"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." John 16:7-11
“He shows much more of himself to some people than to others–not because he has favorites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition. Just as sunlight, though it has no favorites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as in a clean one.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 164
Q 1: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A: That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
Q 2: What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
A: Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.
Heidelberg Catechism Questions 1 and 2
SIN:
Q 16: What is sin?
A: Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law—resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation. The New City Catechism
“Sin is missing the target; sin is choosing the wrong target. Sin is wandering from the path or rebelling against someone too strong for us or neglecting a good inheritance. Above all, at its core, sin is an offense against God… To rebel against God is to saw off the branch that supports us… Rebellion against God and flight from God remove us from the sphere of blessing, cutting us off from our only invisible means of support.” Plantinga, p. 123-124
“Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper, born in my birth, alive in my life, strong in my character, dominating my faculties, following me as a shadow, intermingling with my every thought, my chain that holds me captive in the empire of my soul.” Valley of Vision
“The Holy Spirit’s distinctive new covenant role... is to fulfill what we may call a floodlight ministry in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. So far as this role was concerned, the Spirit 'was not yet' (John 7:39, literal Greek) while Jesus was on earth; only when the Father had glorified him (see John 17:1, 5) could the Spirit’s work of making men aware of Jesus’s glory begin.
I remember walking to a church one winter evening to preach on the words 'he shall glorify me,' seeing the building floodlit as I turned a corner, and realizing that this was exactly the illustration my message needed.
When floodlighting is well done, the floodlights are so placed that you do not see them; you are not in fact supposed to see where the light is coming from; what you are meant to see is just the building on which the floodlights are trained. The intended effect is to make it visible when otherwise it would not be seen for the darkness, and to maximize its dignity by throwing all its details into relief so that you see it properly. This perfectly illustrates the Spirit’s new covenant role. He is, so to speak, the hidden floodlight shining on the Savior.” J.I. Packer, The Hidden Floodlight Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Righteousness → rejoicing in the unending mercy poured into our lives by virtue of the cross.
Q 37: How does the Holy Spirit help us?
A: The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, comforts us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts and the desire to obey God; and he enables us to pray and to understand God’s Word. The New City Catechism
Judgment → the continual gratitude and combat.
“His blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls. Live in this, and you will die a conqueror, you will through the good providence of God, live to see your lust at His feet.” John Owen, The Works of John Owen: Sin and Temptation, Volume Six
CONSIDERATIONS:
1. If I am continually sorrowing over sin and making life adjustments...
2. If I am rejoicing in the work of Jesus and desire to be conformed to his likeness…
3. If I am actively battling against the schemes of the devil and the deceitfulness of the worldly system with a holy resolve, passion, desire, and willful energy…
(1 John 2:15-16, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10:5)