CONVICTION

The Son of God knew the end was at hand. After Jesus revealed what He was about to go through, He comforted His disciples with these words ...  

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. 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. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:7-8)

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on all who trusted Christ as Lord ... and His duties continue today, one of which is to evoke 'conviction' in the hearts and minds of those who are lost. 

To understand what that word means, we should first look at what it is not ...

• It isn't simply a guilty conscience or shame over sin. These are feelings naturally experienced by almost everyone. 

• It isn't a foreboding of divine punishment. It, too, is common to mankind in general. 

• It isn't acknowledging the difference between right and wrong ... nor is it even an assent to Scripture’s teaching about sin's consequences. 

These are 'internal' promptings. The truth is, if you experience nothing more than a 'pang of conscience', 'anxiety at the thought of judgment', or an 'academic awareness of hell' ... you've never truly known the Biblical 'conviction of sin'. 

So, what is it then?

• The verb 'convict' is translated from the Greek word elencho, defined as ... 'to convince someone of the truth; to reprove; to accuse, refute, or cross-examine a witness'. 

• Therefore, the Holy Spirit acts as a prosecuting attorney who exposes evil, upbraids the sinner, and persuades him of his need for a Savior.

• To be convicted is 'to be overwhelmed by the sheer loathsomeness of sin'. This takes place when the Holy Spirit exposes you to God’s holiness, and you see yourself through His eyes. 

Two examples ... 

When Isaiah stood in the presence of God, he was devastated by what was revealed ... Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty. (Isaiah 6:5)

When David was convicted by the Lord of his adultery, he cried out ... Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight - that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. (Psalm 51:4)

The Holy Spirit not only convicts people of sin, but He also brings them to repentance. 

Without 'conviction', there can be no 'salvation'. It is divinely issued by a loving God so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can take effect ... 'No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him'. (John 6:44)

Through it, an unsaved person realizes that he is guilty ... that God is just ... and that all sinners are deserving of judgment. Once he's awakened to his soul’s great need, the Holy Spirit faithfully points him to the foot of the cross.