The Holy Spirit Convicts Us of Sin

Towards the end of His time on earth, Jesus had been speaking to His disciples about hatred and hostility that would come because of their commitment and attachment to Him (John 15:18-25). In other words, persecution is inevitable; it is guaranteed.

And, a ministry of the Holy Spirit that Jesus wanted them to understand is His role of convicting men of such sins – like persecution. We read, “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart” (John 16:2-6).

To summarize, persecution is harsh. But Jesus said, “I won’t be here when that happens. But guess, what? It is good that I leave you, because you won’t really be alone. The Spirit will come.”

How will that be a “good thing”? Keep reading – “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” (John 16:7-11).

The advantage is this: sin will not go unchecked. The Holy Spirit has a special ministry for those who will be saved.

Vs. 8 says He will “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” This is like cross-examining for the purpose of refuting an opponent. The world needs its sin exposed because Jesus says, “They do not believe in me” (vs. 9).

The former pastor of Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, James M. Boice said, “When the Holy Spirit touches a man’s heart, he no longer looks upon unbelief as a mark of intellectual superiority; he does not look upon it as a mere misfortune; he sees it as the most daring, decisive and damning of all sins and is overwhelmed with a sense of his awful guilt in that he had not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (The Gospel of John, Vol. 4, pgs. 1209-1210).

One of the earliest stages of anyone’s salvation is conviction of sin. You must know and accept the bad news of sin’s condemnation before you can fully understand the good news of redemption. And it is the Spirit that brings about that conviction of sinning against a holy God.

The Holy Spirit is like a prosecuting attorney. He comes to tell us we are guilty. He impresses culpability in our minds and hearts. He doesn’t just do this to make us feel bad but to issue a legal verdict against us for violating God’s righteous standard (Mattjew 5:48). He helps us see the indictment for our sinful crimes and the need for a payment. That is the Spirit’s role in drawing us to salvation. That 1^st moment before you became a Christian, when your conscience was pricked about your sin and your need for a Savior – that was the Holy Spirit’s holy needle.

This ministry of the Holy Spirit is one of many reasons we can approach our preaching the Gospel with boldness. We don’t have to worry or feel pressured to make people feel guilty. That is the Spirit’s work.