THE HOLY SPIRIT
How does the Holy
Spirit convict the world, Jn 16:8?
Read John 15:26-16:15
What promise is Jesus making about the Holy Spirit?
Who is Jesus making this promise to? Give evidence for your answer from the
text. See also 14:26.
The “world” is the world of unbelievers who denied that Jesus was
the Christ. When the Holy Spirit “convicted the world” he proved
the world wrong about Jesus Christ, and through His work Jesus was “glorified,”
v14.
Parallel v13 with v8 and explain how the Holy Spirit will convict the world?
The work of the Holy Spirit undergirds our faith—without it we could not
know Jesus as we do and have the confidence we can have that He is the Son of
God! See John 20:30-31; Mark 1:1...16:15-16. To confuse the promise Jesus made
here with a subjective, better-felt-than-told experience, or a subjective, personal
“inner witness” to the truth of the gospel, is to rob this promise
of its meaning, beauty, and value to the faith.
The best interpretation of Jesus’ promise recorded in John 16 is the record
of it being played out—the book of Acts. Answer the following two questions
using these scriptures from the book of Acts: 2:4,14,22…36-37; 4:1-4,8-12;
4:31…5:42-6:1.
• How did the Holy Spirit prove the unbelievers wrong about Jesus?
• The Holy Spirit exercised direct, supernatural influence upon whom?
See also Acts 8:12, 35-36; 9:20...22; 14:1; 19:8; etc.
Quick Quiz
Choose all correct answers in the following.
1. The Holy Spirit convicts the world about Jesus Christ
a. By exercising supernatural power upon the heart of the sinner giving him
faith
b. Through the revelation given through the apostles and prophets of the New
Testament
c. By operating through the church (its leaders or hierarchy) and using it to
expose error and guide and assure of the truth
d. None of the above
2. The Jews in Acts 2 were convinced they were wrong about Jesus by
a. Being enabled to speak in tongues
b. Hearing, understanding, and believing the message the apostles delivered
about Jesus being the Messiah
c. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit
d. An unexplainable feeling that came over them giving them warmth and faith
3. The word “convict” in Jn. 16:8 means
a. Confirm one’s faith
b. Fill with a “born again” feeling of grace
c. Cause people to experience something from head to toe that they cannot explain
d. Prove wrong
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