Don't Grieve The Holy Spirit

 
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:30-32 ESV

How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? By ignoring His promptings, He moves us toward Christ and His purposes for our lives. The role of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Jesus to us in more profound, more intimate ways. In scripture, He has three roles: teacher, comforter (or Helper), and advocate. “But as for you, Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ.” 1 John 2:27 GNT

Paul is making a plea for holiness by being in cooperation with the holy spirit as He speaks to us about our natural proclivity to sin. We do not have the power within ourselves not to choose sin. Still, the Holy Spirit can bring up things that need to be removed from our lives, hindering our maturity in Christ, and then provides the power to overcome those things so that sin does not have the power to control us. The Holy Spirit's desire is for us to be controlled by Christ, not by sin.

Paul identifies some of the key sins in our lives that must be exposed: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and malice. When we break down this list, it all comes down to two fundamental issues: reacting to how we were treated and holding on to unforgiveness toward others. Paul urges us not to grieve the Holy Spirit as He stirs these emotions, and brings to mind those who have wronged us. We need to trust the process of revelation and allow it to flow through us so that we can forgive those who have hurt us, not for their sake, but for our own well-being. This way, we can release the destructive emotional energy we carry within us.   

Paul encourages us to be kind to one another. Kindness can be described as respect, favor, and affection. These feelings and emotions reflect Christ’s love for us. While we may think that God is without an emotional response, the truth is that love is an emotion, and God loves us with an everlasting love, demonstrated in Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.

As God’s chosen ones, His sons and daughters, we are sacred space to Him. Our mission is to embody His love so that others may find salvation, just as we have. While we cannot change others, but we can be transformed by allowing the Holy Spirit to mold us into the likeness of Christ Jesus. This transformation is the most compelling testimony we can offer. Our words may falter, but a changed life speaks volumes without uttering a single word.

There is an Old English idiom, “tender mercies,” rarely used today, to describe this type of love. It is found in the New King James Bible and conveys the same sentiment Paul describes above, but in much more detail in Colossians 3:12-13, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12 depict what living in step with the Spirit of God looks like and speaks of these types of attributes. These are not rules for living, as they are impossible to follow in our own efforts. As we grow and mature in Christ, we are blessed when the Holy Spirit reveals more of Christ within us, and we begin to demonstrate these attributes. We are truly blessed when Jesus is living through us to make us more like Him; it becomes a natural consequence of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Reading the Beatitudes with this perspective can truly change your life.

One last thought, Paul says that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. We are bought at a high price that we could not pay. We are chosen and sealed, marked with the mark of God Himself. I am drawn back to the passage in Isaiah 49:15-16a (Voice) “Is it possible for a mother, however disappointed, however hurt, to forget her nursing child? Can she feel nothing for the baby she carried and birthed? Even if she could, I, God, will never forget you. Look here. I have made you a part of Me, written you on the palms of My hands." Can you feel the depth of emotion in that passage? And the commitment to us by writing us on the palms of His hands? That is the depth of the seal that God has put upon us. He will never forget us; even if he does, our names are written on His hands to remind Him of His love for us.

Stephen Barnett