Sabbath: Grieving and Resisting the Holy Spirit
Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 7:51; Heb. 10:24-25; Eph. 4:25-5:2; 1 Thess. 5:19-21; Mark 3:28-29.
Memory Text: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30, NKJV).
Image © Lars Justinen Goodsalt.com
The Holy Spirit has the unique ability to lead sinners to an awareness of their true sinful state. He also awakens in us a desire to accept Jesus and His forgiveness of our sins. The Holy Spirit possesses a matchless power to make us overcomers and to enable us to reflect the beautiful character of Jesus.
At the same time, this powerful and mighty Holy Spirit can be resisted by feeble sinners. He does not force Himself upon us.
Sin is very alluring, very appealing. Yet, it is highly deceptive and leads to death. It is diametrically opposed to God and His pure holiness and goodness. Reflecting this divine holiness, the Holy Spirit is opposed to sin in every form, and He is grieved when we sin and are unwilling to give it up. As powerful as the Holy Spirit is, His positive impact can be quenched, and we can resist Him when we continue in our sinful life. The Gospels even tell us that there is one sin that cannot be forgiven: blasphemy against the Spirit (Matt. 12:31-32).
This week we will study biblical aspects that deal with the grieving, quenching, and resisting the Holy Spirit, and with the sin that will not be forgiven.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 18.
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We often take the Holy Spirit as an energy, or a object to use at our discretion. We do not easily accept him as an individual who has feelings, emotions, character and thoughts. If we would take him, on his own merits, as an individual, as we do Jesus, we would much more respect him and his task for us. Who do you think it is that would want us to consider him as only an energy?
In all the accounts where the power, fruit and gifts are the Spirit exist in the lives of many, this wonderful power can be rejected by a simple choice. God has always invited sinners to receive eternal life through Christ, but this remains an invitation which we must accept if we would benefit from the grace of God and all He has promised for the believer.
Paul makes a strong case for the sinner who repents and lives no more by the rule of the flesh, but rather yields to the Holy Spirit through faith. Without this “consent” from the sinner, the Spirit is unable to manifest the power, fruit and gifts in the life of the unrepentant soul and is grieved away from His desire to help save a lost soul from the death Jesus has already paid, offering in it's place the Gift of Life with God. We simply cannot be saved without receiving the Spirit of God(John 3:5), which we alone have the power to grieve away to our great and eternal loss.
Nicodemus was not in the right spirit to be saved. Jesus explained it all to him in John 3. Note especially John 3:14-21. Jesus is to be lifted up. Not we or me Believing in Him has rewards. Not believing also has consequences. John 3: 8 The wind blows where it wants you can't tell if it's coming or going so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. Excellent chapter to memorize.
How do Christians reconcile an Omnipotent, Almighty God who is in control of everything, with humans who can grieve, resist, and quench the Holy Spirit. Think about Matthew 7:14 also with a God who wants all to be saved.
It depends on your definition of omnipotence. If an omnipotent power gives his creation free choice, He is in control, but he is not controlling. I guess that His omnipotence means that he could switch off the free choice but that it would be a contradiction. We make choices and it is our choice alone to reject salvation.
God is obmnipotent, but you forgot to mention that he is also all wise, and knowing. His aim is to save us not show off all of his qualities. God as used his omnipotents at time where he saw fit and who was in need of such display. Noah's flood, Pharoh's over thro, Red Sea and the like, but the plan is to save free will human beings. His is not a circus.