John 16

John chapter 16 documents the last moments in the upper room before Jesus is arrested in the garden. In these moments, Jesus recaps a couple of topics from the previous chapter. He gives his disciples a final warning, encouragement and hope, as well as a purpose, or calling. But the part that I was really drawn to was the passage about the work of the Holy Spirit in verses 8-11.

• 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. – (ESV)

In these three verses. I see the earthly ministry of Jesus, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel. During his earthly ministry, it was Jesus that convicted people of their sin. Jesus explained to need to be in right standing with God the Father, and Jesus warned of final judgment. In verse 7, Jesus explained that it would be to the disciples’ benefit that he leaves. This seems confusing at first, but when you look at the alternative that Jesus provides, it makes total sense. The way I see it, living during the time of Jesus was have been exciting and an amazing experience. It would have been unbelievable to witness Jesus perform miracles and to sit at his feet to listen to him teach, but at some point I probably would have needed to part ways with him and only be left with the belief that he is God’s Son. But what Jesus is offering in verse 7, is that we no longer have to be separated from God because God would live within us. So now we can have the belief AND the indwelling of the Living God to guide us and empower us to continue Jesus’ earthly ministry. That is the role of God the Holy Spirit, he is to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

So where is the Gospel in this? Perhaps it’s more easily seen in the Message translation. 8-11

• “When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted. We all have sinned and are in need of some way or someone to restore our standing before God otherwise we will all be judged and found guilty. Jesus is the way and the opportunity of right- standing before God the Father. It is also God that sets the criteria, “out of their sight and control”. There is nothing we can do to earn or gain our own righteousness. God determines it all, and His requirement is, “believe in me [Jesus].”

So what is our part in God’s plan? My/our part is to point people to Jesus, to know Him, love Him, live for Him and to tell others about Him. We do that all in love, grace and mercy. If I/we do that faithfully, the Holy Spirit will do the convicting and convincing. Knowing and believing this should free us from any fear or uncertainty when it comes to sharing the Gospel. I pray that we find rest and comfort knowing that the Holy Spirit lives within us and enables us to proclaim Jesus as Lord and King.

 Marty Pina | Elder

Marty and Cecily began attending Hutto Bible Church in August of 2008. They both began living out their faith in 2003 while attending Gateway Community Church in Austin. They were married there in 2004. Marty serves in children's ministry, as a small group leader, small group coordinator and as a shepherd. Cecily has served as a C-group leader in student ministry in the past. She currently serves on the worship team and co-leads a small group and co-shepherds with Marty. Marty is currently employed as a network engineer for Time Warner Cable. Cecily is a medical billing software trainer for Brightree. They have two daughters, Alexis and Zoe.