Ephesians

The Presence of the Spirit

At the end of Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul reveals to us the key to a changed, positive Christian life—the presence of the Holy Spirit:

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)

In that opening sentence, the apostle Paul puts his finger on the heart of the whole matter: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” The key to all human behavior lies in our relationship with God, not our relationship with our fellow human beings. Once our relationship with God is what it ought to be, all our other relationships can come into alignment. The key to the Christian life is the presence of God, in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

We have difficulties in getting along with people. There are those who irritate us, and whose personalities clash with ours. There are those who constantly sabotage our plans, either by their thoughtless actions or by their deliberate destructiveness. The place to begin solving our troubled human relationships is not with other people but with our relationship to God. Our relationship with our brother or sister will inevitably reflect our relationship to God. It always does.

Paul says we must not grieve the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? The word grieve is related to love. It is impossible for you to grieve someone who does not love you. If someone who does not love you is offended by what you do, he is not grieved, but angry and enraged. Grief is always an indication of love. So this word reveals that God loves us. The Holy Spirit is in us, as Christians, in order to help us, to bless us, to strengthen us, and to teach us how to live.