The Spirit who is within us and who is working for us should not be grieved by us. Ephesians 4:30 says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” To grieve the Holy Spirit is to displease Him. Once He comes into us, the Holy Spirit abides in us forever (John 14:16-17), and He will never leave us. Therefore, He is grieved when we do not walk according to Him (Rom. 8:4), that is, when we do not take Christ as reality nor have Christ as grace in the details of our daily walk. Sometimes when we feel unhappy, that feeling of unhappiness is actually the feeling of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, when He feels happy within us, we are happy also. If we take Christ as reality and have Christ as grace, we will make the Holy Spirit happy, and He will give us joy. Therefore, we should take care of the Holy Spirit in us and not cause Him to be grieved.
The Spirit in us should not be quenched by us. First Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” The Spirit causes our spirit to be burning (Rom. 12:11) and our gifts to be flaming (2 Tim. 1:6). Hence, we should not quench Him. The Christian life is a life inspired and stirred up by the Spirit. Throughout the day we should have the Spirit inspiring us, stirring us, and moving and acting within us. Thus, instead of quenching the Spirit, we need to fan the Spirit in us into flame that He may burn in us.
The Spirit within us who gives grace to us should not be insulted by us. Hebrews 10:29 warns the Hebrew believers not to insult the Spirit of grace. Under the new covenant, through the redeeming blood of Christ, the Hebrew believers had become partakers of the Holy Spirit (6:4), the Spirit of grace. If they had returned to Judaism to offer sacrifices for their sins, they would have been contradicting the work of the Spirit of grace; that is, they would have been sinning willfully to insult the Spirit of grace, who dwelled in them and worked in them. This is a very serious matter. In the church life we should not contradict the work of the Spirit of grace and fall to the extent of insulting the Holy Spirit, thereby suffering serious loss.
Instead of grieving, quenching, or insulting the Spirit, we should experience and enjoy Him positively as the consummation of the Triune God. Then, through the work of the indwelling Spirit, we will feel happy, released, and glorious.
Jude 20 says, “But you, beloved, building up yourselves upon your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit is the means for us to pray, and to pray is to have fellowship with the Triune God. By prayer we are preserved in our fellowship with the Triune God. The Spirit is the element and sphere of our prayer. When we pray by this element and in this sphere, we experience and enjoy the Spirit in the fellowship of the Triune God.
According to this verse, if we would build up ourselves upon our most holy faith, we need to pray in the Holy Spirit. On the foundation of this holy faith, and in the sphere of it, by praying in the Holy Spirit, we build up ourselves. The truth of the faith in our apprehension and the Holy Spirit enjoyed through our prayer are necessary for our building up. We should keep ourselves in the love of God by building up ourselves upon our most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit; thus, we await and look for the mercy of our Lord that we may not only enjoy eternal life in this age but also inherit it for eternity (v. 21; Matt. 19:29).
Romans 8:26a says, “In like manner the Spirit also joins in to help us in our weakness.” In particular, weakness here is our weakness in prayer. Prayer exposes our weakness. It is not easy for us to pray. We may have the energy to do many other things, but we may not have the energy needed to pray. Even if we have the desire to pray, we may not have the energy, strength, and ability to carry out our desire. This indicates that we are weak in God’s interests and in the divine things. Therefore, the indwelling Spirit works in us to help us in our weakness.
In this verse, the phrase “in like manner” includes matters covered in foregoing verses such as awaiting, eagerness, groaning, endurance, and hope. While we are groaning, the Holy Spirit also is groaning. While we are expecting, He is expecting. While we are hoping and enduring, He is hoping and enduring. Whatever we are, He is also the same. In like manner the Spirit joins in to help us. What a comfort this is! If we are weak, He apparently is weak also, although actually He is not. He sympathizes with our weakness. He appears to be weak for the sake of our weakness in order to participate in it. He participates in our weakness in order to help us and to join in our manner.
Home | First | Prev | Next