We are going to talk about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and more specifically the conviction of sin.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit is very much like the ministry of Jesus.  Jesus says he will send another like unto himself, they will not seek their own but will guide you into whatsoever things I have revealed to you.  Jesus didnt come to speak of himself he came to speak of the Father.  The Holy Spirit doesn’t speak of himself, he speaks of Jesus.

Theres a lot of things we can say about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Ultimately the Ministry of the Holy Spirit is about guiding people to the place where they have eyes to see God is with them, taking thought of them, to give their lives the kind of care they need, to be filled with peace and love and joy.  That’s why Paul says we’ve been given the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry out Abba, Father.  

Joh 16:5  But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you ask me, Where am I going?
Joh 16:6  But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Joh 16:7  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.
Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Joh 16:15  All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Several translations, like the amplified, the American standard version, the modern King James Version just to name a few, take the words of Jesus when he says the Holy Spirit “will reprove the world of sin” and translate it as “the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin”.  

The conviction of sin is not about the Holy Spirit making you feel guilty because you’ve done a bad thing.  Its not an accusatory thing.  It’s not about God finding fault with people’s bad behavior, and now He sends the Holy Spirit to uncover people’s nakedness and make them feel guilty for what they’ve done. 

If you look immediately before Jesus says the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, he describes the Holy Spirit as the Comforter.  He begins his discourse by calling the Holy Spirit the Comforter, and then he describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and how it is the Holy Spirit will comfort people.  The conviction of sin is part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to comfort people.  

Well you might say why do I feel guilty then when I do something wrong.  When Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil mankinds conscience was stained with the knowledge of good and evil.  The apostle Paul says in Romans 3 that even though the gentiles did not have the law, their conscience was a law unto itself.  Our conscience knows what the fruit of life looks like and we know what the fruit of death looks like.  If we see the fruit of death in our life, our conscience will judge that fruit to be evil and inconsistent with experiencing life, and thats why we can feel guilt or shame for something we’ve done.

Comforter: Strongs:  intercessor, consoler: - advocate …. Thayers:  1) summoned, called to one’s side, especially called to one’s aid
1a) one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate
1b) one who pleads another’s cause with one, an intercessor
in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant

In the same context Jesus says the sin the Holy Spirit convicts of is unbelief.  He says the sin is they do not believe on me.  What does it mean to believe on Jesus?  Jesus says in Johns gospel that he didn’t come to speak of himself but he came to reveal the Father.  Jesus also says in Johns gospel if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father.  The gospel of John is centered around Jesus revealing everlasting Father.  Its centered around Jesus revealing the goodness in the Fathers heart towards sinners, to serve them with a life that superabounds over death.  

Not believing on Jesus is unbelief in the fathers righteousness to serve you with a life that overcomes the tribulation in the world.  Its unbelief in the goodness in the Father’s heart towards your life.  Unbelief is not knowing that the thoughts and intents in the Father’s heart towards you, are only thoughts of peace, to give you a certainty of the abundant life.  

The conviction of sin is about the Holy Spirit helping the blind to see.  To convict of unbelief means to heal someone’s sight by bringing to light the goodness in God’s heart towards their life.  Its about comforting people from the torment that comes from unbelief by showing them the Father is with them to justify them with life, free from their works.  

If we look at the first man Adam in Genesis 3 …. After Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he was in unbelief … he wasn’t believing on Jesus … he wasn’t believing that God would provide a lamb to remove the death that was reigning over him.  Adam wasnt believing God would cloth him with the life of His lamb.  Adam couldnt comprehend the goodness in God’s heart towards His life.  His understanding of God’s thoughts towards him was darkened through the death he saw in himself.  There was a veil over his heart, that left him blinded to God’s righteousness towards him.  The conviction of sin can be seen in God drawing near to Adam, and clothing upon Adam’s nakedness with His lamb.  God healed Adams blindness, and removed his unbelief, by showing Adam the goodness in His heart towards his life.  

Isa 40:1  Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Isa 40:2  Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.

this is prophesying of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, where sin was abounding, warring against us, causing death to reign over us, God did superabound over the death that was reigning over us by the Grace that is in His eternal life.  The grace in Gods hand superabounded over the sin of our hands.  And the Holy Spirit was sent into the earth to comfort people by telling them that though their sin was red as crimson God has made it as white as snow.

When Jesus sat down on the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit was poured out in all flesh, the Father saying to the Spirit, Bring comfort to my people, show them I am with them to war against the death that is warring against them.  Tell them I have not abhorred them in their affliction.  Tell them where sin was abounding, causing death to reign over them, the grace in my eternal life did superabound over their sin.  Bring comfort to my people .. show them what I have done through My Christ to utterly destroy their fellowship with the sin and the death and the corruption and tribulation in the earth.  Guide them into the place where they can see the righteous thing I’ve done to serve them with a life that superabounds over the sin and tribulation in the earth.  

Jesus says in John 14 I will send another; the comforter.  He will comfort you by guiding you into the place where you can see what the Father has done to accomplish your warfare.  He will restore your sight.  He will give you eyes to see Everlasting Father with you justifying you with His life.  

Woman Caught in the act of adultery 

The account of the woman caught in the act of adultery is a great illustration of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the conviction of sin.  Jesus was there convicting her of sin.  He wasnt making her feel guilty.  He wasnt shaming her for her sin, or her nakedness.  She was already standing in all of those things.  But you know what Jesus was there for?  He was there to heal her sight.  He was there to remove her unbelief.  He was there to show her the goodness in the Father’s heart towards her life.   He was there to judge the prince of this world.   He was with her as Everlasting Father, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God.  He was there to be the Father she needed.  He was there to be her God.

The woman caught in the act of adultery was in unbelief.  She was blind to the goodness in God’s heart towards her life.  She couldnt see God was with her to care for her life.  She couldnt see the thought God took to care for her life.  Because of her blindness, she was living as if she was an orphan, fornicating with the works of her hands, trying to serve herself with life.  She was standing in the condemnation of death.  Death was reigning over, tormenting her.  The devil was there uncovering her nakedness, accusing her.

Jesus is God there in the midst of all this.  He is come to convict her of unbelief.  He convicts her of unbelief by manifesting the Father’s righteousness towards her life.  He healed her sight.  He showed her it wasnt God who was condemning her.  He opened her eyes to the goodness in God’s heart towards her life.  He showed her God was with her to give her life the care it needs.  She needed to be justified from the accusation.  She needed the sentence of death to be sent away from her.   He gave her the care she needed.  He removed the sentence of death that was reigning over her.  He justified her from the accusation that was condemning her.  He comforted her by showing her God was with her to accomplish her warfare.  He comforted her by showing her the goodness in God’s heart to justify her from the sin and death in the earth.  That’s the conviction of sin.  You come to convince someone of the Father’s righteousness towards their life so they can be healed from unbelief, and their flesh can be put to rest and healed from the works of the flesh, through the revelation of the Fathers work.  …. Go and sin no more … conviction of sin.

Jesus goes on to heal a blind guy immediately after his encounter with the woman caught in adultery, and says it’s the thief that comes to steal, kill, and destroy but I am here to serve you with a life that abounds over sin and death.  The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin by bringing the Father to light.  He guides us into the place where we can see the Father served us with a life that superabounds over the sin and death in the world, when he raised Jesus from the dead and sat him at His right hand.  

The strength of God to war against death has now manifested in human flesh.  Setting in motion the vengeance of God against death in our hearts and in our lives.  Our hearts feel comforted on account of seeing God accomplishing our warfare.  Our blindness is healed.  We see God has judged the prince of this world in jesus’ ascension to the Father’s right hand.  The prince of this world that was all the time accusing us, uncovering our nakedness is cast out because God has taken the son of Man who had the fulness of sin and death manifesting in him, and raised that man up from the dead, and sat that man at His right hand, crushing the serpents head, taking from him the power death had over mankind, kicking open the gates of hades, and giving mankind the keys to heaven, that is to say intimacy with the indestructible life that is with the Father, even in the Father.  This is the conviction of sin.  Go and sin no more … Go and no longer life as if you are an orphan ….

When God raised Jesus from the dead He was convicting the world of sin.  They we were being afflicted by our sin.  Sin was abounding causing death to reign over us.  We were in unbelief.  There was a veil over our hearts.  We couldn’t see God was with us to be good to us.  We couldn’t see God was with us to be the Father we needed.  We thought God abhorred us in our affliction.  

Then all of a sudden we see the resurrection and we see it wasnt God who was condemning us, it was the serpent and his bite of death.  We see the righteousness in the Father’s heart towards our lives because we see Him raise Jesus the son of man, from the dead, seating the Son of man at His right hand.  God restores our sight and heals us from our unbelief by drawing near to us when we are being afflicted with death and destruction, thinking God is far from us.  He shows up in that place and accomplishes our warfare.  He takes vengeance on the death sin was condemning us with in the body of Jesus’ resurrection.  That is the conviction of sin.