Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” is titled “Spirit Empowered Witnessing”. The quarterly sites a Bible text in Sunday’s lesson. It’s one that had been perplexing to me in the past. I had to really dig and work on this text for it to make sense to me. Here’s the text; “8 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: 8-11). Let’s do a “dive” into this, for it describes the work of the Holy Spirit and what is important to God. But first, here are some definitions to help us.
• Holy Spirit… The Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of love and truth.
• Conviction vs. Condemnation… conviction is the truth delivered in a manner that lifts you up and encourages you. Condemnation is the truth delivered in a manner that pushes you down and discourages you. The Holy Spirit convicts, not condemns.
• Sin… sin is not so much the presence of evil, but more the absence of love. “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4); which is really loveless-ness.
• Righteousness… a right relationship with God.
• Judgement… making a decision objectively and wisely.
So keeping these definitions in-mind, let’s look at the three things the Holy Spirit does when He comes to each of us:
1. “He (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world… of sin, because they do not believe in me” (John 16: 8, 9). Sin here is not defined as wrong-doing. Sin is defined in terms of belief or trust in Christ. Believe what, in particular? Believe He is the Son of God. That all the Godhead is just like Him. Trusting that the Love He lived is the love you want to live. That truthfulness and love found in God is the only way to live. Believing in Him enough to follow Him. Follow Him in all things… in all ways. The antidote for sin is not found in fighting sin but in following the Son. The Holy Spirit leads us to see Christ, to love Christ, and to follow Christ. This is true believing. Belief that changes you. We must be “born-again” (John 3:3). Once more, the antidote for loveless-ness (sin) is to fall in-love with the source of all love. To truly believe on Him.
2. He (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world… of righteousness, because I go to my father and you see me no more” (John 16: 8, 10). Because Christ has gone to the Father, we no longer see Christ or hear His words. Christ’s convicting “Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit brings home to your heart the lessons of Christ. He is the presence of Christ with you at all times. Closer than the Man-Christ could ever be. As Christ said “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 depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). Christ leaving us… leaving us in the hands of the Holy Spirit… is the only way to restore our right relationship with God because the healing of the relationship must take place within us... the way we think… where the Holy Spirit abides…and leads us to change our minds about God and to come back to this right relationship (the definition of righteousness).
3. He (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world… of judgement because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16: 8, 11). Through His Holy Spirit, God can “guide you into all truth” (John 16: 13), bringing conviction, true knowledge and true judgement. You will see things as they really are… as God sees them, revealed to you by His Holy Spirit. And you will judge rightly, objectively, wisely… as you are led by the Holy Spirit to finally “see”.
The Holy Spirit leads us (1) to follow Christ, (2) to the restoration of a right relationship with God, and (3) to see and understand the true workings of God (and Satan) in the world and in your own heart. As if “in turning to God (you) had reached a higher plane of intelligence” (Review and Herald 12/18/1913). This is the work of the Spirit of Love and Truth. Do you welcome Him? “But you are not carnal but spiritual if the Spirit of God finds a home within you” (Romans 8:9; Phillips New Testament). Has His Spirit found a home in you? Do you want Him and His convicting illumination of love and truth?
With brotherly love, Jim