The role of the Spirit in the world v7-15 He will send the Spirit, who will be
with them in the work. God never asks us
to engage in His service without providing assistance. They would not be alone in the work of
testifying to a hostile world. It is
expedient for them if Christ departs, so that the Spirit will come. He is
unlimited in time and space, and can traverse the world swiftly and
constantly. He now describes His role in
the world:
He reproves the world
“And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and
of righteousness and of judgement: of sin because they believe not on me; of
righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment
because the prince of this world is judged.
The word reprove is elegcho which is a legal term meaning
to “pronounce a judicial verdict which is beyond doubt”. The Spirit pronounces the irrefutable facts
of three fundamental matters-Sin, Righteousness, Judgment. His infallible, truthful, declarations are incontrovertible
and must be heard. He declares them
globally and individually and daily, and all day long the truth of these
important facts. He presents evidence on
all three and reveals the consequences of failure to deal with them.
· He declares the fact of sin in the world. Not a popular subject for it is a blow to
man’s pride. It simply means we have all
come short of God’s standard, that this is true of all of us (Romans 3v23). He declares that sin separates us and
alienates us from God (Ephesians 2v12; 4v18; Colossians 1v21; Isaiah 59v2 and
many more). Sin has many forms and expressions,
but the ultimate sin is unbelief in Christ, whom God sent to put away sin by
His sacrifice (John 1v29 with Hebrews 9v26.)
The whole purpose of Christ entering the world was to deal with sin, and
to reconcile us to God. Failure to
respond to that is the greatest sin of all, for it involves the approach of God
in unmerited mercy.
· He declares that righteousness has been
accomplished. Righteousness is being
right with God, it is the minimum moral requirement for entry into heaven. He declares first of all that we are not
right with God, not one of us (Romans 3v10).
He unequivocally declares that God demands righteousness from everyone
and will judge the inhabitants of earth by His standard of righteousness (Psalm
96v13). This standard of righteousness
has been achieved in one person, Christ-(Romans 5v18). The evidence that God accepted His sacrifice
as the satisfaction of righteousness for all, is that He will be (and has been)
raised from the dead, and ascended back to heaven, this is what it means “…of
righteousness because I go unto my Father.”
The standard, so miserably lacking in us, which God demanded of all of
us, has now been achieved by Christ whose work is now enthroned in heaven. The Spirit is presenting these glorious facts
to the world.
· He declares judgment on all who refuse God’s mercy. He says “…the prince of this world is judged,
God has finally and eternally pronounced judgment on the prince of the world,
and therefore on all who follow him. The
Prince of the world, is referred to in chapter 12v31; 14v30, and now 16v11. This is the same Prince who controls the
airwaves-Ephesians 2v2; who holds the whole world in his lap-1st
John 5v19; the god of this world who has blinded the minds of all unbelievers-2nd
Corinthians 4v4. He is now judged, the
death sentence on him has been pronounced, and all who follow him are judged
also. The warning tones of the Spirit in
the world could not be more solemn, and it is His work to appeal to people to
turn from the evil one, for he is going down.
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