God the Holy Spirit's Ministry to Sinners: Pneumatology in the Gospel of John - Part 2

After Jesus told His disciples about the coming of God the Holy Spirit, in John 16:2, He emphasizes the Holy Spirit convicting the world by pitting Christians against Satan, his world and sons.[1] Jesus told His disciples this to comfort them. There was no need for them to fear His departure, for they would still be with Him through God the Holy Spirit indwelling them.

Not only this, but Jesus encouraged them so that they would not stumble whenever they were heavily persecuted. As we will see in a moment, He was preparing them to be hated by their national brothers and sisters.[2] The world was going to set a "trap" for them, trying to erase Christianity, and thus Christ from the face of the earth.[3] Satan is the one behind this persecution. God prophesied of this in Genesis 3:15, when He said, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Satan is furious with mankind; and his goal is to destroy all humanity. He especially hates the church; and is behind the heavy persecution of it. He wants to "crush the heads of Christians," but he will only be able to bruise their heels; and his head will be crushed.

Through the work of and empowerment of God the Holy Spirit, these disciples would be set apart from the Jewish leaders and pagan Gentiles of their day. They would be kicked out of the synagogue where the law was taught and worship took place. The disciples would not be viewed as "teachers" by their peers; they would be viewed as enemies of Judaism. Not only this, but they would be viewed as apostates; as God-haters. This is still true today for both Jewish and Gentile Christians.

These disciples were going to be heavily persecuted for the sake of Jesus; many of them even to the point of death. God the Holy Spirit was going to empower and use the church to convict the world.[4] An example of this is found in Acts 23:12-13, whenever the Apostle Paul was heavily persecuted; this reads, "When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy." These men hated Paul so much that they were willing to go without food or drink until they murdered him; not only this but they "bound themselves by an oath," meaning that they were willing to be "anathema", to be excommunicated from God altogether. Today, Muslims kill Christians everyday thinking they are pleasing their god. This is indirectly a result of God the Holy Spirit setting Christians apart from the darkness. The darkness hates the Light. Since Christians represent the Light, and show glimpses of Him, the `sons of the Devil hate Christians.

Christ, in John 16:3 is prophesies concerning the murder of these disciples. This was for sure going to happen to many of them. Based on Secular Historians and Tradition; Peter, Andrew, James, Bartholomew, Judas, and Simon the Zealot were martyred. The rest of the disciples, we are not sure of; but, every one of them was heavily persecuted. The reason why they were so heavily persecuted was because the Jews had departed so far from the truth of the Old Testament that they no longer even knew God the Father. Those who know God the Father will accept His Son, whom He sent to redeem His church. Jesus Christ made an exclusive claim in John 14:6, declaring, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, except through Me." If we try to get to God the Father any other way than through the finished work of Jesus Christ, then we will not receive an inheritance. God the Holy Spirit convicts the world through declaring Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation.

God the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin (John 16:8)

In John 16:8, Christ refers to God the Holy Spirit, saying that when He comes in power, He will convict the world of sin. This means that the coming of God the Holy Spirit was not just going to be good for believers, but also for the lost. It is awesome that God the Holy Spirit shines headlights on Jesus Christ continually. He sends all sinners running to Christ alone; however, His emphasis must be on showing sinners their sinfulness, for they must first run from unrighteous in order to run to the Righteous One. God the Holy Spirit convicts the world of righteousness (John 16:10)

God the Father raised God the Son from the dead. As a result, the world is convicted of the fact that Jesus was and is righteous and sinners are not righteous in comparison to Him. Remember that Jesus was crucified due to their belief He was a wicked man. The Jews believed Him to be a blasphemer; they even accused Him of working miracles through the power of Satan. The Jewish leaders in Matthew 12:24, "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." And yet, in spite of His people's rejection of Him as righteous, and their accusations that He was evil; God the Holy Spirit convicts the world, communicating the truth to all that Jesus is righteous!

God the Holy Spirit, then will convict men of their need for Christ's righteousness. God the Holy Spirit sends sinners running to Jesus Christ for righteousness and forgiveness. In the United States, we profess to believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty, as this is the foundation of our court system. Jesus on the other hand did not receive a fair trial when He was crucified, and He is not receiving a fair trial today. There was only one side of the story heard; and that side shouted, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him." Well, that God-Man they murdered is perfect, and God the Holy Spirit points to Him as perfect, and the rest of the world falls short of Him. Jesus said in John 3:19-20, "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light becausetheir works were evil. ²⁰For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light lest his works should be exposed." God the Holy Spirit shines light on the righteousness of Christ and the darkness of man's sins is exposed. God the Holy Spirit convicts the world of present and coming judgment (John 16:11)

Jesus, in John 16:11 purports that God the Holy Spirit convicts the world of judgment, because the world is judged. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, Satan was judged. Throughout His ministry Christ showed that Satan's work, the results of sin, from sickness, death, lack of food, etc. had no hold on Christ. Jesus did miracles overcoming all of these, showing His coming victory over the evil one. Throughout Jesus' life and ultimately through His resurrection, He defeated Satan, judging him, showing him His power over him. Through the resurrection, Jesus crushed the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15).

God the Holy Spirit convicts the world of the present and coming judgment. Just as Satan was judged by Christ, God the Holy Spirit is telling everyone how the sons of the Devil will be judged just as their father was judged. All mankind knows judgment is coming... though some choose to suppress this truth. Nearly every commercial on TV is advertising how to overcome the curse, our present judgment. There are age creams, weight machines, medicines, etc. which try to temporarily fix what the Fall eternally destroyed. Jesus is the answer to the sin and death problem. God the Holy Spirit magnifies Him as such.

God the Holy Spirit is the Source of Divine Life (John 3:5, 8)
In John 3:5, 8 Jesus tells Nicodemus that a person must be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This new birth is brought about through the washing of the "water" of the Word, and God the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:24-37; Titus 3:5).[5] Christ therefore communicates here that God the Holy Spirit is the source of regeneration, of divine life.[6] If sinners are to become believers, then He must work a miracle within them, boring them again through the seed of the Gospel, making all things new (2 Cor. 5:17).

[1] Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI, (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970), 698.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid., 698-699.

[4] Dwight Hunt, "Jesus' Teaching Concerning the Paraclete in the Upper Room Discourse"

(Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, April 1981) Theological Research Exchange Network, 002-0081, 38.

[5] Andreas J. Kostenberger, Encountering John, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 84-85.

[6] Hunt, "Jesus' Teaching Concerning the Paraclete in the Upper Room Discourse", 16.