“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged”. John 16 v 8-11
One of the greatest tragedies in life for me is when people are living in defeat because of false teaching they have received. Today’s verse is one of the verses that has been frequently misunderstood and therefore has caused much confusion in the body of Christ.
Jesus came to convict the world of sin. Now when we think of the word sin we think about all the individual acts of sin that we might commit and how we are have then fallen short of God’s holy standard. However this verse does not use the word “sins" plural but “sin” singular. This is pointing to the most basic sin that man can commit and from which all the other sins will follow. It is the sin of unbelief, to reject Jesus and to live a life outside of a relationship with God. This is the sin that Jesus came to convict the world of. He came to convict, to convince and to reveal to them that there is no other life outside of being in a loving relationship with his Father that is made possible through believing in the Son.
Too many Christians today are focusing on their failings and mistakes and believe that when they feel guilt and shame it is actually the Holy Spirit reminding them of how bad they are. Yet it is the antithesis of how the Lord treats us. It is the world He is convicting of sin. The word tells us that we are in the world but not of this world. “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world”. John 17: 6 As a child of God you are a citizen of a new kingdom. You are seated in heavenly places and you are secure. The Lord knows that the accuser will constantly try to make you doubt your right standing with the Father therefore the Holy Spirit comes along side you to convince you of your righteousness. As a believer you have been given the gift of no condemnation, (Romans 8 :1) you have been made perfect in Christ: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrew 10:14, and you are seen as blameless: “He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him”, Colossians 1:22.
Jesus the lamb of God took on your sin, now when the Father sees you He sees the sacrifice that Jesus made for you, all your sin has been atoned for. You are spotless in his sight. Thinking and dwelling on your failings will not produce better behaviour. Thinking about your righteousness and believing what the Lord says about you will empower you to live a holy life. Your heavenly Father does not want you to be sin conscious today. He loves you with an everlasting love and he wants you to experience the incredible life he has ordained for you. A life without limits, a life beyond anything you could ask, hope or imagine.
You will find that as you become more aware of his love and goodness towards you, you will see His fruit growing effortlessly in your life and you will be transformed from the inside out!
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020