Grieving Or Quenching The Spirit
Grieving Or Quenching The Spirit [1]
is a phrase that occasionally occurs in Scripture, and is often repeated in Christian literature.
1. To "quench the Spirit" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:19) is a metaphorical expression easily understood. The Spirit may be quenched (1.) by forcing, as it were, that divine agent to withdraw from us, by sin, irregularity of manners, vanity, avarice, negligence, or other crimes contrary to charity, truth, peace, and his other gifts and qualifications.
(2.) The Spirit might have been quenched by such actions as caused God to take away his supernatural gifts and favors, such as prophecy, the gift of tongues, the gift of healing, etc. For though these gifts were of mere grace, and God might communicate them sometimes to doubtful characters, yet he has often granted them to the prayers of the faithful, and has taken them away, to punish their misuse or contempt of them.
2. To "grieve the Spirit" ( Ephesians 4:30) may also be taken to refer either to an internal grace, habitual or actual, or to the miraculous gifts with which God favored the primitive Christians. We grieve the Spirit of God by withstanding his holy inspirations, the motions of his grace; or by living in a lukewarm and incautious manner; by despising his gifts, or neglecting them by abusing his favors, either out of vanity, curiosity, or indifference. In a contrary sense ( 2 Timothy 1:6), we stir up the Spirit of God which is in us by the practice of virtue, by our compliance with his inspirations, by fervor in his service, by renewing our gratitude, etc.
