And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed* unto the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:30-32

The Holy Spirit is a person.  He is not a power or influence.  The reference above from Ephesians indicates that we can grieve Him.  A power or influence cannot be grieved.  Only a person can be grieved.  The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Triune God.  

Listed below are a few verses among many that point out attributes, actions and personal pronouns used to describe the Holy Spirit’s actions and identity which indicate His personhood.  

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.  I John 5:6

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit:                  for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.                      I Corinthians 2:10

Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.  Acts 8:29

But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Isaiah 63:10

Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.  Ephesians 3:5

For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.  Matthew 10:20

The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.        II Samuel 23:2

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.  Revelation 2:29, 3:6, 13, & 22

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.  John 14:17

While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.  Acts 10:19

And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house:  Acts 11:12

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.  Galatians 4:6

Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.  Isaiah 48:16

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  Romans 8:27

These verses clearly show us that the Holy Spirit is a person.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are the three persons of the Godhead.  Their personages emphasize the fact that knowing God or being  a Christian is a relationship.  This relationship is made possible with God the Father through God the Son and by God the Holy Spirit. 

The Christian is indwelt by the person of the Holy Spirit.  To resist His working in our life to transform us into the image of Christ is to grieve Him or to make Him sorrowful.  We are to put away the things that grieve the Holy Spirit.  These things are listed in the opening verses above as: bitterness (bitter hatred), and wrath (an outburst of hot anger, passion), and anger (smoldering anger with the idea of revenge), and clamour (the tumult of controversy), and evil speaking (railing, reviling, blasphemy),…with all malice (badness in quality, opposite of excellence, vicious character). **

In contrast to the things that we are to put away, believers are to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving one to another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us.

……let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.…..

*For teaching on the sealing work of the Holy Spirit, see Part IIA of The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Church Today – A Study in Ephesians on page 17 of this blog.

**Definitions are from Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words – Copyright 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN