The
Matter of Conviction
On the eve of his death for the sins
of humanity, the Lord Jesus spent time with his disciples explaining
what life would be like for them after he died, arose from the dead and
ascended to the Father's right hand. Central to his instruction was the
sending of “another Comforter” (Holy Spirit), who had been WITH them
during his ministry but would afterward live IN them. In John 16:7-11,
Jesus taught:
”Nevertheless I tell you the truth;
It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the
Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto
you. 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.”
One the many roles the Spirit of God
performs is that of 'conviction' where a world of lost
sinners is concerned. The word reprove (16:8) is ἐλέγχω
(elegchō), “to convict, convince, confute, refute.” It includes the
ideas of (1) rebuke with a view to correction, and (2) shame in the one
reproved when called to account for his fault. It is used 18 times in
the NT. John the Baptist “reproved” Herod the tetrarch for his sexual
sin and other evils (Luke 3:19). Jesus said practitioners of evil will
not come to the light lest their deeds should be “reproved” (John
3:20). The scribes and Pharisees who brought to Jesus a woman taken in
adultery were “convicted” in their consciences after Jesus challenged
her accusers to cast the first stone (John 8:9). Jesus left them
speechless and ashamed because none of them were without sin.
To get a sense of the Spirit's
convicting work, picture a court room in
which the prosecutor is making his case before judge and jury. The
evidence of guilt is so overwhelming the defendant abruptly rises to
his feet, and says to the judge: “Your honor, I’d like to dismiss my
entire defense team, plead 'Guilty' to ALL charges against me and cast
myself upon the mercy of the court.”
When the Spirit of God brings
conviction of sin to bear upon the heart
of a lost sinner, there is a similar situation with a divine twist. In
the divine Courtroom, the Spirit is the Prosecutor, Jesus the Judge and
the chief indictment against the sinner the sin of unbelief. At the
moment conviction takes its intended effect, the sinner says: “Lord, I
have no defense left! I’m ‘Guilty’ as charged! But I understand YOU
have borne ALL my guilt, paid for ALL my sins, and that YOU will impute
YOUR righteousness to ME as a free gift if I simply receive by faith
the Court's
REMEDY for my sins, especially the sin of unbelief!”
In response to the sinner's 'Guilty'
plea, the Judge issues this
pronouncement: “Because you're trusting me as the remedy
(satisfaction) for your sins, I not only ACQUIT you of all charges, but
IMPUTE to you my very own righteousness. The defendant is now a FREE
man!”
In the matter of salvation, much has
been said about the ‘Age of
Accountability’ where faith is concerned. But isn’t the REAL issue the
‘Age of Convictability’? The Spirit convicted me of unbelief at age
twelve. As a result, I knelt by my bedside, pled guilty and received by
faith the Court’s remedy in Jesus. But how many testimonies have you
heard of children much younger than twelve believing in Jesus after
being convicted of unbelief?
The only thing ANY sinner needs to
understand, without regard for age,
is that (1) sin, especially the sin of unbelief, stands between
him and a Holy God, (2) Jesus died and rose again to
satisfy all
the demands of divine justice for those sins, and (3) a simple
child-like trust in Jesus is sufficient to save them from their sins
and give them eternal life. The believing sinner, without regard for
age, will have an entire lifetime to discover ALL that God has done for
them in Christ Jesus and develop Christ-like character. This
is the journey of discipleship—a journey
that begins with conviction in the divine Courtroom and a casting of
oneself upon the mercy of the Court.
The issue is not whether any
individual is ACCOUNTABLE, but whether they are CONVICTABLE.
And if a child is convictable, he or she is both accountable
and savable in the sight of God!
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