The passage
      v15. Paul encourages his readers to be careful how they live and to this end he gives his first exhortation, namely that they be wise. They are to pay close attention to how they live by thoughtfully dealing with life's difficulties. We are to conduct ourselves wisely - thoughtfully.
      v16. The believer is to maximize the opportunities for wise living, especially as "the days are evil." This "evil age", Gal.1:4, is a time invaded by the powers of darkness and is also a time that is short - its judgement is near, 1Cor.7:29. So, we must make the most of every day.
      v17. Living (walking) worthily of our standing in Christ involves aiming at a second quality, namely understanding the will of Jesus. To shape practical morality in the life of the individual it is essential to be able to "test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will", Rom.12:2. A believer will find this "will of God" in the scriptures. Understanding God's revelation is essential for our "walk".
      v18. The third exhortation toward living worthily of our standing in Christ is that we be filled by the Spirit. Drunkenness is a common problem, but the reference here serves only to highlight "filled by the Spirit." Although the phrase often appears as "filled with the Spirit", as if the Spirit is the content of the filling, it is best taken as "filled by the Spirit", in the sense of the Spirit doing the filling. He fills us with "the fullness of God" in that he "leads us into all truth" and shapes within us the character of Christ, characteristics of "power and love and self-control", 2Tim.1:7. Note that this filling is a continuous action, not a one-off event.
      v19. Those of the darkness, filled with wine, will sing songs of drunkenness, celebrating the joys of Bacchus; those filled by the Spirit, will sing songs of praise to Christ.
      v20. The image of songs of praise leads to a second characteristic of the Spirit's filling, namely, thanksgiving. This thanksgiving is to be offered "always", or better constantly, even regularly, and for "everything", for all things, in all circumstances. As is typical of prayer, the thanksgiving is offered to the Father through Jesus. It is offered "in the name of", that is, through the person of Jesus. "The name" encapsulates the substance of the person.
      v21. This verse is usually included as part of this passage, although it certainly impacts on the following passage. A third expression of the Spirit's filling is mutual submission. Out of reverence for Christ, believers put others first.

Be filled by the Spirit
      At the beginning of each year we assess the achievements of the past, and we dream the dreams of the future. In fact, C.S. Lewis said that this was part of the human problem. We often tend to live in unreality. Our lives are focused on two areas. First, there is all that could have been but never was. We live with regret, don't we? All those spent and wasted opportunities seem to eat at us. How we wish things could have been different. And second, there is all that we hope will be. The dreams for the future. We live them, relive them, but rarely see them come to anything. All that ever happens is that the years pass quickly, ever more quickly.
      Jesus put it simply, "each day has enough trouble of its own". The moment is what matters, rather than worrying about the past or the future. There are, of course, different ways we can focus on the present moment, and Paul, in our passage for study, gives us an idea to focus on. He encourages us to "be very careful then, how you live", or as Paul literally put it, "watch carefully how you walk." We must pay close attention to our behavior. Actually, his exhortation in v15 really repeats 4:1, "live a life worthy of the calling you have received", or in simple terms, be what you are already in Christ, 4:1.
      Paul identifies three ways of walking worthily:
        1. Living wisely, v15, 16. God's Word reminds us that the "days are evil." This age is corrupted, and is corrupting. In this fading moment, being what we are entails being perceptive, eg. "be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity", Col.4:5.
        2. Understanding the Lord's will, v17. An essential part of the Christian journey involves an ever increasing understanding of God's eternal truth. Hear sermons, read and study the Bible, in the knowledge that the Spirit of Christ enlightens our minds and opens our hearts. Taking on the mind of Christ shapes what we are in Christ.
        3. Being filled by the Spirit v19-21. Being filled with divine characteristics, with graciousness, kindness, forgiveness.... is a work of the Spirit. This infilling prompts praise and thanksgiving in worship, along with a mutual submission to each other's spiritual gifts. Being what we are in Christ entails taking on the character of Christ.

v15
      blepete (blepw) pres. imp. "be [very careful, then, how you live]" - watch [carefully therefore, how you walk]. "Give close attention to your behavior."
      pwV "how" - A variant reading exists where "how" is placed before the adverb "carefully" so modifying "live (walk)" rather than "be (watch); "see then that you walk circumspectly", AV.
      peripateite (peripatew) pres. "live" - you walk. Conduct yourselves; "you must take very special care about your conduct", Mitton.
      wJV asofoi (oV) "as wise" - The wise understand God's purpose and apply their life to it, while the foolish ignore it. So, the first thing a believer should pay close attention to is an understanding of the mind of Christ. "Do not live like ignorant people, but as wise people", TEV.

v16
      exagorazomenoi (exagorazw) pres. part. "making the most of [every opportunity]" - redeeming [the time]. The participle clause expresses the means by which the reader is to be "wise". "Making the most / redeeming / seizing the opportunity", is a word that comes out of commercial life, in the sense of making a good deal when the opportunity presents itself. So, the exhortation is for believers to grab onto every opportunity to live wisely, isolating the moment for the Lord rather than wasting it. cf. Dan.2:8. "Make the best of the present time, for it is a wicked age", NJB.
      oJti aiJ hJmerai ponhrai eisin "because the days are evil" - The phrase picks up on the scriptural description of life in the here and now in the terms of "this present age", "the present evil age". Presumably an eschatological sense is intended, ie. the "evil days" are the "last days", a time of tribulation before the return of Christ when believers must make the most of every moment. "Because we are living in the final moments of human history."

v17
      mh ginesqe (ginomai) pres. imp. "do not be [foolish]" - The fool, in Old Testament wisdom, is the person who does not recognize their place under the Lord; they do not recognize that "the beginning of wisdom is the fear (respect) of the Lord." "Don't be vague, but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of the Lord", Phillips.
      suniete (sunihmi) pres. imp. "understand" - think about, reason something through, gain insight, comprehend. The imperative is best rendered "try to understand", NEB.
      to qelhma tou kuriou "the will of the Lord" - the Lord's will. Referring to Christ, Paul is again making the point that a believer's life is shaped "in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus", 4:20, 21. This idea has nothing to do with personal guidance, cf. TEV, but rather God's plan to gather a people to himself by grace through faith. The way of salvation is the truth we must understand.

v18
      mh mequskesqe (mequskw) pres. imp. "do not get drunk [on wine]" - do not get drunk with wine. The present imperative here does not mean that Paul's readers are necessarily getting drunk, but rather serves as a prohibition against a particular course of action. This prohibition comes out of the blue. Does Paul know something of his readers? It is more likely he is using the prohibition as a foil for the following exhortation. The phrase reflects a quote from Prov.13:31 and expresses a sentiment often found in the New Testament, Lk.15:13, Tit.1:6, 1Peter.4:4. "Don't destroy yourselves by getting drunk", CEV
      en wJ/ "which" - in/by which [is debauchery]. This prepositional phrase refers to getting drunk, not to the wine.
      aswtia (a) "debauchery" - reckless living, dissipation, debauchery, extravagance. Getting drunk "will only ruin you", TEV.
      plhrousqe (plhrow) pres. imp. "be filled [with the Spirit]" - be filled continually [by the Spirit]. We are not told what this "filling" entails, although the phrase has already been used in this letter. We must be "filled with all the fullness of God" and this filling is achieved when we "let the word of Christ dwell in" us. The word of God's grace in Christ makes us gracious, makes us Christ-like, makes us like God. The Spirit, as a work of grace through faith, shapes us into the image of God, makes us Christ-like, enables us to become what we are already in Christ. The Spirit fills us with the fullness of Christ. The filling of the Spirit here refers to a process which begins at a believer's conversion and continues as the believer accesses the Spirit in their day-to-day life.
      en pneumati "with the Spirit" - in/with/by spirit. Clearly the Holy Spirit is intended rather than the human spirit or psyche. Is this a locative dative, "in", an instrumental dative, "by", or is the dative indicating content, "with"? Armitage Robinson suggests the last two meanings are intended, but is this likely? Bruce opts for "with", O'Brien, along with most other commentators, opts for an instrumental sense, "by". In 2:22 and 3:5, "in spirit" is obviously an instrumental dative and is therefore translated "by the Spirit". In 6:18 it is also probably an instrumental dative where "praying in the spirit" means praying under the Spirit's influence, guidance and assistance. So, here in 5:18 are we secure in following the NIV and most other translations by translating the phrase "with the Spirit"? Wallace in his syntax argues that there are no instances in the New Testament where "in" + a dative is used for content - the Spirit is the content of the filling. "Be filled by the Spirit", O'Brien.

v19
      lalounteV (lalew) pres. part. "speak" - speaking [in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs]. The first quality describing the characteristics of a person "filled" by the Spirit, is their "speaking" to one another in song. The following set of participles, "speaking", "singing and making [music]", giving [thanks]" and "submitting" are often regarded as imperatival (we are being exhorted to sing etc.), as NIV. Other possibilities include participles of attendant circumstances such that they serve as accompanying action to the verb "be filled", and also participles of means and manner. They are probably best understood as participles of result, identifying the outcome of the action of the main verb "be filled." In Colossians we are to "teach and admonish" rather than "speak". Presumably the context for this meaningful communication in song is Christian worship.
      yalmoiV kai uJmnoiV kai wJ/daiV "psalms, hymns and [spiritual] songs" - psalms, hymns and songs. Some commentators like to distinguish between the psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, but they are probably just different terms for religious songs. None-the-less, some commentators argue that Paul, in this passage, gives us a glimpse of a normal church meeting. The members sing to one another, ie. antiphonally. The singing is offered to the Lord, rather than to each other (Note how many modern hymns are not praise to Christ). "Singing truth to one another in Old Testament psalms and Christian compositions."
      pheumatikaiV adj. "spiritual" - This adjective probably qualifies all three nouns, although Fee does not agree. "Speaking to one another in spirit-inspired psalms, hymns and songs", O'Brien.
      adonteV (adw) pres. part. "sing" - singing, singing songs
      yallonteV (yallw) pres. part. "make music" - making music. Singing songs and making music is a single idea and is best treated as a parallel idea to speaking to one another. So, being filled by the Spirit entails "singing truth to each other." When believers meet, they meet with Jesus and in that meeting they adore (worship) him. This they do in prayer, thanksgiving, hearing, and as here, in songs of praise. Praise expresses one aspect of "Spirit filled", not so much because of its structure, but because of its content - ie. it is of truth.

v20
      eucaristounteV (eucaristew) pres. part. "giving thanks" - Giving thanks serves as the second feature of a person filled by the Spirit. Four modifiers describe the thanksgiving: i] "always", it is regular, or better it is "constant"; ii] "for everything", it is comprehensive. This does not mean that the Spirit's filling is displayed in giving thanks for disasters; iii] "in the name of the Lord...", it is directed to God through Christ.
      tw/ qew/ kai patri "to God the Father" - the God and father. An example of Grenville Sharp's Rule, where two coordinated singular personal, but not proper nouns, are associated by the use of an introductory article.
      uJper pantwn "for everything" - for all things. Possible "for all people", but more likely "everything". A nice stab at a possible sense is "always and everywhere giving thanks", NJB.
      en onomati "in the name [of our Lord Jesus Christ]" - in/by the name. The "name" represents the person, so the thanksgiving is offered to God "through our Lord Jesus Christ."