Joh 16:8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
Joh 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
Joh 16:10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
The difference between verses 9 and 10 that most people miss is the “they” and the “you”. So we know that the “they” are those that do not nor will not believe in Jesus thus rejecting the gospel. The word “believe” that is used comes from the Greek word “pisteuō”, which means “to have faith” or to “entrust”. Believe is not talking about intellectual assent to just some sort of idea, James stomps on that in Jas 2:19. Now who is the “you” in verse 10? The disciples. They had already made a declaration of trust (Mat 16:16) in Christ and now Jesus is teaching them how the Holy Spirit will deal with them because Jesus would no longer be physically with them.
Joh 16:10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
When I first became a Christian I lived much of my life as one that believed that I needed to act righteous and that this verse was proof that when I didn’t the Holy Spirit would convict me of my sin so that I would start acting right. Oh how far from the Truth that is and yet how often that is taught in many well-meaning churches. And as I was living my Christian life it was one of duality, I was trying to always do the right thing so that I would be righteous and in doing so put myself back under the law. But how can I be under the law if I have been delivered and set free from it? I would cry out like Paul did in Rom 7:15, I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. And as such my Christian life was full of joy at times but also full of condemnation and shame at how I acted.
The word in verse 10 is not about “my righteousness” but Christ’s righteousness. The word speaks specifically of justification. Justification is NOT “just as if I haven’t sinned” but now I have the righteousness of Christ in me. The Holy Spirit convicts you of who you are…you are righteous!
Rom 5:17 If, because of one man's trespass (Adam’s), death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
Rom 5:19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
Our righteousness is a gift from God through Jesus Christ (Php 3:9) and we saved not by anything we have done but by Him alone (Tit 3:5). Many of our problems come through ignorance of the truth and the deceitful lies of the devil. Many are still on a “religious” treadmill trying to do for God what has already been done. YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS, stop trying to establish your own and thus putting yourself back into bondage to the law. The Holy Spirit directs us to now live out our identity.
Rom 10:3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Is Lot a righteous man? Lot lived in Sodom, he was a judge in Sodom, at one point he offered his two virgin daughters to the perverts of Sodom to have their way with them and in the final end He had children by these daughters that started great pagan generations that continually made war against God’s people the Israelites. But what does God have to say about Lot?
2Pe 2:7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked
2Pe 2:8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
He calls him righteous 3 times in these 2 verses. Why? Because righteousness does not come by what you do but by who you are. Just as Abraham believed and it was accounted to him as righteousness (Gal 3:6) so did Lot. Now they lived their lives much differently and here we even have a little insight into how Lot lived daily (tormenting his righteous soul) but it always goes back to salvation…we are saved and thus made righteous by faith (Eph 2:8-9)
The next step is to live out who you are and in doing so living in a manner succinct with your nature. I will go right into this next time, until then think or reckon on your identity in Christ.
Joh 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
Joh 16:10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
The difference between verses 9 and 10 that most people miss is the “they” and the “you”. So we know that the “they” are those that do not nor will not believe in Jesus thus rejecting the gospel. The word “believe” that is used comes from the Greek word “pisteuō”, which means “to have faith” or to “entrust”. Believe is not talking about intellectual assent to just some sort of idea, James stomps on that in Jas 2:19. Now who is the “you” in verse 10? The disciples. They had already made a declaration of trust (Mat 16:16) in Christ and now Jesus is teaching them how the Holy Spirit will deal with them because Jesus would no longer be physically with them.
Joh 16:10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
When I first became a Christian I lived much of my life as one that believed that I needed to act righteous and that this verse was proof that when I didn’t the Holy Spirit would convict me of my sin so that I would start acting right. Oh how far from the Truth that is and yet how often that is taught in many well-meaning churches. And as I was living my Christian life it was one of duality, I was trying to always do the right thing so that I would be righteous and in doing so put myself back under the law. But how can I be under the law if I have been delivered and set free from it? I would cry out like Paul did in Rom 7:15, I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. And as such my Christian life was full of joy at times but also full of condemnation and shame at how I acted.
The word in verse 10 is not about “my righteousness” but Christ’s righteousness. The word speaks specifically of justification. Justification is NOT “just as if I haven’t sinned” but now I have the righteousness of Christ in me. The Holy Spirit convicts you of who you are…you are righteous!
Rom 5:17 If, because of one man's trespass (Adam’s), death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
Rom 5:19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
Our righteousness is a gift from God through Jesus Christ (Php 3:9) and we saved not by anything we have done but by Him alone (Tit 3:5). Many of our problems come through ignorance of the truth and the deceitful lies of the devil. Many are still on a “religious” treadmill trying to do for God what has already been done. YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS, stop trying to establish your own and thus putting yourself back into bondage to the law. The Holy Spirit directs us to now live out our identity.
Rom 10:3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Is Lot a righteous man? Lot lived in Sodom, he was a judge in Sodom, at one point he offered his two virgin daughters to the perverts of Sodom to have their way with them and in the final end He had children by these daughters that started great pagan generations that continually made war against God’s people the Israelites. But what does God have to say about Lot?
2Pe 2:7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked
2Pe 2:8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
He calls him righteous 3 times in these 2 verses. Why? Because righteousness does not come by what you do but by who you are. Just as Abraham believed and it was accounted to him as righteousness (Gal 3:6) so did Lot. Now they lived their lives much differently and here we even have a little insight into how Lot lived daily (tormenting his righteous soul) but it always goes back to salvation…we are saved and thus made righteous by faith (Eph 2:8-9)
The next step is to live out who you are and in doing so living in a manner succinct with your nature. I will go right into this next time, until then think or reckon on your identity in Christ.
2 comments:
Great article. Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much
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