Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Ephesians 4:30

"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption." — Ephesians 4:30 (ASV)

“And” indicates that, while there are various ways of bringing sorrow to the Holy Spirit, it is doing so through “unwholesome talk” (v.29) that Paul is rebuking here. Since the Spirit lives within Christians, their experience of his fullness will have its effect, among other things, in speech (5:18–19). Any kind of careless, unbecoming talk pains the Spirit, since it is incompatible with the holiness he conveys to those who belong to Christ. The moving anthropomorphism implicit in “grieve,” combined with the full-length title “the Holy Spirit of God,” serves to underline the gravity of the prohibition.

The clause beginning with “with whom” provides the basis for this prohibition. The Holy Spirit has sealed believers (1:13–14) for the final “day of redemption” (GK 667). This word involves the payment of a ransom : Christ’s death on the cross has purchased not only present but final liberation.