The Holy Spirit Doesn’t Convict Believers of Sin… Does He?
You have been forgiven of all your sins; past, present and future. So, what’s that bad or guilty feeling you get when you sin? Is that the Holy Spirit’s conviction? Join Paul today in this short video and find out what the Holy Spirit is actually trying to show you as a believer.
As believers, when you and I sin we get a bad or guilty feeling inside. Many believe that this feeling is the Holy Spirit convicting you of sin. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about the role of the Holy Spirit in conviction.
“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me.”
John 16:8-10 (NASB)
We’re going to leave the word judgement for another time and focus today on the first two words: sin and righteousness. Verse 9 says, “...concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me.” Verse 10 “...and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me.”
If we believe our sins are forgiven: past, present, and future, then that bad feeling we get cannot be the Holy Spirit convicting us of our sin.
To be convicted of a sin for which we've already been forgiven doesn't make sense. So, what is that bad or guilty feeling we feel when we sin?
It's the Holy Spirit convicting you and I, not of our sin, but of our righteousness!
Our true identity, who we are, how God sees us...is completely and totally righteous! So when you and I sin, we’re doing something contrary to who we are. Yes, we feel bad about it, but it's not the Holy Spirit saying, “You just sinned, repent and be forgiven.” Rather, it’s the Holy Spirit saying, “You are completely and totally righteous. You just did something contrary to who you are. You depended on yourself for a brief moment rather than on Me. Now just confess it, move on and get your inner peace back!”
That's the feeling! Do you see the difference?
Being convicted of sin and being convicted of righteousness are two different things! One is for the sinner, the other is for the Saint!
Remember our passage at the beginning of John 16? In verse 9, Jesus is referring to those who don't believe in Him, sinners. However, in verse 10, Jesus is referring to believers.
Another verse that supports this says, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” Galatians 5:17 (NASB) I love this! In other words,
When you do something contrary to who you are, out of your old flesh patterns…
you're not going to be able to enjoy it!
That's the Holy Spirit in you and I, convicting us of our righteousness! He is not allowing us to enjoy our unrighteous activities. That is awesome, folks!
Believe Him today!