“AND WHEN HE IS COME, HE WILL CONVINCE.”
By T.
“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 [margin, “convince”] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:7, 8. Our heavenly Father desires that we shall be just right, so that we may enjoy perfect happiness. And as all sin prevents the uninterrupted flow of joy into the soul, the first work of the Comforter is to “convince of sin.” To be convinced of sin may not seem pleasant. But upon reflection we find ourselves saying, “Well, if the ‘Comforter’ convinces us of sin, it will be all right. For even in the very act of convincing us of the dark evils of our sinful nature, He is nevertheless the Comforter.” The bitter spirit of hatred and revenge in pointing out our wrongs leaves a cruel sting. But not so with the “Comforter.” He comes to us from the heart of Divine Love, and while positively reproving of sin, He is just as positively comforting us. He does not come to say that we need not give up our sins, because in our blindness we cherish them so dearly. No, there would be no real comfort in that. It might seem to us a comfort, but it is only because our sensibilities are blunted by long contact with evil that we even have a remote desire to continue in sin. God wants us to have the very best, so He sends the Comforter to convince us of the wrongs that are standing between us and the good that He is seeking to bestow. But in our short-sightedness we poor sinners are apt to think it a great hardship to give up those evil ways. We are possessed with the idea that there are no joys that can really take the place of some of the sinful pleasures that we are indulging in. But try God’s plan. He will show you, if you let Him, how much superior His ways are. He will show you the truly hideous character of sin. He will also show the perfect beauty and the perfect peace and joy of His righteousness. And when sin and the righteousness of God are each seen in their true light, it does not seem that any one could refuse to give up the evil and receive the heavenly Father’s own goodness instead. “He will convince the world of sin.” Yes, the Comforter does convince of sin. Every day as we do wrong the faithful Messenger is with us to convince of the evil. He is striving with us continually. He does not come in a boisterous or ostentatious way, but as the “still small voice” of God appealing to us through our knowledge of His Word. He is saying to us continually, “Son, give Me thine heart.” He does not ask us to give Him our heart because it is pure or holy. No, He wants our heart of sin. He wants to go into every hidden recess and point out every sin that is lurking about us. And He does not point to those sins in a revengeful way. He could not be the Spirit of God and do that. He points to the sins and wants us to see them as sins. He wants us to see how hideous, how hateful, how terrible sin is. He points also to the perfect righteousness of Jesus. He wants us to see how good it is. He wants us to see that all the joys that infinite love can devise to make our eternal existence one endless rapture of ever-increasing happiness are summed up in this blessed righteousness of Christ the Lord. Then the Comforter whispers: “Renounce your sins; for they are drawing you closer and closer to the brink of eternal ruin. And receive instead the blessings of our Father’s righteousness.” When our sins are being pressed home upon our consciences by the power of the Spirit of God, they seem like a dark and crushing weight. We may even despair of ever having pardon granted us for sins so enormous and vile. But remember that it is the Comforter who is revealing the sin. He could not be a Comforter if He was revealing to us the great depths and darkness of our guilt, simply that He might fill us with despair. No, no. Only a demon could be capable of such deeds of cruelty. The Spirit of our heavenly Father, it must ever be kept in mind, is a “Comforter.” “But how can I get any comfort out of the vivid revelation that my heart is a storehouse of the worst and most depressing sins?” I hear you ask. Ay, there is where the blessedness of the divine plan comes in. We see the sins, and they look hateful to us. We are horrified at the thought that we have committed them. Terrors take hold upon us as we are made to realize that these vile sins are clinging to us as the unfading coloring matter in our lifelong garments of character. Then in this crisis of despair the Comforter whispers, “Would you like to give up those sins?” Every sentiment and emotion of our soul cries out, “Yes.” Then the Comforter says again, “Will you accept instead of these sins the perfect righteousness of the Master?” And in the rapturous thrills of a renewed life we say, “Yes, heavenly messenger, a thousand times yes.” O, the joys of the Heaven-sent comfort! The Spirit of the divine Lord does not bring us a spurious comfort. He brings us the pure gold of heaven. He is indeed a comforter. Invite Him into your heart as an abiding guest. Even now He is gently, patiently, knocking for admittance. He wants to abide with you, to comfort you with the true worth of heaven.