1367. Grieve Not the Spirit
Grieve Not the Spirit
"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph_4:30).
The Holy Spirit, Who dwells within us, yearns to have us wholly for Himself. He desires to show us Christ; to teach us and to guide us into the Word of Truth; He desires to conform us to the image of Christ; yet how often do we withstand His gracious work, and grieve Him!
1. How the saint may grieve the Spirit.
(1) The believer grieves the Spirit when he refuses to be interested in the things which interest the Spirit. If the Holy Spirit seeks to glorify Christ, and we are glorying in men, or glorying in our flesh–we grieve Him.
If the Holy Spirit desires to teach the Word to us, to reveal to us the things of God, and we refuse to open our Bible, and to study its blessed pages–we grieve Him.
If the Holy Spirit desires to tell us of the things of Christ, the things which have to do with His coming glory, and His Kingdom, and we interest ourselves, exclusively, in the things down here, in the thing's of this present age–we grieve. Him.
When the Holy Spirit, chisel in hand, stands ready to transform us into the image of Christ, but we insist in walking in the desires of the flesh and of the mind–we grieve Him.
(2) The believer may grieve the Spirit by harboring sin in his life. The 4th chapter of Ephesians may be read this way:
"Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts–and grieve not the Spirit.
"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour–and grieve not the Spirit.
"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath–and grieve not the Spirit.
"Neither give place to the devil–and grieve not the Spirit.
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth–and grieve not the Spirit.
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying–and grieve not the Spirit.
"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice–and grieve not the Spirit." See Eph_4:22-31.
Seven times, warning words are spoken, and to each warning the plea is understood–"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God."
If we would desire not to grieve Him, we must walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind: we must be no longer babes tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine; but we must speak the Truth in love; and grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
2. How the Church may grieve the Spirit. The Holy Spirit not only indwells the believer, but He indwells the Church.
"In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph_2:22).
The Church may grieve the Spirit even as the individual may grieve Him.
When the local church refuses to discipline unruly and unclean men or women holding fellowship, the church grieves the Spirit.
When the church-members adopt worldly styles of dress and fashion, the church grieves the Spirit.
When the church retains false teachers who deny the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Lord God and repudiate the Cross, and its substitutionary sacrifice, the risen, or the returning Christ, the Spirit is grieved.
When the church shows a spirit of partiality, and preference to the rich, saying, "Sit thou here in a good place;" and say to the poor, "Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool" (Jam_2:3), she grieves the Spirit.
When the church gives itself over to worldly choirs and operatic singing, pressing the sensual to the loss of the spiritual, she grieves the Spirit.
May the lesson be learned, and may we grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR