Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit

Day 269: Ephesians 4:17-32

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” - Ephesians 4:30 ESV

The Greek word used for grieve here is lypeo, and it means to cause someone to be sad, sorrowful, or distressed. This is the only place in the New Testament this word is used in reference to the Holy Spirit.  (We do see Matthew (26:37) use it to describe Jesus’ state in the Garden of Gethsemane.)

Why would God use such a human word to describe how he feels when we make poor decisions, especially with the way we speak?

As we’ve seen before, God is giving us something with which we can relate.

All of us have experienced grief in some form, and many times it shows itself after we've felt the sting of disappointment or pain. The same word is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:13: "...that you may not grieve as others who have no hope."

So how can we keep from making the Holy Spirit distressed?

Paul lays it out when he says in verses 22, 24: "put off your old self...and put on the new self." Don't climb back into the corpse of anger and hateful speech. Step into a better life with Jesus.

E.K. Simpson and F.F. Bruce’s words are so helpful in their commentary on this verse: “It is not an influence that these sacrileges stifle, but a sacred Person they repel, one who deigns in loving-kindness to dwell in our sin-deflowered souls, to become our Teacher, our Consoler, our Warden, the earnest and ensurer of our final purification. A careless walk implies irrecognition of all we owe to His untiring patience and quickening energy.”