A number of weeks ago Theology began looking at aspects of ministry carried out by members of the Trinity. We began with God’s word and continued with Christ’s power. For the next several weeks the focus will be on the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
We begin with His convicting ministry. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “When He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:8–11).
In human courts prosecuting attorneys make it their business to convince the jury that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable question. In keeping with that analogy, the Holy Spirit works so that “every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom. 3:19).
In both these passages the target of the Spirit’s convicting work is the world, in the sense of all humanity. Until people realize their guilt before a Holy God, they will not be inclined to come to Christ, who came as the world’s Savior from sin. That convicting work is the necessary prelude to or preparation for a sinner turning to the Savior for forgiveness. Until sinners realize their guilt before God, they will not be inclined to embrace the Savior, who comes from God.
Upon becoming aware of guilt before God, ideally a sinner turns in faith to trust the Savior. In trusting Christ, repentant sinners experience a spiritual birth. In His famous interview with Nicodemus, Jesus pointed out the absolutely essential human experience of being born again (John 3).
When Nicodemus halted at the idea of a second birth, he apparently was thinking of a second physical birth. Jesus explained that He spoke of being born of the Spirit or experiencing a spiritual birth. According to Jesus’ explanation, this experience is so essential that without it one cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Complete renewal
One of the most serious errors of human thinking is that those who are sinners can fit themselves for inclusion in God’s Kingdom. The biblical truth as explained by Christ is that membership in God’s Kingdom requires complete renewal by the Holy Spirit, such as spiritual rebirth conveys. What human merit cannot achieve, God’s Spirit provides — namely, needed spiritual rebirth.
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