted in grace, governed by the gospel, and empowered by the Spirit.
The Law never produced this kind of worship. Sinai could command reverence, but only the Spirit gives melody. Only the Spirit turns hearts from self-indulgence to thanksgiving, from pride to mutual submission, and from folly to wisdom.
This is the walk of the New Covenant: Spirit-filled, Christ-centered, relational, and worshipful. The Church is not drunk on the world’s ways—it is singing with the joy of those filled with God Himself.
Moe Bergeron 
Leave a comment