The Holy Spirit is NOT Convicting You!

“The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this… ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’” (Heb 10:15,17)

Some believers feel that the Holy Spirit is convicting them of their sins.  Only He doesn’t.  How could the Holy Spirit convict us of something He chooses not to remember?  Look at what He says: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”  Jesus died to take away the sin of the world.  Because of what Jesus has done, neither God the Father (Heb 8:12) nor God the Holy Spirit (Heb 10:17) remembers your sin anymore.  If the Holy Spirit were convicting you, then the Godhead would be a house divided.

Our view of the Holy Spirit, like our view of God, needs adjustment.  I was taught that the Holy Spirit was like a dove and that He was easily offended and would leave.  I was taught that if I did the wrong thing He would leave, that He was hard to get to come and easy to run off.  That’s why we sang songs like “Come Holy Spirit,” because we lacked the revelation that He was in us and that He would never leave us.  Many get confused. They pray Old Testament prayers like David did in Psalm 51:11. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. That was appropriate for David at the time, but it’s wrong for us today.

We have too many New Testaments saints with Old Testament minds.  We pray that God will send His Holy Spirit.  He already did.  We pray and ask God to pour out His Spirit.  He already has.  In Acts, chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came rushing in like a mighty wind.  Yet some say they had to “tarry” for ten days before He came.  People again get a messed-up theology because they are ignorant of the Feast Days.  The Holy Spirit was not waiting on them to pray enough, get in unity, or any of the other things I’ve heard preached.  He was simply waiting for the Day of Pentecost to arrive.  He is here, in you and for you.  You don’t have to beg Him to come.  He is our helper, our guide, the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of Grace.

There is only one verse in the New Testament linking the Holy Spirit with the conviction of sin.

 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  (John 16:7-12)

The word ‘convict’ here does not mean that He finds you guilty.  The Greek word used here is also the word that means “to convince.”  He will convince the unbeliever of his unbelief in Jesus.  Notice the word ‘they’ in verse nine.  These are the unbelievers.  The Holy Spirit is not nagging believers and pointing at you when you do wrong.  Do we really believe that the Father says, “I will remember their sins no more” but the Holy Spirit says to the Father, “Don’t worry, I will remind you of their sins”?  Can we not see how foolish this is?

 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit does three things. First, He convinces the unbeliever of his unbelief because that is his problem. His doing drugs, getting drunk, and whatever other sins he commits are just symptoms of his unbelief and distrust in Jesus.  Second, He convinces the one that believes of his righteousness.  He convinces you that you are the righteousness of God in Christ.  Why is it so important to be convinced that you are righteous by faith?  Because when a person can believe that they are made righteous now by faith, then all these other things will be added to them (Matthew 6:33).  If you can have faith and believe that you are righteous by just believing, then you have the faith to be healed and to receive His blessings.  Third, He convinces us that the devil is judged, not you.  God is not judging you for your sin. Jesus has already suffered the judgment for sin.  

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  (John 5:24)

Those that are in Christ have no condemnation or judgment in their future.  Jesus bore their sins and punishment in His own body on the cross.  If Jesus has already received our judgment for our sin, then God would be unjust to punish two different people for the same sin.  I didn’t say that God doesn’t care if you sin and that there are no consequences to your sin.  I’m just saying don’t blame God.  He’s not punishing you.

 You may say, “Well, if the Holy Spirit isn’t convicting me, what is?”  Your own conscience.

Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  (John 8:9)

It is your conscience that is condemning you, not God.  That is not the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is never the source of any of your guilt or condemnation.  He is not the one who makes you feel bad when you sin.

For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.  (1 John 3:20)

This verse is clear. It is our own heart that condemns us, not the Holy Spirit.  Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter,” not the judge.  The Holy Spirit doesn’t convict the world of lying, stealing, adultery, or murder.  He convicts them of not trusting in Jesus.  That’s the root of every sin.  Even after receiving salvation, it’s not our actions (sins) that are the problem but the heart attitude of not trusting Jesus.  We don’t seem to understand that God desires more than just obedience.  You can obey someone that you don’t necessarily trust.  You obey the flight attendant, but you’re probably not going to leave your wallet with her.  The reason we sin is, at least in that moment, that we are not trusting God, but we turn to something other than Jesus to comfort us.

The Holy Spirit was sent here to encourage you, comfort you, and convince you that you are righteous now in Christ.  But the simple fact is the Holy Spirit will never convict you of your sin.  When you sin, your conscience may condemn you, the law will condemn you, the judge and jury may condemn you, the religious may condemn you, and the devil will certainly condemn you, but against the chorus of condemners stands the sweet Holy Spirit who defends you and draws you to grace.