EPHESIANS 4:30-5:1 GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT AND IMITATE GOD

Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

 Why be concerned about putting off the "old man" and putting on the "new man"?

When Christians act like the "old man", it grieves the Holy Spirit

By the Holy Spirit we were sealed for the day of redemption - cf. Ep 1:13-14

Did you know that the Holy Spirit can get sad? That's what grieve means.

We are to exchange natural vices for supernatural graces

Eph 4:31 Negative Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Therefore, we ought to put away those things befitting the "old man" (bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice)

It's all relational here.

He's not talking so much about your relation to God in this whole passage, it's how you relate to people because the body is the concept here in this book.

Eph 4:32 Positive And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, Reason just as God in Christ forgave you.

You say - Oh man, but you don't know what they did to me, I have a right to be angry. They've never changed and I'm bitter. And when I see that guy I'm going to clamor (yell). And meanwhile I'm going to evil speak (speak evil about them). And I've got a right. Look what he did to me.

And that's just why verse 32 ends the way it does. "Even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Look at Ephesians 5:1 now, it's a command, be imitators of God, it's not a suggestion, it's a command. And sure you have to start from the point of sinfulness and sure you have to start from the fact that you can't do it, but that doesn't change the command. You've got to be what you can't be. That's where the Spirit of God comes in.

The whole of the Christian life could be summed up in that one statement, be mimics of God, that's it. Reproduce in you everything that is true of God. In other words the whole of the Christian life is summed up in this, be imitators of God, be like God. If you're fumbling around trying to get a handle on what God wants out of you it's that.

CONCLUSION

1. What a contrast there would be if all those in the church truly carried out the admonition to "Walk In Truth And Holiness"!

2. Brethren, are we "grieving the Holy Spirit of God"?