At a time when I had unwisely stepped into some spiritual darkness, I had a profound grace moment. God in his favor gave me his unmerited and undeserving grace.

Amazingly, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Grace. He enlightens our minds. He seals our hearts in adoption. He regenerates us with spiritual life. He grafts us into the Body of Christ. He gives us spiritual gifts.

These are all brought about by grace. The Holy Spirit gives and gives and gives!

Equally amazing is that some belittle and disrespect the gracious work of the Holy Spirit.

The writer of Hebrews cautions us: “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29).

Careless construction workers can sometimes trample down nearby flowers and plants. Something beautiful, fragile, and fragrant can be bruised, crushed, injured.

Worse, however, is trampling down our great Savior Jesus as if what he did on the cross in dealing with our sins were insufficient or inadequate or worthless.

Worse is treating the purifying blood of Christ in us as if it were common or unholy or unimportant.

Worse is despising the gracious work of the Holy Spirit in us as if it were cheap or ordinary or rubbish.

These would show the ultimate disrespect and disgrace toward Jesus. And these would be an offense and an insult to the Spirit of Grace.

To reject the person and work of Christ is also to reject the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

God’s Spirit is gracious. He is the Spirit of Grace. But he can be insulted, mocked, outraged. We heed these warning passages of the Bible: this kind of behavior deserves punishment.

In contrast, as responsive Christ followers, having been made holy by the sacrifice of Christ’s death on the cross, we treat the special, sacred work of God in our lives with the highest respect and reverence.

As the Holy Spirit of Grace gives and gives and gives, we receive and continue to receive … his grace and mercy and forgiveness … his love and truth and holiness … his power and presence and mission … his fullness and joy and freedom.