GRIEVING AND QUENCHING

The Apostle Paul gave born again believers two warnings about their relationship with the Holy Spirit.  The first is found in Ephesians 4:30, which says, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."  The other is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, which reads, "Quench not the Spirit."  Most Bible students take the words "grieve," and "quench," to mean the same thing:  that our sin is responsible for saddening the Holy Spirit, and it is a hindrance to the effectiveness of His working through us.  And, in a sense, they are right.  However, most miss that which makes the two totally different responses to our sin. 

When one grieves the Holy Spirit, it is due to sinful thoughts, words, or deeds.  The English word translated "grieve," comes from the Greek λυπέω (lypeō), which means "make sorrowful, to cause sadness, to cause grief, to throw into sorrow."  In the case of grieving the Spirit, one is out of "harmony" with the Holy Spirit within him.  As a believer, I am either filled with the Spirit, or I have "leaked," and as a result, I am the one who is in control.  Paul explained the difference in Galatians 5:16, where he wrote, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

"Quenching," on the other hand, has to do with one believer's response to the working of the Spirit in another believer.  The English word translated "quench," is from the Greek σβέννυμι (sbennymi), which means "to extinguish or put out a fire."  This same word appears elsewhere, in reference to "the putting out of a fire (Mt. 12:20; Mk. 9:44-48; Eph. 6:16; Heb. 11:34; etc.).  In this case, the Word appears to be telling us not to "throw cold water on the enthusiasm of another believer."  To the Church, the Holy Spirit is symbolized by flames, or by fire (Acts 2:3).  When a born again believer is "on fire for God," the worst thing another believer can do is "douse him!"

"Fire" has three purposes in the Holy Spirit's work to bring the lost to Jesus:

1)  Fire illuminates - the light from God's Word reveals sin!
2)  Fire produces heat and pressure - when the Gospel is proclaimed, sinners "feel the heat," and their guilt, that internal pressure, creates a desire to be forgiven!
3)  Fire can melt the hardest hearts, making them malleable, fit to be molded into Christ-likeness!

 Sin saddens; sin quenches; but Spirit-filled believers always cast their light on Jesus!