The Encounter of Conviction

Conviction is not condemnation. We know that under Christ, there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1); however, as you journey through life with the Holy Spirit as your guide to truth, he will convict you of sin and work in your life for sanctification.

The work of sanctification (the action of making something holy, purified, and freed) is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is our guide to salvation and sanctification

The Holy Spirit guides us first to salvation. We must be born again by the Spirit (John 3:3-5). It is the Holy Spirit by whom we are born again into the Kingdom – how does this happen?

1. He convicts us of sin before we are saved - John 16:8 – before we are disciples of Jesus, we are in the world, and he convicts us of sin – we need to know we have sinned – it’s a work of the Spirit. It may be that the implication here is that as the Spirit has come to believers, we play a part in this conviction.
2. He guides us into the truth of who Jesus is - John 16:13 – the Spirit will reveal Jesus to you. John 16 promises that the disciples will have the same connection with Jesus that they did when he was on earth – just by knowing the Spirit.
3. He continues to convict us of sin as believers - Romans 2:4 - this is not a new concept; the Old Testament and Judaism knew that God's grace was the only thing that made repentance possible. We need to understand, as Christians, that there is a difference between 'conviction' and 'condemnation.' The difference is the 'hope' of the revelation – conviction comes with the hope of change, salvation, and redemption. Condemnation is judgment without hope. There is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1), but the Holy Spirit brings conviction from sin.
4. He teaches us all things- John 14:26 - He reminds us of who Jesus is and what he has taught, so we don't forget as we travel in our Christian life. He is the guide who travels alongside us.
5. He journeys the sanctification process with us - Philippians 1:6 - You have been sanctified – set apart for God by the work of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:11, 1 Peter 2:9). We are set apart for a purpose, sanctified to do the works that God created us for (Ep 2:10.) To be effective at the works we were created to do – we need to be becoming more like Jesus (2 Cor 3: 17,18) and the Bible assures us that this process will continue until completion, until Jesus returns.

Prayer Point: Holy Spirit, I pray that as I encounter you afresh that you would lead me into repentance and conviction of sin. I thank you that you are sanctifying me by your beautiful presence to be more like Jesus and leading me into all truth.