Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)

This sentence from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians contains an insight into what sin is, specifically for Christians. Sin is a “grieving” of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul exhorts his readers, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.” But let us look first at the meaning of the phrase, “sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption.”

The word “seal” refers to the oil of Chrism that anoints the forehead of a person who is baptized and confirmed. The oil of Chrism signifies the Holy Spirit, who is given to Christians to create the character of Christ in us, to make us “Christ-like.” Jesus is the Son of God; his Spirit in us makes us children of the Father. The Holy Spirit makes us children of the Father with his gifts—of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, courage and godly fear. Christians are to be led and governed inwardly by the Spirit’s inspirations; it is God personally speaking within us, illuminating, guiding, and consoling us.

That is the main part of what it means for Christians to be “sealed” with the Holy Spirit; but the phrase continues, “sealed . . . for the day of redemption.” The Holy Spirit’s presence in a Christian’s soul, creating the character of Christ in us, is a sign that we belong to Christ—so that, when he comes again in glory, Christ will claim us as his own, and bring us in the end to share his glory. The Holy Spirit in us is a pledge, in the sense of a deposit or down payment, of heavenly, eternal life.

Now, the Holy Spirit dwelling with us and within us radically alters the meaning of both sin and righteousness for Christians. Generally, to live a good life means to faithfully observe God’s laws—and to live a bad or sinful life means to ignore and disobey God’s laws. That, of course, is true for anyone. But for a Christian, who is “sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption,” sin becomes a personal affront to God with us and within us; and it is this sense of a personal affront to God that makes the sins of Christians more than simple disobedience to laws.

Let us take an example. Say you have cheated on your taxes. That is of course a sin, because you have told lies. But I daresay that you are not much worried about offending the government. You are more likely to be worried about getting caught and going to jail. You might just feel a little guilty about putting your family at risk, or even about depriving the government of money that could be useful for the common good. But purely as a citizen, you would probably not feel your sin to be a personal affront that “grieves” yourself or anybody else.

The case is obviously different if you have told lies to someone who is dear to you concerning something important to that person. In that case, you would be most likely to feel guilty, to be conscious of your sin as a personal affront that will cause grief, both to that person and to yourself. You are not so much worried about getting caught as you are about losing something—or someone—of great value to you.

Now, it is love that makes the difference, isn’t it? And it is precisely love that makes the difference to a Christian regarding any sin he commits. To a Christian, lying—no matter to whom, or about what—is a personal affront to God with him and within him, who is both Love and Truth. The Holy Spirit, the guest and companion of our souls, is grieved by our untruths—whether to a loved one, or the tax-collector!

It is an awesome thing to think of God “grieving” within us. The Spirit “grieves” because God loves us and desires—more than we could ever guess—to save us, to unite us to himself. He who “seals” us for the “day of redemption” grieves when he sees us forfeiting our birthright as God’s children. To the extent that we can feel the grieving of the Mighty and All-Holy One within us, we will be moved, most powerfully moved, to ask forgiveness of our sins, as well as to forgive those who have sinned against us.

The seal of the Holy Spirit makes not only sin, but righteousness, a different thing for Christians. Righteousness in general, of course, means faithful obedience to God’s commands; but for Christians, it means more than obedience; it means positive responsiveness to the Holy Spirit’s inspirations. Thus, we are inspired by the divine guest and companion of our souls to show our neighbor kindness and compassion, more than justice; or to forgive our neighbor, just as we have been forgiven by the One whom we have grieved.

The Holy Spirit forms the character of Christ in us, making us a blessing to our neighbors. St. Paul gives some examples of what that means in a passage that leads up to the one we have been considering:

See to it, then, that you put an end to lying; let everyone speak the truth to his neighbor, for we are members of one another. If you are angry, let it be without sin. The sun must not go down on your wrath; do not give the devil a chance to work on you. The man who has been stealing must steal no longer; rather, let him work with his hands at honest labor so that he will have something to share with those in need. Never let evil talk pass your lips; say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:25-30)