Read Ephesians 4:17-32

The Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we think of terms like Father and Son they sound relational by nature. It’s easy to relate to them because we are able to think of their personhood. The term Spirit is more difficult to relate to. Because of that, many Christians think of the Holy Spirit as an idea and not a living person. Ephesians 4:30 helps us understand the personhood of the Spirit. He has emotions and feelings. In this passage we learn that the Spirit can feel grief. We are warned in fact not to grieve the Holy Spirit. What is it that causes the Spirit to feel this deep sorrow? The answer is sin. Part of the Spirit’s role in our life is to bring about obedience to God. The Spirit is working to transform us into the image of Christ. When we sin and work against the Spirit, it causes him grief. Does it mean that when we sin we lose our salvation? No! The Spirit is a seal in us. When you believe in Jesus you immediately receive the Holy Spirit as a seal, a promise guaranteeing your eternal salvation. We’ve been forgiven of all sin past, present and future. But if we want to grow in our faith we have to learn how to take off the old self and put away our sinful desires. Our new self should be one righteousness and holiness. Sometimes as Christians we are good at being “holy” around other people, but inwardly our hearts are far from God. We have to pray and ask the Spirit for help in renewing our hearts and minds. And as we do that, the best way to hear from the Spirit is by reading God’s word. Spend some time this week praying and reading scripture. Ask the Lord to help you live in a way that is pleasing to him.