With all the holiday get-togethers and their trappings, this is sure timely!
Makes complete sense when you think about it. When you are bitter, it will lead you to a bad place fast. That’s why it’s called the ROOT of bitterness. It is like a seed that grows and produces bitter fruit. Bitterness or pikria is akin to taking a poison. Notice there are 6 of these toxic attitudes that will lead to grieving the Holy Spirit. Thumos/wrath is a anger where you fly off the handle. Think of someone drunk getting angry, that’s thumos. The next one it leads to is anger or orge. Orge is where we get the word orgy and is akin to oros or mountain. Ever heard the saying “making mountains out of molehills”? It is a tempermental anger that is vengeful. Think of these two wrath/angers as one being premeditated (orge) and the other not (thumos). You first fly off the handle then you plan your anger to go further. Clamor or kraugē is yelling and screaming in a fit of rage. This leads to blasphemy which is speaking evil of someone. You are using words to harm someone else. And then finally, malice/kakia. This is where you just act evil and you are not ashamed of your wickedness. Three are 3 ways to counter these issues. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving to one another. Just like Jesus did to you.
Recap. Bitterness leads to wrath>then anger>then clamoring>then blashemy>then finally malice. Bitterness is a root to all of this. It produces bad fruit. 6 to be exact.
Ephesians 4:25-32
Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit
Therefore, having put off falsehood, “Let each one speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun set on your anger, nor give opportunity to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working that which is good with his hands, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed from your mouth, but only what is good for edification, that it may give grace to them that hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and blasphemy be removed from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ forgave us.
