Yet our LORD Jesus Christ commanded us, "you will be My witnesses" (Acts 1:8, NIV) and to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19, NIV).  Never fear carrying out the commands of Christ.  God will never command you to do anything that He will not also enable you to do.  The enablement to proclaim the truth of God's word and the reality that Jesus is the Christ and LORD of all has been provided to you in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the inner witness to every person in this world.  He works on the inside as He empowers you to proclaim God's word from the outside.  Together, unbelievers can know the reality of their own sin and the wonder of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

Scripture Passage: John 16:8,9,10,11

Main Point:  Because the Holy Spirit is sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, the believer should never fear proclaiming the truth of God's word.

Outline:

1. The ministry of the Holy Spirit will be one of conviction:  to convince the world of the truth concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.
2. Since disbelief brings no guilt concerning sin, the Holy Spirit now develops a guilty conscience in the unbeliever in order to overcome his unbelief.
3. Since only Jesus could demonstrate the righteousness of God to the world, the Holy Spirit now exposes pride in an unbeliever's heart concerning the righteousness that is by faith and not by works.
4. Since the world is under the control of a condemned ruler, Satan, the Holy Spirit now convinces the unbeliever of the reality of his future judgment by the true and living God.
5. It is not your job to "be right" all the time -- but to faithfully proclaim God's word.

When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8, NIV)

1. The ministry of the Holy Spirit will be one of conviction:  to convince the world of the truth concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Were I to ask for a show of hands from everyone who stood up this week in the workplace, schoolroom, or neighborhood and proclaimed God's righteous standard, I am sure there would be few hands raised.  Some would not raise their hand because they hate to do that in a crowd.  But most of us would be telling the ugly truth that we have allowed God's word to take second place in our lives and in our sphere of influence.  Our message of truth -- absolute standards for right and wrong, the righteousness of God that only comes through faith in Jesus Christ, and the reality of hell -- have all given way to this notion of "not offending anyone."  The reality is that we are afraid we will be embarrassed or ridiculed for testifying to the truth.

Through criticism and rejection, scoffers often quench the believer's God-given desire to share the gospel. It doesn't take much to quench a believer's fire for the gospel.  We listen to the world, look at the circumstances, and forget that God wins in the end.  So we become docile, quiet, trying to win the world by "living our faith" rather than sharing our truth.

God sent the Holy Spirit to do the convincing of unbelievers.

When I was playing baseball, I always wanted to hit home runs but I never did.  I kept trying harder but I never did.  I was a great leadoff hitter (I really was!) because I usually found some way to get on base.  That was my job -- to get on base and run fast.  Other people had the size and strength to hit home runs.  That was their job -- to move people around the bases and drive in runs.  That is how we won ballgames.

You are on God's winning team but you don't have to hit home runs!  God has things well in hand.  He can perfectly take care of convincing the world of His truth.  In fact, this is one of the primary ministries of the Holy Spirit in the world.  Because the Holy Spirit is sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, the believer should never fear proclaiming the truth of God's word.  The response of the unbeliever is in the hands of the Holy Spirit.

...in regard to sin, because men do not believe in Me. (John 16:9, NIV)

2. Since disbelief brings no guilt concerning sin, the Holy Spirit now develops a guilty conscience in the unbeliever in order to overcome his unbelief.

Unbelievers just ignore the "turn or burn" ravings of a "Bible-thumping Christian."  We must be careful of belligerent attitudes toward unbelievers.  There is a difference between sharing the truth of God's word and beating someone in the head with it.  Our war is a spiritual battle for truth against the forces of darkness, not against people. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12, NIV).

Christians who themselves try to convict the world of sin become modern-day Pharisees who ignore their own sin.

In John 8:21-59, the religious leaders were confronted by Jesus concerning their sin.  They denied their sin and claimed the heritage of Abraham, a man of faith, so as to appear without sin.  Repeatedly Jesus spoke to the absurdity of their argument -- after all, these sinful humans were confronting The Holy One of Israel in flesh and blood!  They tried the argument that they were God's children and so were without sin.  When Jesus refuted this, they accused Him of being illegitimate and  demon-possessed.  Jesus showed remarkable poise in calmly refuting all their claims and challenging their own self-justification.  In the end, the Pharisees picked up stones to stone the Lord Jesus Christ for claiming to be who He was -- God in human flesh (John 8:58).  Here was the height of their hypocrisy -- they refused to acknowledge their own sins but tried to murder the Son of God.  This is the danger when Christians become legalists who try to beat up unbelievers every chance they get.  They forget their own standing before God apart from Christ.  "If we claim to be without sin, we lie and do not live by the truth" (1 John 1:8, NIV).

Inner reconstruction will work!

Imagine telling the seed of an Oak tree, "You have no roots.  You're short -- get a trunk!  Grow some green leaves.  Here let me help you..."  No amount of work to attach roots, trunks, or branches will work.  The seed must be transformed from the inside out.  Instead of external finger pointing, God works from the inside out through the ministry of the Holy Spirit on the conscience of the unbeliever. Over time, the unbeliever realizes a tremendous burden of guilt because of his sin -- this is intended to cause the unbeliever to realize his need for God's forgiveness.

Unbelievers can reject the pangs of conscience -- it can be overridden.

Many try self-help programs to cleanse their guilty conscience. Self-help programs that "liberate you from guilt" are dangerous because they deny any absolute right or wrong and sear the conscience of an unbeliever so that he will not listen to God's warnings.

...in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer. (John 16:10, NIV)

3. Since only Jesus could demonstrate the righteousness of God to the world, the Holy Spirit now exposes pride in an unbeliever's heart concerning the righteousness that is by faith and not by works.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21 NIV).

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. (Heb. 4:15 NIV).

The unbeliever deludes himself into thinking he does not need God by:

• Denying the reality of a Creator and so he can make up his own morality.
• Denying God's perfect standard for righteousness so he can ignore the ugliness of his sin.
• Denying God's righteousness by trying to better himself and his world with his own "good" deeds.
• Denying God's holiness by thinking he can one day become "god".

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV)

...and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (John 16:11, NIV)

4. Since the world is under the control of a condemned ruler (Satan), the Holy Spirit now convinces the unbeliever of the reality of his future judgment by the true and living God.

A barber became convicted of his need to win his customers to Christ.  He decided the next customer to walk through the door would be won to Christ by his witness.  But he was very nervous and afraid to confront anyone.  A man walked in and sat down asking for a shave.  After lathering him up, the barber bent down with the razor to the man's throat and blurted out, "Are you ready to die?"  The terrified customer jumped out of the seat and ran out of the barber shop, never to return!

As believers, we need to proclaim that God is indeed going to judge the world but perhaps ;-) without a razor to their throat.  The world (including all unbelievers) is under the control of Satan (1 John 5:19), being blinded to the truth of a coming judgment.  Judgmental Christians can torch potential relationships with unbelievers and send them fleeing deeper into the world system (like the man in the barber's chair...).

The Holy Spirit works deep in the heart of an unbeliever to reveal the truth of a coming judgment by God. God will judge every motive, every thought, every word, and every deed. God will pronounce judgment on every human. Deep down, where no one from the outside can see or reach, the unbeliever has to shudder at the thought of the coming judgment. This is where the Holy Spirit works on an unbeliever--places you and I cannot reach through legalism, judgmental attitudes, or convincing arguments.  We can talk until we are blue in the face but we will never talk anyone into the Kingdom of God.  We can only proclaim God's word and our confidence in it.

...When He comes, He will convict the world ... (John 16:8, NIV)

5.  It is not your job to "be right" all the time -- but to faithfully proclaim God's word.

Have you ever heard someone tell you to use the word of God as a sword to cut down the enemy to size? You imagine a long, bulky sword that can split someone in two.  This is how we use God's word at times.  The truth is, you can be wrong trying to being right all the time.  You must be discerning of a person's spiritual receptivity and try to bring the power of God's word to the specific needs in that person's life.  If a young man is lonely, you can slice him in two with Scripture upon Scripture about lust and purity.  But you could point out that in Christ we are never alone.  He who is faithful promised us, "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20 NIV). God's word is called "the sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17, NIV) but the word in the original Greek language used for sword is one that is defensive -- a small knife-like sword that is used with skill and deftness.  Use God's word with that same skill and deftness -- never as an anvil.

Many more believers stay quiet out of fear:

• The fear of failure to persuade is a lie -- it is not your job to convict.
• The fear of punishment is a lie -- in Christ there is no condemnation.
• The fear of persecution is a lie -- the love of Christ overcomes the hurt we feel.
• The fear of embarrassment is a lie -- one day Jesus will prove you were right.

Be diligent to plant the seeds of God's word and trust that the Holy Spirit will convict unbelievers for you.

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me His prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. (2 Timothy 1:8-9, NIV)

End Notes

Note - English definitions derived from The American Heritager Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright c 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from InfoSoft International, Inc. All rights reserved. Greek definitions derived from Strong's Greek/Hebrew Concordance.

1. convict

Greek: 1651. elegcho, el-eng'-kho; of uncert. affin.; to confute, admonish:--convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove.

Analysis:  The second English definition seems closer to the Greek.  Rather than simply declaring a sinful act, it seems to have the force of convincing one of this fact -- to refute decisively.
 

2. guilt

Greek:  This word is not in the Greek.  The NIV translates "elegcho" as "convict ... of guilt."

Analysis:  "Convict...of guilt" then is presented as decisive convincing of something done wrong.
 

3. righteousness

Greek: 1343. dikaiosune, dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay; from G1342; equity (of character or act); spec. (Chr.) justification:--righteousness.

Analysis:  Righteousness would best be described as sinlessness.
 

Detailed Outline:

2. Since disbelief brings no guilt concerning sin, the Holy Spirit now develops a guilty conscience in the
unbeliever in order to overcome his unbelief.
2.1  Bible-thumping won't work:
2.1.1  Unbelievers just ignore the "turn or burn" ravings of a "Bible-thumping Christian."
2.1.2  Christians who themselves try to convict the world of sin become modern-day Pharisees who ignore their
own sin.
2.2  Inner reconstruction will work:
2.2.1 Instead of external finger pointing, God works from the inside out through the ministry of the Holy Spirit
on the conscience of the unbeliever.
2.2.2  Over time, the unbeliever realizes a tremendous burden of guilt because of his sin -- this is intended to
cause the unbeliever to realize his need for God's forgiveness.
2.3  The conscience can be over-ridden by defiance:
2.3.1  Many try self-help programs to cleanse their guilty conscience.
2.3.2  Self-help programs that "liberate you from guilt" are dangerous because they deny any absolute right or
wrong and sear the conscience of an unbeliever so that he will not listen to God's warnings.

3. Since only Jesus could demonstrate the righteousness of God to the world, the Holy Spirit now exposes pride
in an unbeliever's heart concerning the righteousness that is by faith and not by works.
3.1  Jesus Christ was the only one who lived the perfect life required by God.
3.2  Perfectionism by Christians will not lead unbelievers to accept righteousness by faith and will lead to
depressed, defeated Christians.
3.3  An unbeliever deludes himself into thinking he does not need God by:
3.3.1  Denying the reality of a Creator and so he can make up his own morality.
3.3.2  Denying God's perfect standard for righteousness so he can ignore the ugliness of his sin.
3.3.3  Denying God's righteousness by trying to better himself and his world with his own "good" deeds.
3.3.4  Denying God's holiness by thinking he can one day become "god".
3.4  The Holy Spirit is the one who penetrates the heart of an unbeliever and confronts his pride with the true
righteousness that comes through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

4. Since the world is under the control of a condemned ruler, Satan, the Holy Spirit now convinces the
unbeliever of the reality of his future judgment by the true and living God.
4.1  Satan deceives the world into thinking that right and wrong will not be judged.
4.2  The world, and its unbelievers, follows the leadership of Satan.
4.3  Judgmental Christians torch potential relationships with unbelievers and send them fleeing deeper into the
world system.
4.4  The Holy Spirit works deep in the heart of an unbeliever to reveal the truth of a coming judgment by God.
4.4.1  God will judge every motive, every thought, every word, and every deed.
4.4.2  God will pronounce judgment on every human.
4.4.3  Deep down, where no one from the outside can see or reach, the unbeliever shudders at the thought of the
coming judgment.
4.4.4  This is where the Holy Spirit works on an unbeliever--places you and I cannot reach.

5.  It is not your job to "be right" all the time -- but to faithfully proclaim God's word.
5.1  Many believers feel the need to prove themselves right and end up fighting with unbelievers.
5.2  Many more believers stay quiet out of fear:
5.2.1  The fear of failure to persuade is a lie -- it is not your job to convict.
5.2.2  The fear of punishment is a lie -- in Christ there is no condemnation.
5.2.3  The fear of persecution is a lie -- the love of Christ overcomes the hurt we feel.
5.2.4  The fear of embarrassment is a lie -- one day Jesus will prove you were right.
5.3  Jesus spent a lot of time assuring us of His power to protect, defend, and save us.
5.4  Plant the seeds of God's word and trust that the Holy Spirit will convict unbelievers for you.

© 2001, Randy Lariscy.