A few months back, I started feeling
the beginning of a sinus infection. I treated myself with some over-the-counter
medicine that did little more than cover the symptoms, making them seem less
intense for a short while. While I
avoided going to the doctor, the root of the problem was increasing in
strength. When it got out of hand, I
went to the doctor. I got the right
remedy that not only made me feel better momentarily, but removed the root of
the problem. Treating only the symptoms
had allowed a sinus infection to culminate into full blown bronchitis bordering
on pneumonia.
The root of sin cannot be eradicated
with manmade remedies. It’s like trying to change the color of your hair. You
can cover it, but you can’t change it from the roots. The real color will show again before long. Try
as we may, we cannot control our tendencies to sin. When we think we have things under control,
we find that jealousy, temper, lust and bitterness pop up to prove us wrong. We cannot control ourselves against the power
of sin because it is inherent, part of our makeup. We can’t get rid of it with OTC
religion. We can’t do enough good deeds,
give enough money to the church, or learn enough doctrine to make us
righteousness. We need sin uprooted, not
just covered or controlled. Nobody likes to admit that they can’t conquer
sin. But that confession is the first
step in being free from it. Jesus can set us free from sin because He changes
us at the root – from the inside out. He
removes the old root (sin) and replaces it with His root (righteousness).
Jesus told His disciples,“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: of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment,
because the ruler of this world is judged.”(John 16:7-12, NKJV)
Jesus is speaking here about the
Holy Spirit as the Helper. But how is convicting us of sin being a Helper to
us? Most people confuse conviction with condemnation. Conviction and
condemnation are two very different things.
Conviction means to tell someone their fault or to bring it to light.
Conviction uncovers the wrong in order to allow for repentance and change. It
offers a better way. Condemnation offers
no hope. It accuses and sentences with
finality. It usually comes as a spirit of darkness and doom that overwhelms us.
Jesus clearly stated that He did not come into the world to condemn the world,
but to bring life and light. There will come a day of final judgment when there
will be no recourse. But for now, we
live in a day of grace and hope. That is why it is so imperative for the Spirit
to show us our need for a Savior now while there is still time. It is a great
kindness to us. If I was going to stand before a group to make a presentation and
you saw that I had a terrible stain on my white blouse, I would much rather you
tell me while I could do something about it rather than keeping quiet and waiting
until I saw it myself when it was too late for me to change. Conviction is like
a friend warning us of danger ahead and directing us around it. It shines the
light on the sin in our lives to make us aware of the problem, then offers a
way to change it.
Why is it so difficult for us to
admit that we are sinners and go to Christ for a transformation? 1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make
Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Until we come into agreement with God,
we cannot be forgiven and changed by receiving a transformed heart. Agreeing
with God about our sin is where our journey begins, a journey of righteousness
that leads us on the path of everlasting life.
The
Holy Spirit will also convict or convince us of righteousness. According to
Strong’s Concordance, righteousness is “the state of him who is as he ought to
be.” We can be righteous when our heart is changed and made good. Jesus said, “A good man out of the good
treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil
treasure of his heart brings forth evil.
For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45,
NKJV)
If our
heart is born sinful, then how can we get a good heart? Scripture says, “And
the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants,
to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you
may live.”
(Deuteronomy 30:6, NKJV) There are other references to the
cutting away of the sin nature and our hearts being replaced with a heart of
flesh, soft and pliable in the Potter’s hands. (Colossians 2:11, Ezekiel 11:19) This
righteousness is not in memorizing all the dos and don’ts and making sure we
keep each one. That is the law. We can’t
do it. It has already been proven. So, God changes our hearts. He places a good
treasure in our hearts, His very own Spirit. That’s when we begin learning to listen
to the Spirit of God within us and trusting Him enough to walk out what He
tells us. That is when we become as we ought to be.
God
often speaks to us in our hearts, but if they belong to another we cannot hear
Him. He will lead us in the ways of
righteousness that most of us already know in our minds. But Jesus wants us to
go deeper than just following rules. He
wants us to know Him intimately and learn to walk in His righteousness, His
ways. As we practice walking with Jesus,
there may be times the Holy Spirit will convict us of a behavior or attitude.
We may think it is petty and nothing to be concerned about, but the Holy Spirit
convicts us so we can deal with it in the early stages before it has time to
take root and cause heartache later. “Pursue
peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will
see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace
of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by
this many become defiled”. (Hebrews 12:14-15) If we cooperate with Him, the
Holy Spirit will help us to walk in peace, holiness and grace.
There
are also times He may convict us of a direction we have taken that will lead us
outside of His will. He speaks to us so we can change our course and not be
turned aside. In Acts 16:6-7, we see how the Holy Spirit corrected Paul’s
course. It wasn’t a sin, but a wrong direction.
“Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they
were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had
come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit
them.” He forbade them to go certain
places, then gave Paul a vision of a man saying, “Come over into Macedonia, and
help us.” The Holy Spirit will guide us and
position us for the assignment we are to do next if we will learn to listen to
and follow Him even when we don’t understand.
Conviction
is good. It shines on our sins to make
us aware of our need of a Savior and it continues to serve us in our walk with
Christ if we will listen to the voice of God’s Spirit. Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy
Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We are also
told not to resist the Holy Spirit. We
need to learn to trust Him and work with Him.
The
Holy Spirit will also convict us of coming judgment. Judgment can mean several
different things. Justice and
condemnation are two of them. Satan has
already been condemned. His sentence is set. He has been justly sentenced
because the terrible wrath of God is against evil. It was not God’s intention for us to be the
object of His wrath. Yet, He was not caught off-guard when sin entered the
picture. He had a plan in place so our destiny doesn’t have to be bound up in
Satan’s destiny. If we received justice, we would share Satan’s condemnation.
But there is time for us to receive a new heart and change condemnation to
glory!
The
Holy Spirit convicts of the guilt of our sin and our desperate need for a
Savior. Allow the convicting power of the Spirit to draw you to Jesus. Don’t
turn away. If you have refused Him a hundred times, don’t refuse Him today. We
are not promised tomorrow. We are not promised another opportunity to hear His
voice.
Righteousness
is within reach. The Holy Spirit may be speaking to you now about walking in integrity, godly character and true holiness with a new
heart that will love and obey God. Don’t
resist His calling. Jesus paid the price for you to be holy, not just forgiven.
Judgment
is certain. It will come to all of us. You don’t have to have a part in the
condemnation of the devil. He is a liar
and deceiver. He wants to draw you in to
his fate. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit
by placing yourself in the onslaught of God’s wrath against evil instead of
having His favor. He never intended you to be destroyed by sin. He intended you to live in perfect harmony
with Him. If you are reading this, you
still can.
Allow
the Holy Spirit to stir you to the depths of your soul and raise you higher and
higher into the presence of God, so you can shine as a light of His glory in
this world.
“For God did not send His Son into the world
to condemn the world,
but
that the world through Him might be saved.”
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