How to not grieve the Holy Spirit
PASTOR’S CORNER, David Harris, Fellowship Baptist Church, Liberal
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:30-32, NIV)
As a minister, I don’t recall ever meeting with a Christian who expressed a desire to grieve the Holy Spirit. If most believers were asked whether this was something on their spiritual to-do list, I am highly confident the answer would be a resounding “no.” One may expect that for the original readers of Ephesians, the answer would have been similar. But Christians, indwelled by the Holy Spirit as we are, do have the capacity to upset the third Person of the Trinity, which is precisely why we are warned against it.