Can you explain Ephesians 4:30?
The epistles of the Apostle Paul generally follow a wonderful pattern. In the first part of his letters, he would teach doctrinal truths. Then, towards the end of the letter, he would give instructions on how to live out those doctrinal truths. Ephesians 4 is full of practical truths for us to obey and put into our daily lives.
Let’s look at some of the things we learn from Ephesians 4:30. That says, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” We learn several precious truths from this small verse. First, we learn that the Holy Spirit can be grieved. That shows us that the Spirit is a person; not just an influence. He is part of the Godhead comprised of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In John 16:13, the Lord Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as ‘he’ six different times. That says, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” The fact that the Holy Spirit can be grieved shows us that it matters to Him how we respond to His leading in our lives. When we refuse to follow the leading of the Spirit, it grieves, or saddens Him.
Next we learned that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God unto the ‘day of redemption.” You might ask, “Aren’t Christians already redeemed? What is this day of redemption?” To answer that question, let’s read Romans 8:22-23, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” This day of redemption, the redemption of our body, will occur when the Lord Jesus comes to take us home. It is that glorious day when we will meet Him in the air as we read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Notice, too that we are ‘sealed unto the day of redemption’. We are ‘sealed’ by and with the Holy Spirit until the Lord Jesus, Himself, comes for us. What a wonderful testimony to the security of our salvation that we have through faith in the Lord Jesus. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 confirms this truth. That says, “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” Let us be very careful that we do not add to or take away from what the scriptures say. I have heard some misquote Ephesians 4:30 by saying, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God away…” We can certainly grieve the Holy Spirit, but we cannot grieve Him away. That is not what the Bible says and that is not what the Bible teaches. It tells us that we are sealed by the Spirit “unto the day of redemption.” What a wonderful truth! (158.8)