Understanding Amidst Foolishness

Verses 17 and 18 contain a pair of contrasts that convey a similar message. The world offers such that is low, deplorable, and useless. Rather, God offers that which is far greater with eternal value. To this end, Paul commands Christians to not be foolish, but understanding. You, believer, have the privilege to understand (that is perceive with absolute clarity) the will of God. And where has God made His will known clearly, there is no excuse for Christians to not know it or live by it. The second set of commands fixes around drunkenness and being filled with the Spirit. Drunkenness played a major part in the lives of people in Paul's day. It was the featured event or thing in the pagan worship that surrounded the local churches in the first century. Ephesus was known for her worship of the goddess Artemis where there would be drunkenness present among the celebration. As Paul has been alluding to, his longing for the brothers is that they would live separately from the world. Not living in a drunken stupor was one such way that they could live out a life separate from the world. Further, being filled by the Spirit was an even greater way because its reach was far greater. Paul is not saying that believers need to be refilled continually by the Spirit as though we can lose effectiveness of the Spirit. That gives you and me too much credit. However, we can be filled by the Spirit as Colossians 3:16 reveals by having the Word of God dwell in believers richly. Paul's emphasis is for the believers need of the Word of God, and that need is ever true today.