Weekend, September 25, 2021
Conviction and Conversion
“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8 NKJV).
Have you ever been cross-examined? Maybe a police officer interrogated you. Or maybe you can recall being questioned by your mother, who can be like a police officer: “Look me in the eyes. Where have you been? What have you been doing?”
The Bible tells us that one of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to cross-examine us. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8 NKJV).
Interestingly, the word “convict” means “to cross-examine.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to just convict the world in general but to specifically show people they’re lacking in the righteousness they need to get to Heaven.
The Holy Spirit has come to show us the biggest sin of all, which is the sin of self-righteousness. So many people believe they will get to Heaven by good works. They think that if they live a good life, they’ll get to Heaven, and if they live a bad life, they’ll go to Hell.
However, there are good people who will go to Hell, and there are bad people who will go to Heaven. That’s because Heaven isn’t for good people; it’s for forgiven people.
The problem is that a person’s ignorance of sin, righteousness, and judgment can bring about his or her destruction. Therefore, God sent His Holy Spirit to make nonbelievers aware of this. Before we can appreciate the solution, we have to see the real problem.
Only the Holy Spirit can show us our real need. We must be convicted by the Holy Spirit, because there is no conversion without conviction.
Being a Christian isn’t simply living a better life. And Jesus isn’t just helpful; He’s our only hope. He didn’t come to improve our lives; He came to save them.
Copyright © 2021 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
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