Does The Holy Spirit "Convict" Christians?

Biblegems #301

Question: Christians frequently say things like, “I feel convicted by the Holy Spirit.” Does the Holy Spirit convict Christians, or is conviction the same as condemnation and judgment, and only done by God as Judge?

It would certainly be terrific in an ideal world if people always used perfectly precise words to express themselves—words such as “convict,” for example. I expect that in heaven all the communication confusion we experience in the fallen world will be clear up. Until then…

The word “convict” is sometimes taught to be a legal term of judgment and condemnation exclusively, and therefore not to be used to describe how the Holy Spirit interacts with believers. It is usually claimed in these circles that the word “convict” is never used in the Bible of the Holy Spirit’s interaction with believers.

“Convict” in the Bible

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said:

   John. 16:8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:… (ESV)

The NT Greek word behind the English translation is elegcho (pronounced, el-eng-ko). Its specific meaning is broad, depending upon the context. The Mounce Greek Dictionary defines elegcho and gives scriptural examples of its various uses:

   “…to put to proof, to test; to convict, Jn. 8:46; Jas. 2:9; to refute, confute, 

1 Cor. 14:24; Tit. 1:9; to detect, lay bare, expose, Jn. 3:20; Eph. 5:11, 13; to reprove, rebuke, Mt. 18:15; Lk. 3:19; 1 Tim. 5:20; to discipline, chastise, Heb. 12:5; Rev. 3:19; pass. to experience conviction, Jn. 3:20; 1 Cor. 14:24 ˘ rebuke; refute”        —(Underlining is mine).

As the definition and variety of uses shows, it is incorrect to say that “convict” is strictly a legal term of condemnation and judgment. In fact, the apostle Paul uses the word elegcho (“conviction”) to describe how God can expose the secrets of an unbeliever’s heart who participates in a worship service:

         1Cor. 14:24-25 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted (elegcho) by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you (ESV).

He is “convicted by all”—meaning the Holy Spirit working through the believers present in worship. This is not judgment; it is spiritual surgery!

For Christians to use “convict” in describing the corrective ministry of the Holy Spirit is neither incorrect nor unbiblical, unless it is used in the sense of condemnation.

Words do mean things, and improperly used words can lead to confusion. But we all “get it” when a believer says he is convicted by the Holy Spirit. Such “conviction” is how the Lord rebukes His children in love:

Heb. 12:5-6 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you (i.e., “convicts”; Gk.: elegcho), because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

   

“Flesh” Or “Sinful Nature”?

Biblegems #246

Question: Some Bible translations use the term “sinful nature” instead of “flesh.” Which is more accurate?

Usually, “flesh” is the more accurate translation. Here’s why:

The phrase “sinful nature” in many of our English Bibles typically translates the Greek word sarx, which literally means “flesh,” meat,” or sometimes “body.” However, it can also be used as a metaphor (occasionally) to mean the “sinful nature” associated with the powerful passions of our physical body.  Romans 7:5 and 18 (NIV, 2011) represent good examples of sarx being accurately translated both ways:

         Rom. 7:5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh (sarx), the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.

Here, sarx literally refers to the “flesh” as the physical home (“realm”) of sinful passions and desires. In verse 18, however, Paul uses the same word (sarx) in a somewhat broader way, where “flesh” refers to himself as a human being once controlled by physical passions:

Rom. 7:18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature (sarx). For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Notice how Paul says, “good…does not dwell in me,”—then explains “me” with the word sarx—meaning the physical, fleshly part of his nature that is dominated by sinful desires.  Here, sarx is used metaphorically to indicate the man he once was before he came under the control of the Holy Spirit.

As he explains a little later…

         Rom. 8:5   Those who live according to the flesh (sarx) have their minds set on what the flesh (sarx) desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Simply put, the New Testament teaches that the “desires” that drive human beings have their source in the flesh (sarx)—our physical nature. We are slaves to those desires, unable to live as God desires for us, even when we desire His will for ourselves (Rom. 7:25; Rom. 8:8). However, when we surrender control of our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord, His Holy Spirit takes up residence in our physical bodies. Then we have a choice…

         Rom. 8:5   Those who live according to the flesh (sarx) have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

The newest edition of the NIV (2011) has actually improved upon the earlier, 1984 translation in this regard, changing the older version’s over-use of “sinful nature” back to “flesh,” where the word sarx is clearly intended in the Greek to be literally understood. “Sinful nature” is not incorrect, just less clear in terms of how powerful the body is in determining human behavior.

But the really good news is this:

         Gal. 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Do The Ten Commandments Apply Today?

Biblegems #242

Question: Are Christians as well as Jews equally obligated to obey the Ten Commandments? And what about those of other religious beliefs?

God gave the Ten Commandments to the Hebrew people, specifically the descendants of Israel, during the 13^th century B.C. (Exodus 20:1-23). These statutes formed the foundation of the entire legal, judicial, military, religious and social system that God established through Moses in creating the nation of Israel. In that sense, then, the Ten Commandments were designed specifically for the Jewish people.

However, God’s purpose in creating the nation of Israel was to have a people set apart from all the other people groups on the planet who would serve as God’s representative to the nations, and as an example to all mankind of a lifestyle in keeping with God’s will and design for humanity. In fact, God’s promise to Israel was that a future day would come when that divine purpose would become a permanent reality:

         Is. 51:4   Listen to me, my people;

                  hear me, my nation:

         The law will go out from me;

         my justice will become a light to the nations.

What this reveals is that the Ten Commandments are more than ten laws; the Ten Commandments reflect God’s character and His standard for human desires and human conduct. The Ten Commandments target what we love as well as what we do. So in that sense, the Ten Commandments are universal. What God gave to Israel on tablets of stone He has also imprinted in the human conscience:

         Rom. 2:14-15 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.

So the Law acts as a spotlight on the person who breaks it. It exposes sin in a very public way, because those who publicly identify themselves as people of the Law come under its judgment when they break it. Either way, Jew and Gentile—no matter what their religious views—all must answer to God for breaking His commandments. And by that holy standard, all mankind stands condemned:

         Rom. 3:10   As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one…

A true follower of Jesus, however, has died to the sinful nature and has been reborn by the Holy Spirit. Such a person is no longer condemned but—under the control of the Spirit of God—willingly obeys the Law.

         Rom. 8:6-9   The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

         You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.