John 16:8-11 8And when that one comes, he will convict the world about sin and about righteousness and about judgment: 9and about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
The coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, would be a tremendous spiritual movement for the disciples. As God’s presence on earth, the Holy Spirit has been around since the very beginning when the earth was formless and voice (Genesis 1:2). Something unique would happen, however, after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. These verses describe the how the Spirit would work with the human conscience, convicting the world. Convict (elegxei) means to shed light on a matter, to test and expose what is hidden, and thus to convict or convince about a matter. The Holy Spirit will come and speak into people’s lives, not just believers but the whole world. This conviction will expose people’s sins and call them to repent from their sins and seek God’s forgiveness.
Verse 8 gives the key idea and verses 9-11 explain it. Verses 9-11 explain why the worlds thinking is wrong and how people should respond to the gospel. The Spirit will teach people in a special way after Jesus leaves. While he was on earth, Jesus’ message powerfully convicted people of their sins (7:7; 15:22). The Holy Spirit would continue that crucial ministry and help people see their need for Jesus.
The sin (hamartias) the Spirit will convict is unbelief in Jesus. The Jewish leaders refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. Jesus clearly exposed their sin of unbelief and called them to repent. His miraculous deeds proved the truth of his teachings. Their refusal would lead to their condemnation (3:18, 36). These Jews represent everyone in the world who reject Jesus. Every behavioral sin against God’s written law or law written on the conscience (Romans 2:14-24) can be traced back to unbelief. The conviction of the Spirit is not vindictive or judgmental, since Jesus is the final judge, but gracious and restorative to draw people to repentance and new life.
The righteousness (dikaisosynēs) the Spirit would show could be interpreted negatively as the self-righteous legalism of people like the Pharisees. The Jewish leaders had the law of Moses but failed to understand it correctly and live it out as God designed. The Jews’ righteousness did not measure up to the righteousness God wanted. They sourced everything from their own abilities and self-discipline, which tended towards pride and boasting. After Jesus would go to the Father, a new form of righteousness would be available, one that comes by faith and not works. God wanted this righteousness from the beginning, as evidenced in the life of Abraham (Romans 4). The Spirit would reveal the true form of righteousness because of what Jesus did on the cross by being the perfect sacrifice to offer this gift of righteousness to people.
Finally, the Spirit would also warn people about judgmentI (kriseōs). There is no mention that the Counselor and Advocate will also be the judge. Jesus will be the judge of how people respond to the Spirit’s exposure and convicting of people’s sins. The judgment of the world is wrong. The ruler clearly refers to Satan, who deceives people into a wrong understanding about judgment. The criteria the world uses to judge people is not based on the truth revealed by Jesus, which agrees with and fulfills the Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus’ death on the cross would triumph over Satan and all evil. The perfect tense of the verb has been judged (kekritai) implies that the victory was already one and would continue on forever. The victory came with the Word became flesh. The cross would try to stop that victory, but the resurrection would prove its power. The Holy Spirit, as the convictor, would offer the world grace upon grace by extending Jesus’ ministry of forgiveness to those who would heed this conviction and repent of their sins. Eternal life waits those who listen to the voice of grace.
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