The ruling issues of redemption - Chambers, Oswald
Lecture: NNovember 6, 1914
John 16:7–15
And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement. (rv )
The word convict means moral conviction, not logical conviction. When the holy spirit is come, he will convict a man with a power of moral conviction beyond the possibility of getting away from it. Whenever the holy spirit gets us into a corner, he never convinces our intellect; he is busy with the will which expresses itself in our intellect. It is never safe to do much introspection, but it is ruinous to do none. Introspection can never satisfy us, yet introspection is not wrong, it is right, because it is the only way we discover that we need god. It is the introspective power in us that is made alert by conviction of sin.
1. The issue regarding sin of sin,
because they believe not on me.
Note what causes you the deepest concern before god. Does social evil produce a deeper concern than
The fact that people do not believe on jesus christ? It was not social evil that brought jesus christ down from heaven, it was the great primal sin of independence of god that brought gods son to Calvary. Sin is not measured by a law or by a social standard, but by a person. The holy spirit is unmistakable in his working: and he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, . . . Because they believe not on me (rv ). That is the very essence of sin. The holy spirit brings moral conviction on that line, and on no other. A man does not need the holy spirit to tell him that external sins are wrong, ordinary culture and education will do that; but it does take the holy spirit to convict us of sin as our lord defined it because they believe not on me. Sin is not measured by a standard of moral rectitude and uprightness, but by my relationship to jesus christ. The point is, am i morally convinced that the only sin there is in the sight of the holy ghost, is disbelief in jesus?
2. The issue regarding righteousness
of righteousness, because i go to the father. (rv )
If i am not morally convinced with regard to sin, i wont bother my head about jesus christ going to the father and having all power in heaven and on earth; but once i am convicted of sin and have accepted deliverance from unbelief in jesus, i know beyond the shadow of a doubt that jesus christ is the righteous one. The wisdom of god is shown in that jesus christ was made unto us righteousness (1 corinthians 1:30). That means that god can justly justify the unjust and remain righteous. In the cross of calvary our lord is revealed as the just one mak- ing men just before god. God never justifies men outside christ. No man can stand for one second on any right or justice of his own; but as he abides in christ, jesus christ is made righteousness unto him (see philippians 3:89). Nowadays the tendency is to switch away from the righteousness which is of god by faith, and to put the emphasis on doing things. You cannot do anything at all that does not become, in the rugged language of isaiah, as filthy rags, if it is divorced from living faith in jesus christ. If we have the tiniest hankering after believing we can be justified by what we have done, we are on the wrong side of the cross. To experience the loss of my own goodness is the only way to enter into communion with god in christ (2 corinthians 5:21).
3. The issue regarding judgement of judgement,
because the prince of this world is judged.
Have i come to judgement at the foot of the cross? Do i accept gods verdict on sin given there? What one longs to see more often is a soul shattered under the convicting blast of the holy ghost. It means that jesus christ has seen of the travail of his soul in that one, and it is one of the rarest sights. Most of us are smugly satisfied with praising jesus christ without ever having realised what the cross means. We say, o lord, i want to be sanctified, and at any moment in answer to that prayer the holy ghost may rip and tear your conscience and stagger you dumb by conviction of sin, and the question is, will you accept gods verdict on sin on the cross of christ, or will you whine and com- promise? The only test of spirituality is holiness, practical, living holiness, and that holiness is impossible unless the holy ghost has brought you to your last day, and you can look back and say that was the day when i died right out to my right to myself, crucified with christ. That is the day from which many a rich young ruler and many a mary of bethany goes away sorrowful, with countenance fallen, for they have great possessions of self-respect, great possessions in the way of ideas as to how they want to serve god. The last day is when a soul, gripped by the power and light of the holy ghost, sees the meaning of the cross of christ, and goes to death like a sentenced criminal. To every soul who has gone through that experience, there is no more condemnation (romans 8:1).
