Mission Venture Ministries

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” – Ephesians 4:30

To understand what it means to grieve the Spirit, we must first understand that this indicates the Spirit possesses personality. Only a person can be grieved; therefore, the Spirit must be a divine person in order to have this emotion. Once we understand this, we can better understand how He is grieved, mainly because we
too are grieved. 

The Holy Spirit is a fire dwelling in each believer. He wants to express Himself in our actions and attitudes. When believers do not allow the Spirit to be seen in our actions, when we do what we know is wrong, we  suppress or quench the Spirit. We do not allow the Spirit to reveal Himself the way that He wants to. 

As we come to love God more and more, we will want to grieve Him less and less. To grieve the Holy Spirit means that we are causing pain to someone who loves us.   

What, then in us causes de divine One grief?  

• John 14:17, reveals Him as the Spirit  of truth – so anything false, deceitful, hypocritical, grieves Him. 
• 2 Corinthians 4:13, reveals Him as the Spirit of faith – so doubt, unbelief, distrust, worry, anxiety,  grieves Him. 
• Hebrews 10:29, speaks of Him as the Spirit of grace – so that which is hard, bitter, ungracious, unthankful, malicious, unforgiving and unloving grieves Him. 
• Romans 1:4, tells us that He is the Spirit of holiness – so anything unclean, defiling or degrading, grieves  Him. 
• Ephesians 1:17, reveals Him as the Spirit of wisdom and revelation – so ignorance, conceit, arrogance and foolishness grieves Him. 
• 2 Timothy 1:7 speaks of Him as the Spirit of love and self-discipline – so that which is unproductive,  fruitless, disorderly, confused and uncontrolled grieves Him. 
• Romans 8:2, reveals Him as the Spirit of life – so anything that is lukewarm, dead or indifferent grieves Him. 
• 1 Peter 4:14, tells us that He is the Spirit of glory – so anything that is worldly, prefers material things or is fleshly oriented grieves Him. 

To summarize, grieving the Spirit is to act out in a sinful manner, whether it is in thought only or in both thought and deed.

Quenching and grieving the Spirit are similar in their effects. Both hinder a godly lifestyle. Both happen when a believer sins against God and follows his or her own worldly desires. The only correct road to follow is the road that leads the believer closer to God and purity, and farther away from the world and sin. Just as we do not like to be grieved, and just as we do not seek to quench what is good—so we should not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit by refusing to follow His leading. 

As long as we are indulging in known sin we are not living in the same abode with the grieved Spirit who is thereby hindered from manifesting Himself full in and through us.  

Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians 4:22-23 – “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”