The Holy Spirit, Conviction, & Sin
If the only thing I ever talked about to my friends was how my dad would occasionally spank me when I did something wrong, how do you think my friends would perceive my Father?
In the same way, if as a Christian the only thing you talk about is how much people need to repent, how awful they are, and how angry God is with them and their sin, what kind of picture do you think you are painting for the world around you? Let me settle something once and for all. I am against sin, but sin is a done deal! Jesus overpaid for your sin and sin is no longer an issue with God.
I still haven’t had a single person who boasts of all their theological knowledge actually address this:
”..that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” – 2 Cor 5:19
You will notice it says that God is not counting people’s sins against them.
That coincides with Hebrews 8:12 and Hebrews 10:17 which says God remembers our sins no more.
Does that mean we have a license to sin and that God is totally okay with it? NO, NO, NO, a thousand times NO. We have died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:1)
You’ll also notice it doesn’t say that we have been given the ministry of “telling people how sinful and dirty they are”.
…if you think that’s your job, you are elevating yourself above God.
Do you know who else tried to do that?
The devil.
In John 16, Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit:
“And when [the Holy Spirit] comes, he (not you)will convict the world (not the church) concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
- concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me (again, this is talking about the world, the unbelieving, NOT the church…if you think this applies to you, you need to get born again);
- concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer (this is talking about convicting the church of righteousness, their right standing with God, not rubbing their sin in their faces…why would God do that if He remembers our sins no more?)
- concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” – John 16:8-11
Yes, this is diametrically opposed to just about everything you were taught growing up in church.
But that is just what it says.
This is good news.
The Holy Spirit is your Friend
The Holy Spirit is your Helper
The Holy Spirit is your Guide
The Holy Spirit is your Comforter
The Holy Spirit is not your wife nagging at you and finding fault all the time...
Satan is the one accusing you, telling you of all your wrongs!
Do you know what the devil’s name is? His name is Satan. In Hebrew, it means “the accuser.” He is the prosecutor against you.
A prosecutor against you. A prosecutor never talks about any of your good points. He is there to prosecute you for every one of your failures. He will bring back every piece of dirty laundry and show you evidence after evidence of your failures.
He knows that when you are under condemnation, fear, stress and all kinds of sicknesses will follow, so he goes straight for the jugular. Because no matter what the devil condemns you off, the truth is that the blood of Jesus has been shed for the forgiveness of all your sins.
There is not a sin, not one iota of guilt or condemnation that the devil can throw at you today that Jesus’ blood has not completely removed.
The devil uses the law to condemn believers and remind them that they have fallen short. The devil uses his tongue to speak words of guilt and condemnation to you, but by the blood of Jesus, you have the authority and the power to condemn every work of judgment that comes against you!
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