“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:”-John 16:7-8
If you are around children very much, you can count on them to do at least one thing: disobey. Like children, mankind is often disobedient to God, and prone to commit sin. When children disobey their parents and make bad choices it grieves the heart of the parents. When we disobey God, it grieves Him. Parents, good parents, are disappointed when their children disobey, and they find a way to let the child know this. God has his own way of letting us know, and it is with conviction.
Your conversion from sinner to saint begins with conviction. Conviction is a realization that you have defied God and that you stand condemned before Him. This realization (while not pleasant) is God’s grace working in your life. It is there to help you realize that you are a sinner, you are disappointing God, you are lost, and you are condemned to hell. Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit seeking you out to bring you back home. You see, being lost is bad, but being lost and not knowing you are lost is far worse. Conviction is God calling you to leave your sin and turn to righteousness. We all do or have done terrible things, even when we know they are wrong. We lie, steal, cheat, and harm others. We lose control and say terrible things. We fall into addiction, lust, or greed. These sinful things take you away from God, and deeper into sinfulness. They do not go unnoticed by God, and the grace of God, and love of Christ, reaches down to bring you back to God. He does this through the work of the Holy Spirit. Consider that a man may go all his life, and only know poverty. He has never known what it is to eat until you are full, and have food left over. He has never had the ability to change the temperature of the water from cold to hot, with just a turn of the nob. Never felt the touch of a silk suit tailored to fit. This man has no concept of what wealth is because he has never known it. Likewise, a sinner can live in this life and only know the beggarly elements of his sin. Living with no concept of the wealth of God. Wealth that is far more precious than food, water, and clothing. It is the wealth of peace, contentment, righteousness, love, holiness, and best of all, eternity in Heaven. You cannot see this looking at yourself. You cannot truly understand this looking at your neighbor. So, because of Christ, and through the Spirit of God, he shows you who you are in comparison with the righteousness of His Son. He shows you the holiness of Christ, and when you see yourself in comparison with Jesus, conviction follows. You are made aware that you are a lost, hell bound sinner who is in need of a Savior. This is why it is vital for the church to preach and live the truth of the gospel; or we will only hope to present poverty.
The Gospel of John chapter three, verse nineteen and twenty says: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” When you are a sinner, it is like walking the edge of a cliff in the pitch-black darkness. The next step could be your last. The Spirit, the light, shows you your condition. It is not seen with the eye, but with the heart. A keen understanding of how wrong, and depraved you really are. How lost you really are. This is conviction, and it leads to repentance.
