The Spirit Alone

It is impossible to convince someone that they are sinning by yourself.  You, as a sinner, are an unworthy vehicle to transmit such a message.  A fellow standing in the mud can’t look at another fellow in the mud and say you are sinning.  The message simply will not be heard.

Jesus says in John 16:8-11, “And He, when He is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you behold Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.”

The Holy Spirit, when He came, convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment.  When the Spirit came for the very first time, this is exactly what happened.  Acts 2:36-37 records Peter speaking after the Spirit came to them to a crowd, “’Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.’  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’”  As soon as the Spirit arrived into the hearts of the believers, the Spirit began convicting those who heard the truth about Jesus of their sin.

It is important to realize, however, that the Holy Spirit who does the convicting of sin does it through us in a supernatural way.  Peter got up and spoke to the crowd.  His words were not magical, but the Spirit flowed through Him to everyone who heard and it was that Spirit of God that reached inside of those men and women.  It is the same today.  It is overwhelming to know that the Spirit has no way to get to the unsaved or those denying God’s Word except through believers.  The Spirit seems to work exclusively through the faith of believers.

Even so, if we do not yield ourselves to the power of God we can reach no one.  We must approach every person knowing that no words we say, no depth of love in our heart, no knowledge we have, no depth upon truth that we stand, no conversation, no friendship, no experience … nothing in our arsenal can lead another person to conviction of sin.  It must be the Holy Spirit.  We must pray and depend upon Him and Him only to reach those we are led to reach.