What does Ephesians 5:20 mean?

In verse 18, Paul instructs believers to be controlled by the Spirit. He frames this in contrast with being controlled by alcohol, naming drunkenness as something Christians are to avoid. Verse 19 offers several expressions of being spiritually filled.

This verse adds another expression, which is an attitude of universal thanksgiving. Being controlled by the Spirit includes gratitude. The Spirit-filled believer is a person who is regularly thankful for what God has done in his or her life.

Notice who we are to thank as Spirit-filled believers: "God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." We don't simply thank ourselves or other people; we give thanks to God. Both the Father and the Son are recipients of our gratitude through the control of the Spirit. All three persons of the triune God are involved in the ongoing life of the obedient believer.

Interestingly, Paul uses the exact phrase "Lord Jesus Christ" six times in this brief letter (Ephesians 1:2, 3, 17; 5:20; 6:23, 24), emphasizing Jesus as King, God, and Messiah. He both begins (Ephesians 1:2) and ends (Ephesians 6:24) this letter giving top priority to Jesus, as the One above all else.