John: 16:8 – 11 says “And he (Jesus), when he comes, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” The Holy Spirit will convict this world of three things, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

Holy Spirit is the most important promise that was given to the church, and it has been fulfilled. This promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, and it is mentioned in the book of Acts: Ch. 2. The Holy Spirit came into the Church with several important responsibilities; He is working in the Church and the World in different ways. The Holy Spirit speaks to the World through the Church.

In the book of Eph: Ch. 1:14 it says; “in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

The Holy Spirit has a message to the world; John elaborates on this message in his passage in John 16: 8-11

The Holy Spirit shall convict the world: John 16:9, “of sin, because they believe not on me”

John 16:10, “Of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more”

John 16:11, “of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged”

Primarily, the Holy Spirit shall convict the world “of sin”. If somebody does not believe in Jesus Christ, then how will that be a sin to him? A man cannot simply believe in Jesus Christ unless he knows who Jesus Christ is. For this reason, John mentions that the Holy Spirit also convicts man “of Righteousness” – the righteousness Of God. The duty of the Holy Spirit is to convict the World about the righteousness Of God. If a man does not believe in the righteousness of God, then that will be accounted as a sin to him.

What is the righteousness Of God?

This can be explained in very simple terms. When we are reading the book of Genesis about the creations of God, we read that everything was created unto His will which God saw or thought was good. He does not need the permission of any of his creations to create that which He thinks is good. He takes responsibility for everything upon himself because He is God. This is the same way he planned and created man.

St: Paul says in Eph Ch. 1:4 “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world”

The above passage makes it clear that God planned to create man before all of His other creations. So I want to mention here that God does not seek the will or permission of man to create him. Here God is the absolute reason for the creation of all of humanity. Furthermore, God is also responsible for every work of Man. Adam and Eve were cheated by Satan at the Garden of Eden, and they fell into sin. To this day, man is under the power of sin. Romans Ch 3:23, says, “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”

In other words, the responsibility for our sins goes to God, which is why God can’t judge us. That is why God sent His Son, Jesus, to this world to pay for the punishment of all sin. Hebrew 9; 26 says “But now once at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” God charged the punishment of all sin upon Jesus since he was holy. Despite the fact that there was no sin or guilt charged on him by any court, he was crucified as a sinner. God did this to His son Jesus because He created us in His Love. Through His crucifixion, He wants to free us from the bondage of sin and wants to bring man into the promises of God. The Key verse of the Bible expresses this love of God for us: John 3;16 ”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.” This is why the Holy Spirit convicts the world of the righteousness Of God. Now, physically we can’t see Him because He is with His Father after the completion of His act of righteousness. If someone does not believe in this truth, then it will be accounted as a sin to him.

Finally, the Holy Spirit convicts the world “of judgment”, because the prince of this world has been judged. By the death of Jesus, the basic law of sin was judged and punished; this means that Satan has been judged. Now it is clear the reason of sin is Satan, and that he should be punished. The death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ exposed Satan, who was hidden until then, to the world.

In Mathew Ch. 13:42-43, Jesus, in his parable about the final Judgments, clearly mentions that “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear.”

This is the primary message that the Holy Spirit is proclaiming to the world through the Church.

God bless you all