Sports contracts are not exactly rock solid agreements. A star athlete holds out for more money. A team gives a player the old heave ho when he doesn’t deliver. They’re not worth the paper they’re written on. According to Paul, that’s NOT how God rolls. When He makes a deal, He sticks with it. He’s good for it. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (v30). As a follower of Jesus, I may have the ability to disappoint God’s Spirit but not the power to break His promise to me.
Signed. Sealed. Delivered.
While I might not be able to nullify God’s promise, that doesn’t mean I can’t disappoint Him. The apostle tells his friends back in Ephesus that they must “not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (v30). This is the Greek verb lupeo. It means to hurt, induce pain, injure, cause distress, make sad, induce sorrow, offend or vex. Paul used the same word when he mentioned to the Corinthians about a very tough letter he wrote their church that really punched them in the gut (2Cor 2:2-5; 7:8-11). They took it personally. And the Apostle Pete told his readers that unbelievable good stuff is ahead in Jesus but first it is necessary to be “grieved (Gr. lupeo) by various trials” (1Pet 1:6).
That means that we have the ability to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (v30). This is the Third Person of the Trinity. Read that again. Notice that He’s a Person. And just like the Father and Son, He’s fully God. God’s Spirit is a Who not a What. Not the Force from Star Wars. Not some sort of unseen impersonal power. Not an it. The Spirit is a Person. And because the Spirit is a Person, He can be grieved. Only people can be hurt or injured. Just check out how the folks in the Bible refer to the Holy Spirit. Jesus talks about His good Friend using personal pronouns (Jn 14:17; 16:13). Our personal Savior promised that His Spirit would personally care for us (Jn 14:16). The Spirit will personally teach us (Jn 14:26). He personally guides us (Jn 16:13; Acts 16:6-7). He personally tells us about Jesus (Jn 15:26). He personally runs Jesus’ PR campaign (Jn 16:14). He has personal knowledge of what’s on God’s mind (1Cor 2:11). He speaks as a person (Acts 13:2). He personally convicts us about our sin (Jn 16:8). He personally helps us when we don’t know what to pray (Rom 8:26). He personally translates our moans and groans into effective prayers.
So just how do I “grieve the Holy Spirit” (v30)? Just look back at the previous verses and see what Paul has to say. I grieve Him when I fail to “put off the old self” and “put off the new” (Eph 4:22-24). I grieve Him when I keep on lying and pretend to be somebody I’m not (Eph 4:25). I grieve Him when I let my anger get the best of me and I open the front door of my life to Satan (Eph 4:26-27). I grieve Him when I take what doesn’t belong to me, fail to work and fail to give (Eph 4:28). I grieve Him when my speech tears other people down instead of building them up (Eph 4:29). Sadly, I do a lot of grieving. I mean a LOT! Good grief.
The Spirit is grieved because of God’s great love for you and me. He wants His best for us. That’s why He gave His followers His commands. He’s a Father who truly knows best. Remember when your parents wouldn’t let you play in the street? That sure seemed like a buzz kill when you were five. You didn’t understand the danger of being hit by a car. They did. They wanted the best for you. Same way with God and His commands for you and me. It breaks God’s heart when I fail to do what’s best for me. It’s very hard for me to believe it a lot of the time. But doing what God tells me to do is the surest path to real joy. Lasting joy. True joy. It’s not only good for me, but it will not grieve God’s Spirit.
But Paul wants us to know there’s good news here. REALLY Good News. We might be able to disappoint God’s Spirit but He’ll never let us go. That’s because it’s through His Spirit that “you were sealed for the day of redemption” (v30). This is the verb sphragizo, which means to mark with a seal, confirm and authenticate. It describes something that’s been certified. It’s proof of ownership. Ever have a notary public put their stamp of approval on an official document? This is actually a first century business term indicating that a transaction has been properly completed. Kings and other bigwigs would press a signet ring into wax to let folks know they approved a document. Pilate actually put his stamp of approval on Jesus’ tomb (Mt 27:66). God’s Spirit is our supernatural seal of God’s approval. He’s our spiritual ID. Because I’m “in Christ” (an idea that Paul uses at least 28 times in this letter), the Father sees Jesus when He sees me. The term also describes that something has been delivered safely to its destination. I can be sure that in the end, God ensures I’ll make it. I’m signed, sealed, delivered. I’m God’s!
Flip back to the first chapter of Paul’s letter for more cool stuff about the certainty of God’s work in my life and how His Spirit seals the deal. God gives us His Spirit as a personal down payment and guarantee of what He’s going to do in the future (Eph 1:13-14). The apostle told the folks in Corinth the same thing (2Cor 1:22). Our heavenly Dad gives me His “Spirit as a guarantee” (2Cor 5:5). The Spirit is already doing His thing in my life before that awesome day of Jesus’ big comeback. But I don’t have to wait until then to see results from the Spirit’s presence. I’m already experiencing “the firstfruits” of His work on this side of eternity (Rom 8:23). And that fruit is seen in my “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).
Because God seals us as His with the Holy Spirit, nothing we can do can unseal us from Him. While we can certainly offend His Spirit through our sin and disobedience, there’s no chance we can drive Him away. Once Jesus makes us His own, we’re His. That’s because He’s faithful. We can’t do anything to break the promise He’s made to us. He’s not going to punk out. He’s not going to ditch us. Thankfully, Jesus isn’t dependent on my faith and obedience. That would not end well for me. On the contrary, “if we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2Tim 2:13). And being sealed by His Spirit is one very important sign of His unending, unbending love for you and me.
Signed. Sealed. Delivered.
As always, I would love your thoughts, comments and input. It's pretty darn easy. Just post something below!
As always, I would love your thoughts, comments and input. It's pretty darn easy. Just post something below!
No comments:
Post a Comment