Preacher’s Point: Sin, righteousness and judgment

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As a Christian have you ever wondered what the Holy Spirit is doing in the world?

When Christ was explaining to the apostles that He would send them the Holy Spirit after His departure, He called the Spirit the Comforter (John 16:7). In the very next verse, He tells them the Holy Spirit would “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment.”

The wording of this is fascinating to me; in one sentence the Spirit is called “The Comforter” and in the succeeding sentence, we’re told part of the reason He is here is to reprimand the world.

There is no contradiction here; Jesus said he would send the Comforter to them, and He who comforts them would reprove the world. For one group He would be a comfort, for another, he would bring reproof. As Christians, we need to remember – we were all part of the group called “the world” until we become a saved believer.

The instant an individual receives Christ as their Saviour, Christ sends the Holy Spirit to live inside them. Romans 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Why would the Holy Spirit come to reprove the world? Christ continued talking and gave us the answer in the following verses.

John 16:8-11, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

Let’s look at these three separately. Hopefully, we’ll have a better grasp on what the Holy Spirit intends to do in this world.

“Of sin, because they believe not on me.”

It is the will of God that no one would go to hell when they die (2 Peter 3:9). Many believe He is the Son of God, a renowned teacher, a healer, a miracle worker, the starter of Christianity, a good and righteous man, a leader, a history maker, one of history’s most influential people, and a slew of other things. They believe He existed and accomplished great things in His lifetime.

All of these things is well and good, but without acknowledging you are a sinner in need of a Saviour and placing your faith on Him and His blood that He shed to save your soul you remain unsaved and on your way to hell.

The Holy Spirit came to reprove the world of sin for the people of the world to know they are sinners in need of a Saviour.

“Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.”

The world needs reproving of righteousness because Jesus is not walking around on this earth anymore. The world cannot watch the Holy, Righteous, Son of God anymore because He is on the right hand of the Father in heaven.

“Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

The prince of this world is Satan. Lucifer (Satan) was the greatest of all the angels until he sinned. Because of the pride in Satan’s heart, he fell from his position and now is the evilest thing in the universe and hell was prepared for him and the angels that followed him (Isaiah 14:12-15; Matthew 25:41).

Humanity is the crown of God’s creation, and we fell in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve decided to break God’s law Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-6). Judgment day is coming for all of us, and the Holy Spirit wants everyone to know.

So how does God plan for the Holy Ghost to get all this information out to a lost and dying world?

If you are a true Christian, the Holy Spirit lives within you (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Since the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, we are the physical body He uses to accomplish His tasks, like reaching the world for Christ. Our hands are His hands, our feet are His feet, our mouth is His mouth. We are the means in which God intends to use to reprove the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.

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By Timothy Johnson

Preacher’s Point

Preacher Johnson is pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County Indiana. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.preacherjohnson.com. E-book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TUJTV2A If you email, inform me where you have seen Preacher’s Point. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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