⁸ “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment …”

Conviction is that inner work of exposing a person to his own true nature. The world was already under God’s judgment and Jesus came to provide a solution. However, it was (and is) needed for people to see their own need for that solution, to participate in the solution. But how?

When God created humans in His image, that included the ability to make free choices. This is clearly inferred from the various commands given to Adam in the Garden of Eden (to manage the creation, enjoy the fruit of the garden, procreate and avoid the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). Sin came when Adam knowingly and freely chose to disobey God, and in so doing, falling away from Him. Resolving then, the problem of fallen humans created in God’s image needs to involve humans acting in the nature of the image of God. Any other way would override and in fact nullify the image of God in them, diminishing the whole creation of humankind as a reflection of God’s glory. In other words, redemption would require a full awareness of the depth of their sin, a full participation of the image-bearing nature of humans. The image of God, from our limited perspective, did not shine brightly in man’s fall, but it does indeed shine brilliantly in our response to sin in confession and repentance.

Unfortunately, because of sin we are fallen beings incapable of functioning fully in the image of God because it was in that image we acted out in the wrong way – by rebelling against Him. If God saves us in a way that denies the image of Himself in us, then He would be ignoring the very essence of what it means to exist in His image. Thus the only way salvation could happen would be for us to confront the very thing that caused the downfall to begin with. We must face up to the full awareness of sin, and do so in the fullness of God’s image in us, so that we can respond in the fullness of His image in us to the real nature of our sin. But how can we do that when we are in fact fallen, spiritually blind, and spiritual dead “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…” (Eph 2:1)?

Enter the Holy Spirit, who brings conviction, that is, exposure and full awareness of our sin. He incites the image of Himself in us to rise up in revulsion against our sin, so that we might experience a truly godly response to our sinfulness. He brings us back to Eden, to confront our original sin, our inner rebellion against God. And now, what will we do differently?

Lord, thank You for the convicting work of Your Spirit. Without Him I would remain dead in my sins, because of my sinfulness.