By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
John 16:8-11 “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”_ – NIV To the none believer in Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit is to convict about sin, their need to find the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus, and the fact that judgement will follow for those who reject this offer of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ. Conviction is that deep inner voice within a person, showing them what is right or wrong and what they need to do about it. Every human being gets this conviction within them, especially as they hear the gospel preached. What they do about it is dependent on them in exercise of the freedom of will and choice God gave man.Those who obey that conviction of the Holy Spirit feel remorseful about their sins and come to God in repentance. The Spirit does not convict to condemn, but to correct our ways and bring us to God. This is what leads to conversion of the sinner, enabling them come to Christ to recieve salvation. Those who reject this conviction only harden their hearts more and more. Every preaching of the gospel is used by the Holy Spirit to bring people to that point of decision for Christ or rejecting Him.To the believer, the Holy Spirit uses the word to correct, rebuke, teach and train (2 Tim 3:16). When we make mistakes, He brings us back to the right way through repentance. Again, the conviction is not to condemn, but to correct, to discipline so that we are fully walking by the way pleasing to God. Some still disobey and harden their hearts to this work of the Spirit. But we are urged not to harden our hearts when He convicts us. To those who continuously and outrightly reject Him, judgment will be inevitable. _Hebrews 3:7-8,15 “So then, as the Holy Spirit says: “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God, as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the test… This is what the scripture says: “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God.”_Shalom children of God.