Conviction of Sin

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · May 10, 1910

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 18.

Conviction of Sin

WHAT are the Lord’s agencies in convicting of sin?—His Spirit, His law. It is true that conscience convicts, but a good conscience is instructed and regulated by God’s standard of righteousness, and made impressible by His Holy Spirit. It is true that men are convicted by preaching, by words spoken by other men. But true conviction is produced through the agency of God’s truth; and God’s moral truth is but the drawing out of His wonderful law.

The convicting power is the Spirit; the convicting agency which the Spirit uses is the law. Therefore we read: “And when He [the Spirit] is come, He will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me.” John 16:9, margin. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3:20. “Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Rom. 7:7.

The law condemns because the heart and life are contrary to the law. The law, to the convicted sinner, is like the terrors of quaking, burning Sinai. It holds over the head of the sinner the sword of justice. The Spirit presses home that law upon the heart, till the convicted man cries out in agony over his uncleanness. Spirit and law lead to deep and pungent conviction and repentance.

But the Spirit does not cease its work in the condemnation of the sinner. Through conviction of sin by the law, it leads the sinner to Christ. That is the end, or object, of the Spirit’s use of the law in condemning the sinner. It convinces of sin because the one convinced did not believe on Christ. John 16:9. The Spirit then convicts of sin through the law, that the sinner may believe in Christ. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Gal. 3:24.

But the law has a part in our justification; for we are justified by the imputed righteousness of God in Christ wrought out in Christ’s character. By His life of obedience to the law we are made righteous. Rom. 5:19. “Christ,” therefore, “is the end [or object] of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Rom. 10:4. Christ places upon us the righteousness that is in the law, but which sinful man could not get from the law; and it is for this reason that the Spirit by the law leads us to Christ, in whom we may obtain righteousness and be brought into harmony with the law, our accuser. Then our accuser becomes a blessed witness of our acceptance with God. It witnesses that the righteousness of God through faith, gotten through Christ’s obedience (Rom. 5:19), is in harmony with the law He obeyed (Rom. 3:24), and which it is our duty to obey. James 2:12.

God and Christ are one. God’s law and God’s Spirit are of one. And he who is in harmony with any one is in blessed and assured harmony with all.