Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
~ Eph 4:30
(There are many more things to say about the work of the Holy Spirit, but this post will be the last for a bit.)
The Holy Spirit communes with our spirit to encourage us that we are children of God. He communicates this to us through the Word, which reveals the Lord Jesus to us in our hearts.
As we learn more about God’s love for us through the word, the Spirit takes those truths, and helps us to trust them more and more.
However, what happens when we sin? Does the Holy Spirit leave us? Does He turn His back on us, or get angry with us?
Doubt and fear
If the Holy Spirit’s work is to communicate God’s love to us, and this is understood by faith, sin becomes a great faith-killer.
When we sin, doubt begins to infect our hearts. We stop trusting that God loves us because we feel guilty for our sin. These feelings of guilt and sorrow over sin are right, when we have not yet repented.
However, after we repent, we often continue to feel guilty. What’s more, our guilt leaves us struggling, unsure of God’s presence or care.
These feelings, however, are not based in fact. The Holy Spirit never leaves us. There is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). God is not angry at us—in fact, He has forgotten our sin already (Heb 10:18). He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5).
The Spirit’s grief
So then what does happen to the Spirit in those seasons of our sin? The answer is simple—He is grieved.
As a parent, we understand the feeling of loving someone who is not responding to our overtures. In the same way, the Spirit is seeking to encourage us about our position as God’s children.
However, our doubt, caused by our sin, keeps us from Him. We are like spoiled kids with our arms crossed, turned away from Him. And He is reaching out to us with love and grace and kindness.
And as we live in this doubt, the Spirit, Paul says, is grieved. He is saddened by our lack of faith. He is saddened that we aren’t trusting God’s Fatherly love!
So—what’s the answer? Faith! He is still communicating God’s love to us. Our response must be to trust that love—to believe the Gospel!
