Called to be witnesses - Pentecost 2012

John 16: 8 - 11:  And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹of sin, because they do not believe in Me;¹⁰of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;¹¹of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

We are not called to be the judge, the prosecutor, or even the defense attorney! "You will be my WITNESSES"   - Rick Warren.

Note three important words. The first word is "convict." The Spirit "will convict the world" (Jn 16:8). "Convict" is a legal word that means "to bring to light, to expose, to convince."

Then the word "sin". We are told that the Spirit convicts the world of guilt in three areas: sin, righteousness, and judgment. Thirdly Jesus calls the Spirit: "the Counselor." In the original language this word is used for legal assistants who plead a cause or persecute a case. An advocate.

It is legal language, as is used in a court of law:  Believers are the witnesses, the Holy Spirit is the prosecuting advocate, and the unsaved are the accused. But, the purpose of the conviction is not to condemn, but to rehabilitate – to save.

Firstly, the Spirit through the witness of the church convicts the world of a specific sin: (Jn 16:9) The sin of not believing in Jesus. 

Secondly, the Spirit through the witness of the church,  (Jn 16:10) convicts the world of sin by showing us Christ's righteousness. The Resurrection and the Ascension, are saying about Jesus, that God has received him whom the world would not receive. God's exaltation of Jesus shows that he is the perfectly righteous Lamb of God.

Thirdly, the Spirit, through the witness of the church, (Jn 16:11) convicts the world of judgment, because the prince of this world (the devil) now stands condemned. The victory belongs to our Saviour.

On the first Pentecost Sunday the Spirit, though the witness of the Church, convicted the world of guilt with regards to sin and righteousness and judgment. Three thousand new converts were on the day convicted of their sin of unbelief in Jesus, they were convicted of the righteousness of Christ, and they were convicted of the judgment of the devil.

 So, the Spirit grew the church by convicting and converting lost souls, but the apostles were not bystanders.  

The job of the Spirit is to convict, to bring to light, to convert.

The job of the apostles, and now of the church, is to witness.