David Bahn – Reflections

Ephesians 4:25-32

 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. ²⁶  Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil. ²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹  Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

If there was one thing that you could do today that would delight the Holy Spirit, what would that one thing be? Do you have something in mind that you know you should do? You’ve been sitting on making the decision. You’ve been stewing about how to do the right thing. You’ve been wondering if it is the right time. The question is not so much what but when.

We are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit in the context of our speech, our attitude toward others, our interactions toward others, and our every-day life choices. Note well here that Paul does not list any religious activity. He speaks about honest work and sharing with those in need. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we don’t do these things – especially when we treat other people whom God loves and for whom Jesus died unkindly or tear them down with our words or actions.

This section ends with a call to forgive one another in the same manner that God in Christ has forgiven us. That means we forgive freely. That means we forgive even the worst offense. That means we forgive preemptively – even before others ask for it. As we do this we show that we comprehend and embrace the grace of God freely given to us in Christ. It also means that we are representing him to the world. It means that we are embracing God’s covenantal love for us in Jesus, and expressing Christ’s reign in our hearts as our Lord and King. That truly delights the Holy Spirit!