How Is the Holy Spirit Convicting You?

On His last night with the disciples, Jesus shared with them about the One who would come after Him.

“And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged” (John 16:8).

What are we to learn from Jesus and the Holy Spirit regarding our sin, righteousness, and judgment?

First, when people hear about Jesus Christ and understand the message about Him, they are convicted of their sinful state. 

How so? They listen to what is communicated: Jesus Christ went to the cross because we are sinners. He died in our place. We need saving. We need a Savior. Something is flawed within us, so we are not acceptable to God on our own. 

So, they have this momentary conviction of being sinful in the eyes of God. But what will they do with this conviction of the Holy Spirit? Will they humbly confess their sin and repent and seek forgiveness, or will they suppress this revelation about their sinfulness? 

Many believe God grades on a curve. So if they believe they are better than most, then they will be accepted based on trying to do good and will not be rejected based on sin. Ultimately, they believe they have earned heaven on their own and deserve to be in a realm of perfect goodness. They turn their back on the idea that God would not accept them because of their sinful state. Once convicted when hearing the message of Christ dying for their sins, they close the door. 

Others agree with God about their sinful condition and humble themselves before God. They pray, “Oh God, I am a sinner. I have sinned against You. I cannot be good enough to merit Your acceptance. But I thank You that You did not abandon me to this sinful condition but sent Your Son to pay the penalty—taking my punishment upon Himself—so that I could be forgiven of all my sins. Please forgive me, now and evermore.”

Second, when people hear about Jesus Christ and understand that He was resurrected and ascended into heaven, they are brought to a position where they must decide who He is and if they will accept His righteousness. 

Is He the unique Son of God as the Bible claims? Would this make Him, as He claimed, without sin? Would He be this perfectly righteous individual? Was He equal with God? Was He God? 

Or are such things as The Da Vinci Code a correct interpretation of Jesus Christ? In reading the book by Dan Brown, people would hear that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and together they had children. Why do people believe this? Because they want to believe this. 

On the one hand, we could say that people like Dan Brown mislead the masses because the masses want to be misled. Jesus and the apostles referred to this as the world. The world rejects Jesus Christ. We could say that Brown creates a narrative that unbelievers can use to rationalize their rejection of the Bible’s testimony. “If Jesus is a sinful deceiver, then I’m not such a bad person after all.” 

It’s been said that God created us in His image, and we’ve been trying to return the favor ever since. Is that what Dan Brown was trying to do when he wrote about Jesus Christ having a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene? That remains to be seen. However, a lawsuit filed by his ex-wife said, “Dan has lived a proverbial life of lies for at least the past six years, seeming to be the epitome of a world-famous novelist leading a simple life in his home state of New Hampshire, while in reality he was something quite different… For years, Dan has secretly removed substantial funds from his and Blythe’s hard-earned marital assets to conduct sordid, extra-marital affairs with women—one half his age—and to pursue a clandestine life.”

Others might counter that Jesus didn’t do anything with Mary, but they still claim no one is perfect, including Jesus. No one can walk on water. Of course, these folks weigh in on what others say about Jesus. The Jews said He was just a man who blasphemed God in claiming to be God, and when crucified, this proved God cursed Him. Or, they listen to many in the intellectual community who mock the idea that Jesus was sinless and eventually arose from the dead after the crucifixion. They see Jesus as a good man and good moral teacher but reject the revelation that He alone lived a perfectly righteous life as God incarnate. On this, a recent article spoke on a survey from Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research that said a surprisingly high 43 percent of today’s evangelical Christians believe that “Jesus was a great teacher, but not God.” 

When going deeper, many of these people also reject the “ridiculous” notion that Christ’s righteousness was imputed to believers so that those who believe in Jesus are in Christ and Christ is in them. They refute what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The Holy Spirit convicts people at the moment in time when they grasp the message of Christ’s sinless or perfectly righteous condition, in contrast to our sinfulness and unrighteous need. They suppress the Holy Spirit’s conviction when hearing that God raised Jesus, His Son, from the dead and He ascended into heaven. They move quickly to labeling this as the stuff of fairy tales. But they cannot block out the passing conviction that it is true: the resurrection of Jesus points to Him being unlike any other and that Jesus lived on earth without sin so He could be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. But they end up distracting themselves from the implication of confessing their sinfulness and worshipping Him as the Righteous One. As John wrote in 1 John 3:5, “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him, there is no sin.” The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and that Jesus had no sin. The human spirit counters, “I am not all that bad—not worthy of perishing for not believing in Jesus—and He is not all that good, perfect, and unique; He’s more like me. Dan Brown said so.” ‍

Third, as people are convicted by the Holy Spirit concerning who they are and who Jesus is, many reject their own sinful condition and reject their need for Jesus Christ, the perfect, righteous Savior, to forgive them. 

Of course, when they make that decision, they go the way of the world, and the devil is the prince of this world. 

In turning to their carnal desires, they encounter evil. They know it is evil. They are created in the image of God, and they know evil when they come across it. They know deep within that this is to be judged as wrong. They know there’s a consequence to evil. 

Though many carnal things entice them and are not labeled evil, like an adulterous affair, over time there is an inner sense and sometimes clear recognition of the reality of evil in various places, and even evil entities—demons if you will. In touching up against these vile realities and forces, the Holy Spirit convicts the person, “You know that this evil will be judged. Because you know there is such intrinsic evil out there, you know by contrast there must be a good and holy God. This good and holy God will judge the devil, the ruler of this world. You know that if you go along with the devil, you will be judged, right?”

Deep within, this person knows that to be true. At least for a brief period of time, the Holy Spirit convicts them of the judgment of evil and the devil. Sadly, not intending to linger on that thought, they allow the veil to be put back over the eyes as they turn to the carnal crowd and say, “Let’s eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”

Of course, others humble themselves in the face of evil and the devil. They conclude God is there and they need Him in light of their brush with evil. Recently, I heard a man say that he had been an atheist, not believing in God whatsoever, until he encountered these evil forces. He knew those evil forces were a spiritual reality, which led to a simple thought: If there is such evil, would there not be good and loving God?

Let me add, when we see the evil that people do to other people, we exclaim, “Where is God? Why doesn’t He stop this? Why doesn’t He bring swift judgment against these evil people?” That thought comes in part from the convicting power of the Holy Spirit who says softly to this person, “He will judge this evil. They will not get away with murder. In fact, God will judge all evil, and evil exceeds your limited definition. It includes your wrongdoing. You will be judged.” 

Of course, many declare, “That's a horrible thought. My God, the one I believe in, won’t judge me. In the end, His love wins. Only the really wicked people will have to pay, I suppose, and I am not in that camp. I am a good person.”

Paul appears to capture these three truths in what we read about what he preached to the crowds.

“So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).

In saying that the Holy Spirit will convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment, I have applied it to myself this way: I am a sinner who needs to be righteous in the eyes of God, and if I reject this teaching, He will judge me for my sinful condition, compared to His perfect righteousness and command that I be perfectly righteous. He will judge me also for my failure to be made righteous by receiving the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ offered to me based on His grace and mercy. 

Years ago, I prayed a prayer like the following: “God, I truly and humbly come before You to acknowledge that I am a sinner. I fall short of Your standard, and even if I break only one little part of your law the Bible says I’m guilty of breaking every law. If I fail to be perfect, which I cannot be, I cannot save myself or be acceptable in Your sight. But, thankfully, You provided the way out of this dilemma. Jesus Christ declared that He is the way. He is the way that my sin can be forgiven. He is the way I become acceptable in Your sight throughout eternity. Therefore, based on what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross, I ask You to forgive me. I should have been crucified and killed and separated from You for eternity. But Jesus died in my place as the substitute. He went to the electric chair, so to speak, for the crimes I committed. He paid what I owed. All of my sins were placed on Him and all His righteousness was transferred to me. In the heavenlies a covenant was made that I do not see or feel but take by faith that You signed and which is a done deal. Stamped on my passport to heaven is: A Beloved Child of God, Born Again Into His Family, Absolutely and Always Forgiven and Forever Viewed as Blameless and Righteous. I grasp what grace and mercy mean, a divine give-and-take. Grace means I do receive what I do not deserve: forgiveness for my sins, which Jesus gives to me. Mercy means I do not receive what I deserve: judgment for my sins, which Jesus takes for me. You said in Your Word that to as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become a child of God. You said that Christ in You is the hope of glory. However it happens, I want to receive You into my self. Come into me by Your Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. I know that You will not leave or forsake me, and since You said You would come into me you will never abandon me. You remain faithful even though I am unfaithful. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.”

If you prayed that prayer, where is Jesus Christ in relationship to you right now? The answer should be: He is in me, never to leave me, and all my sin is forgiven and God sees me as perfectly righteous.