Some think the presence of the Spirit is expressed by our feelings or emotions. It can include those things as a response to the work of the Spirit, but the primary ministry of the Spirit is to bring a conviction of those things that are not aligned with God.

Just before Jesus was arrested, He was speaking to His disciples. One subject He covered was the coming of the Spirit.

Jesus said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment” (John 16:8). It’s important to understand who does this convicting. The Spirit convicts people of their sin, God’s righteousness, and the reality of a coming judgment for those who refuse to accept His truth.

The Message translation expands what the Lord was saying, “When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin.”

From the foundational sin of disbelieving in Jesus, all forms of evil will be revealed. Believing in Jesus is our spiritual anchor for understanding what is true and what is error. The Spirit will initially take us to a core belief in Jesus, and from that place, the Spirit will convict us of what is not aligned with the Lord and His purpose for humanity.

The Spirit has been called the Comforter, Helper, and Advocate. His ministry is to lead the followers of Jesus into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth. This is the conviction of the Spirit, both for those who have been redeemed and fallen away and for those who have yet to enter a relationship with Jesus. It will also comfort us when the message we share about Jesus leads us into perilous and threatening situations.

We should never lessen or soften the impact of this kind of conviction. It is what the Spirit is doing in the hearts of people that aligns or realigns their lives with His truth.

The Spirit’s conviction will lead people into a deeper understanding of the Lord, the holiness of God, and a coming judgment for those who turned away from the convicting influence of the Spirit. This kind of conviction is something only God’s Spirit can accomplish, not our strenuous efforts to convince people of what is true and right and worthy of their belief.

Purchase Garris’s book Prayers from the Throne of God here.

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins

Featured Image by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

About the Author

Garris Elkins is a Kingdom Winds Contributor. He and his wife, Jan, serve the global Church through writing, speaking, and mentoring. They live in southern Oregon, tucked away in the foothills of the Rogue Valley. Their shared desire is to have each person learn how to hear the heart of God and become a transforming voice in their culture.

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