None of These

           But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. (Ephesians 5:3-7)

 

For the past two days, we’ve examined examples of not grieving the Holy Spirit. Today’s passage gives us examples of grieving Him. Having negative examples along with the positive is useful because we often convince ourselves we’re doing a much better job than we are.

Sexual immorality grieves the Holy Spirit? Why? It’s just a little fun between mutually consenting adults. The other stuff, involving non-consent and non-adults, that’s a different matter, but what’s wrong with…OK, it might be wrong to be sexually involved with someone else’s spouse, but what’s wrong with a “test drive” or some fun that neither takes seriously?

Notice the terminology. We test drive an object we’re considering buying. A sexual partner is a person, not a car. If we are properly loving the other person, reducing them to a means to an end – especially an end as frivolous as “fun” – is demeaning. There’s also the question of whether mutual consent has even a drop of wisdom or love in it. If you love the person, why aren’t you willing to wait?

We are not to engage in impurity or greed. The argument here is much the same. Impurity refers to anything that dilutes our focus or will. Greed refers to a desire for something that reduces other people to means to an end. “I want that” and it doesn’t matter whether the money I spend for it might help others, or whether someone else has it, I am more important.

We are not to engage in the use of obscenities, foolish talk, or coarse jesting. Again, it would serve us well to consider how often these things that come out of our mouths are at someone else’s expense. Again, where is the love in foul language, foolish talk, or coarse jesting? Are we not standing in judgment in some cases? And declaring our superiority?

Paul goes on to describe immoral, greedy, foul-mouthed people as idolators, and such they are. They have declared themselves or their activities to be gods. They have declared their activity to be perfectly fine and worship themselves as having the right to make such judgments. And, they teach this same self-worship to others around them. All of these separate us from others and from God, which must, by definition, grieve the Holy Spirit.