THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS THE BELIEVER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Dr. Mike Okonkwo
18 May 2020
“And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.”
John 16:8 (KJV)
If you have been a believer for some time, I believe you must have heard something like: “the Holy Ghost is convicting you of sin.” That is not true! The Holy Ghost does not convict the believer of sin. It is the world that He convicts of sin. He convicts the believer in Christ of righteousness. Brother Mike, what do you mean?
Some individuals in the church in Corinth were taking other peoples’ wives. They were committing all kinds of atrocities. Do you know how the Holy Ghost corrected them? The Holy Ghost through Paul said to them in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “know ye not that ye are the temple of God…?” He didn’t say, “You adulterers and adulteresses”. Rather He was asking, “Don’t you know whose son you are? Don’t you know that this body you are defiling is the temple of the Holy Ghost?” He was convicting them of their righteousness.
According to 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, brothers and sisters were taking themselves to court. There was so much quarrelling and people from the world were intervening to settle their disputes. Paul said, don’t you know that you are going to judge angels. If you are going to judge angels and humans are coming to judge for you, It means you have forgotten who you are?
When you know what Jesus has done for you, you will run from sin, without anyone telling you to do so. God always gives grace before anything because He knows that grace is powerful. On the contrary, when the law is in operation, you must obey all the laws because if you offend in one, you are guilty of all. That means no one can be free. So, God made it easy, He says just love me. He is not searching for whose head to drop the hammer on. Rather, He reminds you of whom you are in Christ. He is favourably disposed to bring the good things of life across your path.
Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-16, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- 1 Chronicles 4-6; Evening- John 6:1-21