And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. – Ephesians 4:30 (KJV)
Sitting under the blue and white tent, Brian McBride’s words resonated in my ears. I never truly looked at Ephesians 4:30 that way before, and I experienced a sense of awe. I just didn’t understand it before.
I wear the seal of God. Nobody can ever touch me or do anything God doesn’t want them to. I once had a master who kept me from joy and who constantly tightened the chains that bound my arms and legs. I owed him, he said. Then a great man came along and paid off my debt and freed me of the chains. My old master tries to tempt me back, but I have a new master now. One that loves me and cares for me like no other.
Brother McBride shared a perspective I never would have realized on my own. This verse says “grieve not.” When you look up the word “grieve,” it is defined as distress, heaviness, brokenhearted. To grieve does not mean anger, irritate, or annoy. It does not mean frustrate or bother. The fact that the Holy Spirit is grieved for us when we sin and do something hurtful proves His genuine love for us. How? You do not grieve for someone you don’t know or like. You grieve over someone who you are in a personal, passionate relationship with.
Think about it. When we say someone is grieving, we are speaking of a loss. Someone has passed away, and we suffer a grieving and mourning period. If a total stranger died, you might feel bad for the family. However, the feelings are not rooted in your heart.
I think about all the times I grieve the Holy Ghost. He stands there saying, “I want to bless you! I want to bless you, but I can’t until you settle things with me.”
Anything unholy grieves the Holy Spirit. When I think about that, it really disturbs me. Even when we are not committing heinous sins like lying and stealing, we grieve the Spirit through neglect and unkindness. We grieve the Lord by not listening, not witnessing.
I find this verse comforting and exciting that Deity grieves over utterly insignificant beings.
The second part of this verse speaks of the day of redemption. Redemption means the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. Redemption can only be achieved through the blood of Jesus Christ! Redemption occurs when we are saved from hell. It is not achieved through works; it doesn’t come later on. Jesus redeems us as soon as we repent and accept Him as Savior!
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: – Romans 3:24
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: – 1 Corinthians 1:30
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; – Ephesians 1:7
The Lord will redeem the world; that is yet to come. Judgment will pass and evil will be removed from His presence FOREVER! We will no longer have to struggle with Satan and the flesh. We will no longer be plagued with the sins of society, making good evil and evil good! We will live in God’s glorious Kingdom of perfection! Hallelujah! Amen!
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What troubles me is that many translations of the Bible have taken this amazing verse and twisted it, removing the power that exists. They misinterpret or outright change what God said, and I can’t understand that!
Let’s look at a few:
Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted. – Message
Um, what happened to redemption?! They completely removed one of the most important parts of salvation!
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[a] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. – New Living Translation
Um, saved on the day of redemption? I am sorry, but I was saved on February 1, 1995. I do not have to wait until He redeems the world to experience His redeeming power in my life now! Plus, God does not identify me as His – He SEALED me!! That means people don’t just know I am His; they can’t take me away from Him. They can’t take away my salvation!
And do not make God’s Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God’s mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. – Good News Translation
First of all – SAD? Talk about watering down the word grieve! Again, “mark of ownership” has a totally different meaning than sealed. I am not merely an object owned by God; He lives IN me! And here we go again – where’s the redemption?
Don’t give God’s Holy Spirit any reason to be upset with you. He has put his seal on you for the day you will be set free from the world of sin. – GOD’S WORD Translation
Upset? The word upset reduces the love that the Holy Ghost has for us. You can be upset at anyone or anything. As mentioned, grieved is over someone you love and care for. That’s a huge difference! And as many of the other versions we saw, the day of redemption has been completely removed. I just don’t get it!
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I think I will stick with my KJV, the Authoritative Word of God!
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