And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
The Spirit Grieved
This fourth chapter of Ephesians begins with the subject of our walk with the Lord, and with the unity of Spirit that we are to practice with fellow believers. It continues by enforcing this with specific instructions about how we carry on our lives, morally, socially, and internally. Finally, the chapter ends with the general command that we must not grieve the Holy Spirit. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do what He does not want us to do. The Spirit of God prompts us to walk in truth, to love others, and to control ourselves by obedience to His dictates. As we (not audibly, but in our hearts) listen to the Spirit of God, we know certain things are right and others are wrong. He gives discernment. If we obey Him, our fellowship with God is sweet. It is not interrupted while we are walking in the light, which He has given to us (1 John 1:7). If we do not obey what He shows us, we grieve Him, and our fellowship is cut off until we confess it to the Lord (1 John 1:9). We do not lose our salvation, but we lose our joy and our walk with Christ is hindered.
Then, the last part of our verse reminds us that our salvation is secure. “We are sealed unto the day of redemption”. What a wonderful revelation that we are safe in Christ. The eternal question is settled once we have saving faith. But our joy is affected by how we carry on our lives.
Let’s be careful that we do not grieve the Holy Spirit by doing those things that He has shown us not to do.
(1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Aug. 5, 2009