0324 CONVICTION!

THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS

John 16:7-12 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Jesus came into the world to call all to “repent,” for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. If his message is reduced to a single word, that word could be “repent!” That might seem a bit unfriendly or unloving, but in truth it is the most loving thing that Jesus could ever say. As Proverbs 27:9 says, “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.” Other translations call it “sincere counsel,” “earnest counsel,” “true friendship.” In other words, the greatest joy one receives from a friend is when that friend is telling you something hard.

So when Jesus went away and returned to heaven, He left the counselor here on earth to be our guide. The unexpected part of that prediction from Jesus is that there are three applications, all of which speak of the Spirit bringing conviction.

A convict is a person who has been convicted of a crime. In this case, they didn’t necessarily confess to their wrongdoing. But they were nonetheless found guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt, and so were declared to be guilty of the crime.

So are we, you know. Regardless of whether we have yet acknowledged our guilt, we are convicted by the One who knows both our hearts and our actions. So we are convicted by the heavenly court, objectively speaking.

But in the case of the Holy Spirit, conviction is felt within. We feel the conviction, know it in our hearts, fall under the judgment of the Holy God. This is the job of the Spirit whom Jesus says He will send in His place. When the Spirit comes, it doesn’t take Jesus going from town to town to say, “Repent!” The Spirit is in every conscience, and He declares the news. He convicts us (the world, before becoming members of the kingdom) of sin, righteousness and judgment.

We are convicted of sin because we do not believe in Jesus. We realize that our behavior has been quite contrary to the holiness of God. 

We are convicted of righteousness because Jesus has gone to the Father. We have a measurement by which to know what righteousness is, and to know that we have not met that standard.

We are convicted of judgment, because the ruler of the world is judged. When the Spirit enters our lives, we see the end for the devil, and realize that Satan is our enemy, not the friend we had imagined. We see that the serpent of old is cursed, and he is not our friend at all. The Spirit helps us to distance ourselves from the evil one with whom we once were aligned.

This is the joyful, blessed work of the Holy Spirit on earth. He convicts the world, everywhere, all at once. And the gift of conviction is that it is the only way to reconciliation. The Spirit brings us to a right relationship with the Father by convicting us of our sin, of His righteousness, and of coming judgment. The conviction brings us to repentance, and repentance sends us in a new direction.

To be clear, know that conviction is not the ONLY work of the Spirit. The Spirit will bring things to our remembrance, He will lead and guide, teach us, help us discern truth, give us words to say, even work signs and wonders. So the work of the Holy Spirit is multifaceted. But you might say that the FIRST work of the Spirit is to convict us.

Thank God for the effective work of the Holy Spirit in the world! May He bring you to a right relationship with God, even this day. Amen.