The Spirit
Convicts of Sin
In a telegraphic
description made by Christ just
before His death, He pointed out
three aspects of the
Spirit’s work. “He will
convince the world of sin and of
righteousness and of
judgment.” John 16:8, R.S.V.
In explaining the first of these,
Jesus said, “Of sin, because
they believe not on me.”
Verse 9.
The Bible mentions
four general categories of sin.
First is the sin of
“commission” “Sin
is the transgression of the
law.” 1 John 3:4. Second,
the sin of omission: “To him
that knoweth to do good, and do
it not, to him it is sin.”
James 4:17. Third, the sin of
coming short of glorifying God in
our acts: “All have sinned,
and come short of the glory of
God.” Romans 3:23. Fourth,
the sin of unbelief:
“Whatsoever is not of faith
is sin.” Romans 14:23.
Of all sins, the
sin of unbelief looms the most
treacherous because it destroys
the means whereby we receive
forgiveness. Unbelief is subtle,
deceiving, and often unperceived.
Beginning with the voicing of a
doubt as an opinion, it soon
becomes an attitude of the mind.
Like a chancre within the heart,
it slowly eats away. Finally, it
bewitches its victim, fouls the
character, and damns the soul.
“He that doubteth is
damned.” Romans 14:23. If
you are inclined to doubt, you
should listen to Christ’s
words spoken to Thomas, the
disciple who had this weakness:
“Be not faithless, but
believing.” John 20:27. Pray
as did the father of the demoniac
lad: “Lord, I believe; help
thou mine unbelief.” Mark
8:24.
We must have faith
to please God. “Without
faith it is impossible to please
him.” Hebrews 11:6. Of all
the doctrines set forth in the
Bible, faith receives by far the
most attention.
The “spirit
of faith” works to stimulate
faith and to create within the
soul a desire for greater faith.
(2 Corinthians 4:13.) The great
goal, of course, is that we may
experience righteousness by
faith: “we through the
Spirit wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith.”
Galatians 5:5.
The word convince
in John 16:8, R.S.V., can be used
in a judicial context: that is,
to arrest, apprehend, convict,
and bring under surveillance. The
Holy Spirit acts as a sheriff
apprehending a law-breaker and
saying, “You are under
arrest.” In effect, the Holy
Spirit brings the sinner to trial
in the court of his own
conscience and says, “You
know you are guilty.” The
sinner experiences inner distress
when he is made to acknowledge
the verdict of his own conscience
and sees himself a moral
“convict,” a fugitive
from justice, an outlaw whose
life is forfeited unless he can
find pardon. We say he is under
“conviction.” Here is
where many try to compromise with
the Holy Spirit. Though the
sinner knows that he has done
wrong and feels restless, uneasy,
and frustrated, yet his human
nature squirms and twists trying
to evade facing up to wrong. He
often hides his guilt behind a
disarming smile. Self, ever on
the defensive, contests the
verdict, and for obvious reasons,
for self must die when sin is
confessed and forsaken. Self
fights for this present life. On
the other hand, the Holy Spirit
works to save the sinner from
yielding to the fierce resistance
or whimpering of self, for it
self is not slain, the soul must
die.
The Holy Spirit
does not remind the sinner of his
sins that He might make him
unhappy. He knows that sin is
man’s worst enemy; He has
the sinner’s present and
eternal welfare in mind. However,
like a faithful doctor, He
diagnoses the case and then
presents Christ to the sinner as
his only remedy.
When explaining
the charter under which the Holy
Spirit would operate, Jesus said
that men would be convicted
“of sin” because they
believe not on me.” (John
16:9.) The moment Adam and Eve
sinned, he became a lost man.
“By one man sin entered into
the world.” Romans 5:12.
Every human being by heredity
partakes of the weakened nature
transmitted by Adam, but each is
lost because of his own sins.
Though all are lost, however, all
may be redeemed upon one
condition: belief in
Christ’s sacrifice on
Calvary. Those who refuse to look
in faith to Christ have “an
evil heart of unbelief.”
(Hebrews 3:12.) Love has no
greater argument to present to
the sinner than the cross.
Those who believe
in Christ are those who have
realized their own sinfulness.
The Holy Spirit has worked upon
their hearts, convicting them of
sin-but the work of the Spirit
does not end there.
Memory Verse:
Hebrews
3:12. “Take
heed, brethren, lest there be in
any of you an evil heart of
unbelief, in departing from the
living God.
