Flames of Destruction - Unwholesome talk grieves the Holy Spirit

There is a great passage in Eph 4:29-32 – 29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

What is unwholesome talk? I normally go to this verse as a proof text against cursing. If someone comes to me and asks me to provide a Biblical reference as to why it is a sin to cuss I normally cite this verse. Truth is, this verse is not directly related to the use of four letter words. (though Eph 5:4 certainly is). If we look at the context of the passage we see that it is not cursing which is called unwholesome. It is words of bitterness, anger, slander, etc.

But that is not what strikes me about this passage. It is the fact that the Holy Spirit is grieved by it. When unwholesome talk is found to exist between believers or about believers behind their back in the form of gossip or slander the Bible says that God’s Holy Spirit is grieved. Grieved. This means “to make sorrowful or to affect with sadness”.

Do we understand that it makes God sad when we treat each other with disrespect or when we gossip or slander or speak harshly to our fellow believers? God is hurt by it.

Though we normally point out that it hurts the person in question. How does it make you feel that God is hurt by it? God cannot stand it when his people are in discord with one another.

“Lord I know that I hurt myself and I hurt others when I allow my tongue to become a flame of destruction. But I am truly sorrowful for hurting you by the harsh and sinful use of my words. Show me what change I have to make in my life in order to never hurt you in this way again”. Amen.