God's Emotions--And What They Mean For UsEgzanp

The Power of Conviction

I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:7–8 NKJV)

Conviction. A missing ingredient in today’s modern church culture is the experiential convicting work of the Holy Spirit concerning sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. Without this necessary, piercing ministry of the Holy Spirit, we might be left to another round of renewal gatherings only. 

Now that I’ve made that stark statement, let’s look at the role our emotions play in the experience of being humbled before God’s holiness. I realize that people seldom choose to dwell on the feelings that overtake us when we are convicted of our sin because it makes us feel uncomfortable, too often reminding us of our wretched humanness and our desperate separation from God. Yet emotions—those of heartbreak and delight alike—are keys of true conviction, and of the true personal revival that accompanies it. 

Those uncomfortable feelings drive us into the Lord’s saving arms. And once we come close to Him, our tears of sorrow turn into tears of gratitude and joy.

Conviction Brings Revival

A vital aspect of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to bring the conviction of sin to individual men and women. Watch out when the Spirit comes into your world with conviction “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”! His conviction is irresistible, both in a positive and in a negative sense. He will put His mighty thumb down hard on your self-important sin, and He will cause you to see it as you have never seen it before—as utterly offensive in the light of the perfection of your Creator.

He will also supply you with supernatural grace so that you can respond properly, even to a crushing revelation. For your sake, and far beyond what you deserve, He brings the overwhelming love of God to bear against your sin, forgiving you and pulling you up out of it.

He doesn’t come to destroy you; He comes to save you! Your sin is what would sooner or later destroy you, because nothing about it can ever put your feet on the path of salvation and true joy. The Holy Spirit comes at just the right time and in just the right way to convince and convict you of this truth.

He does this not only when you first bow to the lordship of Christ in your life, but all along the way, as needed. When He comes like this, your emotions become inflamed with a combination of remorse and alarm and repentance—along with incredible relief and eager submission. Nobody can come through the fire of the Holy Spirit’s conviction passively or with clinical objectivity. It is an emotional experience. You are so sad, and then you are so glad. You are laid low, and then you are raised up high.

Revival means the recovery of life to something that was dead or seemingly dead. In the historic church, revival means that new life surges into the body of Christ. Faith is renewed, and joy springs up. With the prompting of the Holy Spirit, people begin to work together again as a body. Everything seems fresh and exciting. Emotions run high.

You can’t expect to have a revival without emotion. Emotions animate people. Thus, when God sends revival to reanimate the church, people will express their joy—or their alarm, if they don’t happen to like what they see. Either way, when revival hits, no longer can they remain the “frozen chosen”!

Conviction falls on people as they become aware of their sinful, hopeless condition and their urgent need to “get right with God.” Remember that conviction is not the same as condemnation. When a feeling of condemnation is stirred up by the evil one, it leads you down, not up. It is a hopeless dead end rather than a bridge to God’s life. 

On what important transaction does revival depend? Repentance, which follows the conviction of sin. God’s people, whether individually or corporately, cannot be revived unless they abandon their death-dealing attachments to sin. Once the Holy Spirit brings conviction, and they respond wholeheartedly, then revival can be planted and new growth can flourish.

Conviction can come upon a person quietly, in a way that outsiders would not notice, even as the convicted person is undergoing a silent revolution inside. Often, however, we see people responding in an emotional way.

Revival comes in response to hunger for God and for holiness. Hunger is a strong feeling. Fervent prayers before, during, and after a time of revival express the anointed emotional response of seekers. Most of them are not getting swept up in group hysteria, because the Holy Spirit has established a connection with each one of them. He is dealing with them on an individual basis. Each person’s sins and failings are unique and distinct, and God reaches out via His Spirit to address their particular irregularities. 

Even the “peace that surpasses understanding” (see Philippians 4:7), which envelops some people after conviction and repentance, is an emotional response—pure satisfaction and calm joy.

Experiential Conviction of Sin

To keep close to God, believers require the frequent nudging and prodding of the Shepherd’s staff. Whether we are listening to a sermon in a congregational setting or alone at home reading the Bible, a word of truth penetrates our awareness like a shaft of light—and we can’t ignore it.

The Holy Spirit softens our hearts and penetrates our souls. Emotionally, we feel the weight of conviction. We have the gut feeling that a particular thing is deeply displeasing to God and that we must rectify it. Convinced that we must confess our sin, we repent of it and ask His help to change our attitudes, actions, and lifestyles.

The Holy Spirit never overwhelms us with too much at once. Rather, one step at a time, He keeps us on God’s straight and narrow path. His course corrections become part of our testimony, and we learn to value them highly. In a remarkable way, the emotional pain of an experience of Holy Spirit-inspired conviction tastes almost sweet. This is a demonstration of true love. He is protecting us from our own sinful desires and bad decisions! He is saving us once again.

We rejoice in the truth that our forgiveness is guaranteed through Christ. No longer will God hold our sin—our inexcusable, persistent rebellion—against us. We can proclaim, “It is well with my soul!” 

PRAYER OF A PASSIONATE HEART

Father, I come to You in the fear of the Lord. I receive Your word that tells me, “Be holy, for I am holy.” I ask Your Holy Spirit to point out to me the hard places in my heart. Send a revival into my life, my family’s life, my church, my community, and my nation. Convict us of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. Cleanse me from sin. Draw me nearer to You. I want to live my life in a way that is pleasing to You. In Jesus’s perfect name, amen.