What does it mean to quench the Spirit?

Sin douses the fire of God’s Spirit. We are commanded to:

• not grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30, a command that follows a prescription of the life we are called to as new creations in Jesus Christ; i.e. “if you don’t do this, you’ll grieve the Holy Spirit)
• be controlled by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and walk in step with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25)

What grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit?

• Read: John 16:8 & 1 Thessalonians 1:5.
• Read: Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-35; Acts 7:51. Question for a believer to reflect on if they’re worried they’ve quenched the Spirit: am I submitting to or resisting the Holy Spirit's leading in this area?
• Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:15-22. If those are the commands to do related to not quenching the Spirit, then a neglect of those things quenches the Spirit. Question for a believer to reflect on if they’ve worried they’ve quenched the Spirit: maybe not all of them, but have I neglected or allowed to diminish 1 or more of those things in my life?
• Read: Ephesians 4:17-32. Note "grieving the Spirit" right in the middle of those positive commands and negative admonitions. Question for a believer to reflect on if they’ve worried they’ve quenched the Spirit: Am I neglecting any or multiple of the commands? Am I allowing any of the negative warnings to persist in my life?

We are not removing the Holy Spirit, but extinguishing His flame within us. The Holy Spirit leads us as believers, but if we’ve quenched the Spirit, we shouldn’t expect to know His leading as readily since we’ve actively resisted following Him to get to that point. I think sometimes there’s this thought we let the enemy convince us of, that God will eventually swoop in and spare us at the last minute. “If I get too close to the edge God will jump in and pull me back at the last moment.” But is that what we see in the Bible?

Ezekiel 22:30-31 “‘And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. 31 Therefore I have poured out My indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads,’ declares the Lord God.”

So we think “well God won’t really let me quench the Holy Spirit.” But is that what we see in the Bible? 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. Christians can quench the Holy Spirit within them, and live completely ineffectual lives, where their work completely burns up. This doesn’t mean you lose your salvation, but do you really want to look back and realize you quenched the Spirit and your works burned up?